Strong Second Half Lifts Chattanooga Past Mercer

Saturday, October 5

Macon, Ga.

4 p.m.

Mercer University

2-4 , 1-2

Chattanooga

3-3 , 2-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Chattanooga

Mercer

Strong Second Half Lifts Chattanooga Past Mercer

10/5/2019 8:59:00 PM | Football

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Mocs pull away in third quarter

By: Jace Sanders

MACON, Ga. – Chattanooga scored 27 points in the second half to lead the Mocs to a 34-17 win over Mercer at Five Star Stadium in Southern Conference action Saturday.

The Mocs (3-3, 2-0 SoCon) defense forced four Mercer (2-4, 1-2 SoCon) turnovers and held the Bears offense to just 29 rushing yards.

Mercer held a 14-7 lead over Chattanooga after the first quarter – scoring on a Robert Riddle to Steven Peterson touchdown on the opening drive and a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from Deondre Johnson. Chattanooga then responded with 10 points in the second quarter to take a three-point lead into the break.

It was all Mocs in the second half, though, as they scored on the opening drive of the half and never turned back. Overall, Chattanooga ran 86 plays and held the ball for nearly 38 minutes in the contest.

Stat Geek
Robert Riddle led Mercer's offense with 228 passing yards on 22-for-41 passing, throwing a touchdown and an interception. His top targets were Rob Lake and Steven Peterson, who caught five passes apiece for 50 and 48 yards, respectively.

Defensively, Jack Raines led all players with 12 tackles in the game – adding a three-yard tackle for loss. Close behind were Will Coneway (10 tackles, 1.5 TFL) and Sidney Otiwu (9 tackles, 0.5 TFL).

Notable

Mercer fell to 9-19-1 all-time against Chattanooga – Saturday marked the first time that the Mocs have won at Five Star Stadium.
The Bears were held to 29 yards on the ground – the fewest by a Mercer team since the school reintroduced football in 2013.
Jack Raines set a new career-high with 12 tackles in the game, while also tying a personal best with 1.5 tackles for loss.
Deondre Johnson's 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown was the longest kickoff return by a Bear since bringing football back in 2013. It was the second-longest special teams play since then, after a 99-yard punt return for a touchdown by Chandler Curtis against Samford in 2014.

Up Next
Mercer will be back at Five Star Stadium on Oct. 19 for Military Appreciation Day against VMI after a bye week next weekend.

Follow the Bears
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