Mercer Hosts Samford on Homecoming, Senior Day

MACON, Ga. – Mercer will welcome No. 15/16 (STATS/Coaches) Samford to Five Star Stadium on Saturday for a Southern Conference clash in front of a Homecoming crowd.

The Bears (4-4, 3-3 SoCon) will honor 11 of their student-athletes with a Senior Day ceremony prior to kickoff, which is set for 3 p.m. (ET). Mercer is coming off a bye week after eight straight weeks of play. Saturday's contest also marks the final game at Five Star Stadium for the 2017 campaign.

The game will be broadcasted via ESPN3 while fans can tune into the game on 96.5 FM The Bull or via the Sportsmic and iHeartRadio apps.

GAMEDAY LINEUP
Gameday Central: MercerBears.com
Date: Saturday, November 4 | 3 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (4-4, 3-3 SoCon) vs. #15/16 Samford (5-3, 3-2)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Five Star Stadium (10,200)
Television: ESPN3
Television Talent: Frank Malloy (play-by-play), Conrad Nix (color), Kristin Banks (sideline)
Radio: Mercer Sports Network | 96.5 FM The Bull | iHeartRadio | Sportsmic
Radio Talent: Rick Cameron (play-by-play), Roger Jackson (analyst), Kristin Banks (sideline)
Live Stats: Statbroadcast.com
Twitter Updates: @MercerFootball
Game Notes: Mercer | Samford | SoCon

Quick Hits

A win over Samford would be Mercer's first since 1932 (21-6 in Macon). Mercer is 0-3 in the modern era against Samford.
Samford Head Coach Chris Hatcher is a Macon, Ga. native. He'll return to Macon with a 139-79 career record.
Mercer's three SoCon wins have come by an average of 21.6 points, while its three SoCon losses are by an average of 3.6 points.
Head Coach Bobby Lamb is two wins away from career victory No. 100 (98-63).
Lee Bennett is averaging 9.8 tackles per game this season, ranking second in the SoCon. He totaled 40 of his 78 tackles over three games in October.
A win over Samford would be Mercer's second against a ranked FCS team this season.
Mercer is allowing only 1.25 sacks per game and ranks 25th nationally in that category.
Mercer has allowed an average of 11.2 points to opponents in its four wins this season.
Tee Mitchell and CJ Leggett have both scored at least one rushing touchdown in each of the last five games.
Stephen Houzah needs one interception to break the program's all-time record with seven.

Series History
Mercer has been unable to defeat Samford in three tries since reviving its football program in 2013. The Bears are 0-3 dating back to 2014, with two of those losses being by five points or less. Samford's biggest win came the last time it visited Macon; a 47- 21 win on Nov. 21, 2015. A Mercer win over Samford would be its third over a top-25 FCS program and second this season.

Mercer came up short against Samford, 24-19, in Birmingham last year, rallying from a 21-point deficit with 19 straight points, only to see the Bulldogs seal the win with a field goal.

Riley Named to Jerry Rice Award Watch List
Kaelan Riley was named to the watch list for the STATS FCS Jerry Rice Award, which is awarded annually to the most outstanding freshman player in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Riley is one of 17 true or redshirt freshmen named to the watch list, which will see players added or removed throughout the remainder of the season before 20 finalists are selected by a national panel of over 150 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries following the regular season.

Riley ranks among the top-four in the SoCon in pass efficiency (145.3), passing yards per game (215.8), total offensive touchdowns (16), total offense (237.2), completion percentage (63.9) and passing touchdowns (13).

Back at the Bear's Den
Nov. 3-5 is Homecoming at Mercer University, with the Bears' clash against Samford serving as the center piece of the weekend. For more information on Mercer's Homecoming schedule, visiting www.homecoming.mercer.edu.

Thank You, Seniors!
Saturday also serves as Senior Day for Mercer, which will honor 11 student-athletes who have been members of the football program for at least four years. Mercer will honor Alex Lakes, Chandler Curtis, Avery Ward, Kyle Williams, Lee Bennett, Thomas Marchman, Caleb Yates, Jagger Lieb, Austin Barrett, Jalen Penn and Grant Reynolds.

"These guys have meant the most to our coaching staff and to this university. They're all going to graduate – that's the most important thing of all. We'll remember them for many years to come." – HC Bobby Lamb.

Welcome to the L.O.C.
Here comes the boom. The Legion of Chaos, otherwise known as the Mercer defense has established itself as a force. Mercer ranks second nationally in fumble recoveries (9) and ranks sixth nationally with 16 turnovers gained this fall. The Bears have totaled seven interceptions and 13.0 sacks as well.

Red Means Go
Consistency at its finest. Mercer ranks second in the FCS for red zone offense, scoring on 93 percent of its trips (28-of-30). Meanwhile, the defense ranks 14th in the FCS (70.8 percent). The Bears lead the SoCon in both categories.

Something Has To Give
Mercer's defense is allowing opposing quarterbacks to throw for an average of 194.1 passing yards per game entering Saturday's contest. That will be tested against the SoCon's top arm in Samford junior Delvin Hodges, who is averaging 331.8 yards per game. A key to a Bears win will be finding how to slow down Hodges.

Mr. Everything(s)
Chandler Curtis and Tee Mitchell rank third and 10th, respectively, for most all-purpose yards per game this season. Curtis, a dynamic return man, is averaging 97.4 all-purpose yards per game and leads the SoCon with 154 punt return yards. He also leads the SoCon with an average of 24.1 kick return yards per game. Curtis totaled 202 all-purpose yards at Furman on Oct. 28, the third-most in program history. Meanwhile, Mitchell averages 75.9 all-purpose yards per game, largely due to his consistent rushing attack. Mitchell owns 416 rushing yards and has added 191 receiving yards this season.

Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Football, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerFootball (Twitter), /MercerFootball (Facebook) and @MercerFootball (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.

Mercer Hosts Samford on Homecoming, Senior Day

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Players Mentioned

Austin Barrett

Lee Bennett

Chandler Curtis

Stephen Houzah

Alex Lakes

CJ Leggett

Jagger Lieb

Thomas Marchman

Tee Mitchell

Jalen Penn

Grant Reynolds

Kaelan Riley

Avery Ward

Kyle Williams

Caleb Yates

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Mercer University Athletics