Saturday, September 16
Auburn, Ala.
4 p.m.
Mercer University
1-2
10
at
24
#15 Auburn
2-1
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Mercer
0
3
0
7
10
Auburn
7
3
7
7
24
Team Stats
MER
AU
Total Yards
246
510
Pass Yards
146
364
Rushing Yards
100
146
Penalty Yards
30
65
1st Downs
12
26
3rd Downs
6
12
4th Downs
1
0
TOP
32:08
27:52
1st Quarter
MER 0, AU 7
AU - Kamryn Pettway 4 yd run (Daniel Carlson kick), 10 plays, 85 yards, TOP 3:35
2nd Quarter
MER 3, AU 7
MER - Cole Fisher 21 yd field goal 4 plays, 23 yards, TOP 2:06
MER 3, AU 10
AU - Daniel Carlson 29 yd field goal 6 plays, 44 yards, TOP 0:50
3rd Quarter
MER 3, AU 17
AU - Kamryn Pettway 9 yd run (Daniel Carlson kick), 10 plays, 78 yards, TOP 2:58
4th Quarter
MER 10, AU 17
MER - Marquise Irvin 7 yd pass from Kaelan Riley (Cole Fisher kick) 12 plays, 83 yards, TOP 6:07
MER 10, AU 24
AU - Kamryn Pettway 4 yd run (Daniel Carlson kick), 7 plays, 41 yards, TOP 3:00
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
20
TD
1
YDS
146
INT
0
Players Mentioned
DB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
K
/ Football
K/P
/ Football
DB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
RB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
LS
/ Football
DL
/ FootballQB
/ Football
Photo by: Judy Stapleton
Mercer Forces Five Turnovers in Loss at #15 Auburn
9/16/2017 8:26:00 PM | Football
Bears’ defense shines in hard-fought 24-10 loss
AUBURN, Ala. – Mercer forced five turnovers including a program-record four fumbles in an impressive showing but fell to No. 15 (AP) Auburn, 24-10, in an impressive defensive display at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
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The Bears (1-2) proved their worth in front of an Auburn Homecoming crowd of 87,033 as they trailed by only seven points with less than five minutes remaining in the game before Auburn sealed its victory with a late touchdown. The five forced turnovers were the most committed by Auburn since Oct. 6, 2012 at Arkansas.
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Turning Point
Kaelan Riley found Marquise Irvin for a seven-yard touchdown strike with less than 14 minutes left in the game to silence a Homecoming crowd at Jordan-Hare Stadium and cut the Tigers' lead to 17-10.
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It Was Over When
Auburn's Kamryn Pettway punched in his third touchdown of the game for Auburn with four minutes and 50 seconds left to extend the Tigers' lead to 24-10 and put the game out of reach.
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Offensive Star
Marquise Irvin caught six passes for 65 yards and one touchdown – a seven-yard score in the fourth quarter – to lead Mercer in receiving. The junior's touchdown was the 11th of his career. He additionally hauled in a 29-yard reception, a team-long.
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Defensive Standout
It was a collective effort for the Legion of Chaos, which proved its worth multiple times Saturday by forcing five turnovers – four fumbles and one interception.
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How It Happened
LeMarkus Bailey forced and recovered a fumble on the Tigers' opening drive, jarring the ball loose from receiver Kyle Davis. Mercer's first four drives ended in punts, the second of which was followed by a 10-play, 85-yard touchdown drive by Auburn that was capped with a four-yard rush from Kamryn Pettway. The first quarter came to an end with Mercer trailing, 7-0.
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Stephen Houzah forced another fumble with 7:15 in the second quarter as he knocked the ball out from Auburn's Eli Stove before Lee Bennett made the recovery. Mercer cashed in on the turnover with a 21-yard field goal by Cole Fisher after taking over on the Auburn 27-yard line.
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Yet another turnover was forced by Mercer on the following drive as Jalen Penn scooped up a botched handoff by Auburn at the Bears' nine-yard line. The Bears could not take advantage of the turnover on offense and went three-and-out. Auburn took a 10-3 lead with a 29-yard field goal with less than one minute left in the first half.
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Mercer's opening drive of the second half was held to three plays, but a fourth fumble recovery – this time by Steven Nixon after Alex Lakes forced it on Auburn's punt return – gave the Bears another opportunity on offense. With 4th-and-4 and the Auburn 24, Mercer took a shot at a fake field goal attempt but came up short as holder Tanner Brumby fell two yards short. The miscue translated to a 78-yard touchdown drive by Auburn that gave the Tigers a 17-3 advantage.
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An interception by Kam Lott with 4:55 left in the third quarter breathed new life into the Bears as they translated the turnover into their best drive of the day – a 12-play, 83-yard trip that ended with a seven-yard touchdown pass by Riley to Irvin.
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Mercer remained within seven points of Auburn after the Tigers missed a 26-yard field goal with 8:50 remaining. The Bears could not capitalize on the following drive, however, going three-and-out. Auburn made it a 14-point game on the next possession to put the game away.
Coach Lamb's Take
"I cannot say enough about our team and the effort they gave. Our defense just played lights out. I cannot say enough about our defense and the effort they gave. They were flying around the ball making plays, and they forced five turnovers. It wasn't easy for Auburn to score when they did score. Auburn never dreamed that their tailback would come in and have to carry the ball 30-something times, but that's the way our defense plays. They fly around. It's like that in practice. It is a hard yard to gain against our defense. Tremendous effort, a few mistakes here and there, but just a tremendous effort. I couldn't be more proud of a football team for coming into a place like this and playing the way we did.
"We learned an awful lot. We had a great week of practice. In and out with the hurricane, no power here and no power there, but they were resilient. You just don't know how they are going to react in a 90,000-seat stadium for the first time against an SEC team ranked 15 in the country with an unbelievable defense. I can't say enough about our coaches coming up with a really good game plan to stay within the chains and to really get after it on the defensive side. Then we had some bigtime plays on special teams. At the end of the day the resiliency factor that I think our team has really came through, and I was proud of that. I think we have something to work with as we move forward into Southern Conference play."
Notables
Team
» Jordan-Hare Stadium's attendance of 87,951 is the largest to view a Mercer football game.
» Mercer dropped to 0-12 all-time against Auburn.
» The Bears are 2-3 in road openers in the modern era.
» Mercer was called for only two penalties Saturday. The Bears have committed only 10 this season.
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Offense
» Mercer's 100 rushing yards are the most surrendered by Auburn's defense this season (Clemson, 96 last week)
» Irvin's touchdown reception was the second of the season and 11th of his career.
» Six Bears caught passes from Riley, who was 20-for-32 passing with 146 yards and one touchdown.
» CJ Leggett gained a team-high 39 yards rushing. Both Leggett and Tee Mitchell had 11 carries apiece.
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Defense
» Mercer's four fumble recoveries are a single-game program record.
» Mercer has forced a turnover in 30 of the last 35 games, including two of three this season.
» Bailey and Houzah's forced fumbles were the second and fourth of their respective careers.
» Bennett's fumble recovery was the fifth of his career, tying him with Lendell Arnold for most in program history.
» Lott's interception was the second of his career.
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Special Teams
» Grant Goupil averaged 41.5 yards on eight punts in the first, including a career-best 51-yarder. He pinned three of those punts inside the 20-yard line.
» Lakes and Nixon joined the fumble frenzy after a punt by Goupil in the third quarter. Their joint effort set Mercer's single-game record of four fumble recoveries.
» Fisher's 21-yard field goal was his third straight successful attempt dating back to Sept. 9.
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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.
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The Bears (1-2) proved their worth in front of an Auburn Homecoming crowd of 87,033 as they trailed by only seven points with less than five minutes remaining in the game before Auburn sealed its victory with a late touchdown. The five forced turnovers were the most committed by Auburn since Oct. 6, 2012 at Arkansas.
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Turning Point
Kaelan Riley found Marquise Irvin for a seven-yard touchdown strike with less than 14 minutes left in the game to silence a Homecoming crowd at Jordan-Hare Stadium and cut the Tigers' lead to 17-10.
Â
It Was Over When
Auburn's Kamryn Pettway punched in his third touchdown of the game for Auburn with four minutes and 50 seconds left to extend the Tigers' lead to 24-10 and put the game out of reach.
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Offensive Star
Marquise Irvin caught six passes for 65 yards and one touchdown – a seven-yard score in the fourth quarter – to lead Mercer in receiving. The junior's touchdown was the 11th of his career. He additionally hauled in a 29-yard reception, a team-long.
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Defensive Standout
It was a collective effort for the Legion of Chaos, which proved its worth multiple times Saturday by forcing five turnovers – four fumbles and one interception.
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How It Happened
LeMarkus Bailey forced and recovered a fumble on the Tigers' opening drive, jarring the ball loose from receiver Kyle Davis. Mercer's first four drives ended in punts, the second of which was followed by a 10-play, 85-yard touchdown drive by Auburn that was capped with a four-yard rush from Kamryn Pettway. The first quarter came to an end with Mercer trailing, 7-0.
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Stephen Houzah forced another fumble with 7:15 in the second quarter as he knocked the ball out from Auburn's Eli Stove before Lee Bennett made the recovery. Mercer cashed in on the turnover with a 21-yard field goal by Cole Fisher after taking over on the Auburn 27-yard line.
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Yet another turnover was forced by Mercer on the following drive as Jalen Penn scooped up a botched handoff by Auburn at the Bears' nine-yard line. The Bears could not take advantage of the turnover on offense and went three-and-out. Auburn took a 10-3 lead with a 29-yard field goal with less than one minute left in the first half.
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Mercer's opening drive of the second half was held to three plays, but a fourth fumble recovery – this time by Steven Nixon after Alex Lakes forced it on Auburn's punt return – gave the Bears another opportunity on offense. With 4th-and-4 and the Auburn 24, Mercer took a shot at a fake field goal attempt but came up short as holder Tanner Brumby fell two yards short. The miscue translated to a 78-yard touchdown drive by Auburn that gave the Tigers a 17-3 advantage.
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An interception by Kam Lott with 4:55 left in the third quarter breathed new life into the Bears as they translated the turnover into their best drive of the day – a 12-play, 83-yard trip that ended with a seven-yard touchdown pass by Riley to Irvin.
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Mercer remained within seven points of Auburn after the Tigers missed a 26-yard field goal with 8:50 remaining. The Bears could not capitalize on the following drive, however, going three-and-out. Auburn made it a 14-point game on the next possession to put the game away.
Coach Lamb's Take
"I cannot say enough about our team and the effort they gave. Our defense just played lights out. I cannot say enough about our defense and the effort they gave. They were flying around the ball making plays, and they forced five turnovers. It wasn't easy for Auburn to score when they did score. Auburn never dreamed that their tailback would come in and have to carry the ball 30-something times, but that's the way our defense plays. They fly around. It's like that in practice. It is a hard yard to gain against our defense. Tremendous effort, a few mistakes here and there, but just a tremendous effort. I couldn't be more proud of a football team for coming into a place like this and playing the way we did.
"We learned an awful lot. We had a great week of practice. In and out with the hurricane, no power here and no power there, but they were resilient. You just don't know how they are going to react in a 90,000-seat stadium for the first time against an SEC team ranked 15 in the country with an unbelievable defense. I can't say enough about our coaches coming up with a really good game plan to stay within the chains and to really get after it on the defensive side. Then we had some bigtime plays on special teams. At the end of the day the resiliency factor that I think our team has really came through, and I was proud of that. I think we have something to work with as we move forward into Southern Conference play."
Notables
Team
» Jordan-Hare Stadium's attendance of 87,951 is the largest to view a Mercer football game.
» Mercer dropped to 0-12 all-time against Auburn.
» The Bears are 2-3 in road openers in the modern era.
» Mercer was called for only two penalties Saturday. The Bears have committed only 10 this season.
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Offense
» Mercer's 100 rushing yards are the most surrendered by Auburn's defense this season (Clemson, 96 last week)
» Irvin's touchdown reception was the second of the season and 11th of his career.
» Six Bears caught passes from Riley, who was 20-for-32 passing with 146 yards and one touchdown.
» CJ Leggett gained a team-high 39 yards rushing. Both Leggett and Tee Mitchell had 11 carries apiece.
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Defense
» Mercer's four fumble recoveries are a single-game program record.
» Mercer has forced a turnover in 30 of the last 35 games, including two of three this season.
» Bailey and Houzah's forced fumbles were the second and fourth of their respective careers.
» Bennett's fumble recovery was the fifth of his career, tying him with Lendell Arnold for most in program history.
» Lott's interception was the second of his career.
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Special Teams
» Grant Goupil averaged 41.5 yards on eight punts in the first, including a career-best 51-yarder. He pinned three of those punts inside the 20-yard line.
» Lakes and Nixon joined the fumble frenzy after a punt by Goupil in the third quarter. Their joint effort set Mercer's single-game record of four fumble recoveries.
» Fisher's 21-yard field goal was his third straight successful attempt dating back to Sept. 9.
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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.
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