Saturday, September 22
Macon, Ga.
4 p.m.
Mercer University
2-2 , 1-1
31
vs
38
The Citadel
1-2 , 1-2
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
The Citadel
7
7
3
21
38
Mercer
7
10
7
7
31
Team Stats
CIT
MER
Total Yards
475
379
Pass Yards
167
347
Rushing Yards
308
32
Penalty Yards
50
18
1st Downs
21
23
3rd Downs
6
6
4th Downs
4
1
TOP
32:36
27:23
1st Quarter
CIT 0, MER 7
MER - Tee Mitchell 4 yd run (Cole Fisher kick), 12 plays, 80 yards, TOP 5:35
CIT 7, MER 7
CIT - Jordan Black 25 yd run (Jacob Godek kick), 14 plays, 75 yards, TOP 6:49
2nd Quarter
CIT 7, MER 10
MER - Cole Fisher 26 yd field goal 11 plays, 64 yards, TOP 4:28
CIT 7, MER 17
MER - Stephen Houzah 22 yd pass from Robert Riddle (Cole Fisher kick) 4 plays, 41 yards, TOP 1:11
CIT 14, MER 17
CIT - Raleigh Webb 77 yd pass from Jordan Black (Jacob Godek kick) 4 plays, 96 yards, TOP 1:15
3rd Quarter
CIT 14, MER 24
MER - Tucker Cannon 15 yd pass from Robert Riddle (Cole Fisher kick) 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:47
CIT 17, MER 24
CIT - Jacob Godek 27 yd field goal 19 plays, 66 yards, TOP 9:52
4th Quarter
CIT 24, MER 24
CIT - Grant Drakeford 4 yd run (Jacob Godek kick), 10 plays, 57 yards, TOP 4:38
CIT 31, MER 24
CIT - Rod Johnson 5 yd run (Jacob Godek kick), 7 plays, 92 yards, TOP 3:13
CIT 31, MER 31
MER - David Durden 8 yd pass from Robert Riddle (Cole Fisher kick) 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:36
CIT 38, MER 31
CIT - Rod Johnson 94 yd kickoff return (Jacob Godek kick)
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
25
TD
3
YDS
347
INT
1
CMP
0
TD
0
YDS
0
INT
0
Players Mentioned
DL
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
K
/ Football
DB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
RB
/ Football
DB
/ FootballQB
/ FootballQB
/ Football
Photo by: Christopher Smith
Bears Fall to The Citadel in SoCon Thriller
9/22/2018 9:12:00 PM | Football
Mercer drops first SoCon game of the season in 38-31 heartbreaker
MACON, Ga. – Mercer suffered its first Southern Conference loss of the season in heartbreaking fashion, 38-31, to The Citadel in front of a sold-out crowd of 11,772 at Five Star Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Citadel (1-2, 1-2 SoCon) scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to stun the Bears (2-2, 1-1), who entered the final quarter with a 24-17 advantage. After Mercer tied the game, 31-31, on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Robert Riddle to David Durden with one minute and 11 seconds remaining, The Citadel's Rod Johnson returned the following kickoff 94 yards for the eventual game-winning score.
Turning Point
The Citadel took its first lead of the game, 31-24, with 4:47 left on the clock as Johnson capped a 92-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run. The touchdown rush was part of a 17-point run for the Bulldogs that stretched from the end of the third quarter to under the 5-minute mark of the final frame.
It Was Over When
Riddle was hit and injured while attempting to complete a pass to Marquise Irvin on The Citadel's 35-yard line with less than 30 remaining. Kaelan Riley replaced Riddle under center, but was sacked twice to end the game.
Offensive Star
Marquise Irvin dazzled in Mercer's passing game, recording game-highs in receptions (7) and receiving yards (132). It was the senior's first 100-yard receiving game of the season and gives him 352 yards through four games played.
Defensive Star
A career-best seven-tackle effort earned Dorian Kithcart the honors. The Bears' starting nose tackle, who has battled through injuries this season, also added a 5-yard tackle for loss.
How It Happened
Mercer wasted no time in jumping on the board, scoring on its first possession of the game. Riddle finished 5-of-5 in the opening drive for 61 yards, connecting with Irvin three times for 48 of those yards, including a 15-yard completion to The Citadel 4-yard line. Tee Mitchell punched the ball in on the next play for a 7-yard score.
The Bulldogs evened the contest on their next possession with Jordan Black capping off a 14-play, 75-yard drive with a 25-yard touchdown run. Both teams stalled each of their next two drives until the Bears broke through with two consecutive scores in the second quarter: Cole Fisher kicked a 26-yard field goal and Stephen Houzah caught a 22-yard touchdown pass to give Mercer a 17-7 lead with 1:33 left in the first half.
The Citadel would cut Mercer's lead to 17-14, however, when Black found Raleigh Webb for a 77-yard touchdown pass with 15 seconds left in the second quarter.
Mercer scored on its first drive of the second half, marching 75 yards on nine plays as Riddle hit Tucker Cannon for a 15-yard touchdown pass. On third-and-6, Riddle fumbled, only to have the ball recovered by Tyray Devezin, who rushed for a gain of 13 yards into The Citadel territory. The lucky break paid off for Mercer as Riddle found Irvin for a 28-yard completion before connecting with Cannon for the score. The Citadel responded with a clock-consuming 19-play drive that lasted 9:52 and ended with a field goal to keep it as a one-score game (Mercer, 24-17).
A difficult fourth quarter for Mercer started quick as Riddle was intercepted by The Citadel's Khafari Buffalo, which sparked a game-tying drive by the Bulldogs that ended with a 4-yard touchdown run by Grant Drakeford. The Citadel would later take its first lead of the game, 31-24, on a 5-yard run by Johnson with 4:47 remaining.
Riddle was impressive on Mercer's next drive, completing four passes, including a 41-yard strike to Houzah that set up a game-tying, toe-tapping touchdown snag by David Durden in the corner of the end zone with 1:11 left on the clock. The tie was short-lived though, as The Citadel's Johnson returned the following kickoff 94 yards for the game-winning score. Riddle led the Bears down the field for a final attempt at sending the game to overtime, but was taken out of the game after a hit, sealing The Citadel's victory.
Coach Lamb's Take
Lamb's opening statement:
"It was a very difficult loss for our team tonight," said head coach Bobby Lamb. "I just told our guys, 'you lose as a team and you win as a team.' We had a team effort in last week's win and we had a team effort in tonight's loss.
"Offensively, we couldn't rush the ball very well. When you can't run the ball, it puts a lot of pressure on the quarterback. I thought defensively, we couldn't get [The Citadel] off the field. They are really good on the offensive line; they do what they do and they live for third-and-two or fourth-and-one [situations]. As for special teams, we led the nation in kickoff return coverage last season, but [The Citadel] made blocks to return that final kick for a touchdown and win the game.
"My hat is off to Coach [Brent] Thompson and his crew, they did a really good job. They wanted to get in the [SoCon] race, and that's what they did tonight. We've got to go back and get better and move forward. We didn't win it in the fourth quarter; it's a long season and we still have a ways to go."
Notables
» Mercer fell to 23-10 at Five Star Stadium since 2013.
» Robert Riddle threw for a single-game program record of 347 yards. He finished 25-of-37 with three touchdowns and one interception.
» The Bears fell to 1-4 against The Citadel dating back to 2014.
» Will Coneway had a career-best 13 tackles (five solo, eight assisted) to lead both teams.
» Six Bears recorded eight tackles or more: Coneway (13), Michael Freeman (9), Malique Fleming (9), Harrison Poole (8), Eric Jackson (8) and Isaiah Buehler (8).
» Two Bears, Tucker Cannon and David Durden, recorded their first career touchdown receptions.
» Irvin tallied a career-long 33-yard punt return.
» Mercer was a perfect 4-for-4 in the red zone on offense and is now 16-for-17 on the 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.
The Citadel (1-2, 1-2 SoCon) scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to stun the Bears (2-2, 1-1), who entered the final quarter with a 24-17 advantage. After Mercer tied the game, 31-31, on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Robert Riddle to David Durden with one minute and 11 seconds remaining, The Citadel's Rod Johnson returned the following kickoff 94 yards for the eventual game-winning score.
Turning Point
The Citadel took its first lead of the game, 31-24, with 4:47 left on the clock as Johnson capped a 92-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run. The touchdown rush was part of a 17-point run for the Bulldogs that stretched from the end of the third quarter to under the 5-minute mark of the final frame.
It Was Over When
Riddle was hit and injured while attempting to complete a pass to Marquise Irvin on The Citadel's 35-yard line with less than 30 remaining. Kaelan Riley replaced Riddle under center, but was sacked twice to end the game.
Offensive Star
Marquise Irvin dazzled in Mercer's passing game, recording game-highs in receptions (7) and receiving yards (132). It was the senior's first 100-yard receiving game of the season and gives him 352 yards through four games played.
Defensive Star
A career-best seven-tackle effort earned Dorian Kithcart the honors. The Bears' starting nose tackle, who has battled through injuries this season, also added a 5-yard tackle for loss.
How It Happened
Mercer wasted no time in jumping on the board, scoring on its first possession of the game. Riddle finished 5-of-5 in the opening drive for 61 yards, connecting with Irvin three times for 48 of those yards, including a 15-yard completion to The Citadel 4-yard line. Tee Mitchell punched the ball in on the next play for a 7-yard score.
The Bulldogs evened the contest on their next possession with Jordan Black capping off a 14-play, 75-yard drive with a 25-yard touchdown run. Both teams stalled each of their next two drives until the Bears broke through with two consecutive scores in the second quarter: Cole Fisher kicked a 26-yard field goal and Stephen Houzah caught a 22-yard touchdown pass to give Mercer a 17-7 lead with 1:33 left in the first half.
The Citadel would cut Mercer's lead to 17-14, however, when Black found Raleigh Webb for a 77-yard touchdown pass with 15 seconds left in the second quarter.
Mercer scored on its first drive of the second half, marching 75 yards on nine plays as Riddle hit Tucker Cannon for a 15-yard touchdown pass. On third-and-6, Riddle fumbled, only to have the ball recovered by Tyray Devezin, who rushed for a gain of 13 yards into The Citadel territory. The lucky break paid off for Mercer as Riddle found Irvin for a 28-yard completion before connecting with Cannon for the score. The Citadel responded with a clock-consuming 19-play drive that lasted 9:52 and ended with a field goal to keep it as a one-score game (Mercer, 24-17).
A difficult fourth quarter for Mercer started quick as Riddle was intercepted by The Citadel's Khafari Buffalo, which sparked a game-tying drive by the Bulldogs that ended with a 4-yard touchdown run by Grant Drakeford. The Citadel would later take its first lead of the game, 31-24, on a 5-yard run by Johnson with 4:47 remaining.
Riddle was impressive on Mercer's next drive, completing four passes, including a 41-yard strike to Houzah that set up a game-tying, toe-tapping touchdown snag by David Durden in the corner of the end zone with 1:11 left on the clock. The tie was short-lived though, as The Citadel's Johnson returned the following kickoff 94 yards for the game-winning score. Riddle led the Bears down the field for a final attempt at sending the game to overtime, but was taken out of the game after a hit, sealing The Citadel's victory.
Coach Lamb's Take
Lamb's opening statement:
"It was a very difficult loss for our team tonight," said head coach Bobby Lamb. "I just told our guys, 'you lose as a team and you win as a team.' We had a team effort in last week's win and we had a team effort in tonight's loss.
"Offensively, we couldn't rush the ball very well. When you can't run the ball, it puts a lot of pressure on the quarterback. I thought defensively, we couldn't get [The Citadel] off the field. They are really good on the offensive line; they do what they do and they live for third-and-two or fourth-and-one [situations]. As for special teams, we led the nation in kickoff return coverage last season, but [The Citadel] made blocks to return that final kick for a touchdown and win the game.
"My hat is off to Coach [Brent] Thompson and his crew, they did a really good job. They wanted to get in the [SoCon] race, and that's what they did tonight. We've got to go back and get better and move forward. We didn't win it in the fourth quarter; it's a long season and we still have a ways to go."
Notables
» Mercer fell to 23-10 at Five Star Stadium since 2013.
» Robert Riddle threw for a single-game program record of 347 yards. He finished 25-of-37 with three touchdowns and one interception.
» The Bears fell to 1-4 against The Citadel dating back to 2014.
» Will Coneway had a career-best 13 tackles (five solo, eight assisted) to lead both teams.
» Six Bears recorded eight tackles or more: Coneway (13), Michael Freeman (9), Malique Fleming (9), Harrison Poole (8), Eric Jackson (8) and Isaiah Buehler (8).
» Two Bears, Tucker Cannon and David Durden, recorded their first career touchdown receptions.
» Irvin tallied a career-long 33-yard punt return.
» Mercer was a perfect 4-for-4 in the red zone on offense and is now 16-for-17 on the 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.
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