Mercer’s Comeback Bid Falls Just Short at ETSU

Saturday, November 16

Johnson City, Tenn.

1 p.m.

Mercer University

4-7 , 3-5

ETSU

3-8 , 1-7

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Mercer

ETSU

Mercer’s Comeback Bid Falls Just Short at ETSU

11/16/2019 5:53:00 PM | Football

Box Score

Devezin’s four scores not enough for Bears

By: Jace Sanders

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Mercer Football stormed back from a 17-point halftime deficit, but fell just short as ETSU held on for a 38-33 victory in both teams' Southern Conference finale Saturday at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium.

The Bucs (3-8, 1-7 SoCon) were able to claim their first league win thanks to a hot start, scoring 21 unanswered points in the second quarter to take a 31-14 lead to the break. Mercer (4-7, 3-5 SoCon) was able to force three second half turnovers to draw within striking distance.

Offensive Star
Junior running back Tyray Devezin once again paced the Bears offense in the game, rushing the ball 29 times for 168 yards – it marked his fourth 100-yard effort in the last five games. Devezin found the end zone four times, tying his own school record for the most touchdowns scored in a single game. He will head into the final game of the season 51 yards shy of a 1,000-yard season.

Defensive Star
The first of the three turnovers forced in the third quarter was a fumble recovery by senior safety Eric Jackson. Jackson led the team with 10 tackles in the contest – moving his career number to 282.

Stat Geek
Quarterback Kaelan Riley was 21-for-30 for 224 passing yards on the afternoon, while finding Chris Ellington for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Riley's top target was David Durden, who hauled in nine passes for 115 yards.

Defensively behind Jackson, Harrison Poole and Zach Hopkins each tallied eight tackles – Hopkins added a tackle for loss. The other two turnovers were a Sidney Otiwu interception and a Michael Campbell fumble recovery.

Buc Quay Holmes broke a couple of long runs early and tacked on more to set the ETSU single-game rushing record at 255 yards. Holmes scored three times, including a touchdown on third and goal with eight minutes left in the game to extend the lead.

Up Next
Mercer will finish the 2019 football season in Chapel Hill next Saturday against North Carolina. Kickoff between the Bears and Tar Heels is set for 3:30 p.m. (ET).

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.