Bears Fall in Season Opener at Memphis

Saturday, September 1

Memphis, Tenn.

7 p.m.

Mercer University

0-1

Memphis

1-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

MERCER

Univ. of Memphis

Photo by: Allyson Lamb

9/1/2018 11:49:00 PM | Football

Box Score Final Stats (PDF)

Mercer outscores Tigers in second half but falls, 66-14

By: Gerrit W. Van Genderen

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Mercer outscored Memphis in the second half behind a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes by Robert Riddle but the Bears came up short, 66-14, to the Tigers on Saturday at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.

After Memphis (1-0) claimed a 56-point advantage by halftime, Mercer (0-1) held the Tigers scoreless in the third quarter before Riddle connected with a pair of receivers for touchdowns in the fourth frame. The loss was just Mercer's second in a season opener since 2013, while Memphis won its fifth straight season opener.

How It Happened
Memphis' offense struck early and often throughout the first half, building an insurmountable lead for the Bears to overcome. After Mercer's kick return defense created a two-yard loss on the opening kickoff and pinned the Tigers on their own seven-yard line, Memphis generated the first of eight straight touchdown drives.

Quarterbacks Kaelan Riley and Robert Riddle both saw action throughout the contest; Riddle made his collegiate debut on Mercer's third drive of the game after Riley had a pass intercepted for a 34-yard touchdown return in the first quarter. Riddle finished 10-for-19 with 101 yards, two touchdowns and one interception while Riley was 4-for-8 for 10 yards and one interception.

The Bears' most impressive drive of the game was a 10-play, 75-yard push at the start of the fourth quarter that ended with Riddle finding Tony Jones II for a 10-yard touchdown pass in the left corner of the end zone. The score was set up by 20- and 30-yard runs by Riddle and Tyray Devezin, respectively.

On the following Memphis drive, Travonte' Easley forced one of two fumbles by the Mercer defense and saw Michael Freeman recover the ball for a 57-yard return to the Tigers' 15-yard line. Riddle found Marquise Irvin for a 15-yard touchdown pass on the following play with five minutes and 10 seconds remaining.

Coach Lamb's Take
"I told the team I was proud of how they competed in the second half," said head coach Bobby Lamb. "You're looking for positives and this is game one. At halftime I told them we're going to go out this half and it's going to define who we are because we got embarrassed in the first half.

"It was mistake after mistake against a really explosive offense. We couldn't move the chains and defensively they just made plays on us. So, I'm proud of our effort in the second half. At the end of the day, this is game one. Its's a learning experience. There are things to learn and a long way to go."

Notables
Team
» Mercer's 14 points were its most against a FBS team in four games played.
» Mercer is 0-4 against FBS teams since 2013.
» The Bears recorded 90 of their 174 total offensive yards in the fourth quarter.
» Mercer was 2-for-2 offensively in the red zone.

Individual
» LeMarkus Bailey recorded 10 tackles (eight solo), falling one shy of his career-best. He recorded two tackles for loss, one pass breakup and one forced fumble, the fourth of his career.
» Bailey moved into fourth place in program history for most career tackles (171).
» Marquise Irvin tallied five catches for 76 yards and one touchdown. The senior has 20 receptions for 228 yards and two touchdowns in four career games against FBS teams.
» Tony Jones II's touchdown catch was his first collegiate reception.
» Andrew Pettit, Jack Raines and Harrison Poole recorded three of Mercer's five tackles for loss.
» David Durden averaged 17.0 yards per return on three kick returns for 50 yards.

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.