Bears Hit The Road To Take On Catamounts

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer University football team is back on the road this weekend as they travel to North Carolina to take on Western Carolina University. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. in Cullowhee, N.C.

GAMEDAY LINEUP
» Date | Time: Saturday, Oct. 9 | 3:30 p.m.
» Teams: Mercer (3-1, 2-0 SoCon) Western Carolina (0-5, 0-2 SoCon)
» Location: Cullowhee, N.C. | EJ Whitmire Stadium (13,790)
» Television: ESPN3
» Television Talent: Kyle Rush (PxP), Phil Cox (Color)
» Radio: Mercer Sports Network | 100.9 The Creek FM | SportsMic
» Radio Talent: Rick Cameron (PxP), Bryce Koon (Analyst), Charles Davis (Sideline)
» Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
» Twitter Updates: @MercerFootball
» Game Notes: Mercer | Western Carolina | SoCon

QUICK HITS

Fred Davis was named the Stats Perform FCS player of the Week and the SoCon player of the week for his performance in the Bears victory over Samford. Davis rushing for a school record of 276 yards and five touchdowns. The previous school single game rushing record was 202 yards and the previous single game touchdown record was four. The Bears would take down Samford in a thriller, 45-42.
Fred Davis' 108 yards per game is currently ranked seventh in the FCS and second in the SoCon.
Michael Campbell is tied for the conference lead in pass breakups with six.
Isaac Dowling leads the Bears with 27 tackles this season. A total of 49 players have recorded tackles with ten of those players having double digit tackles.
Fred Payton leads the air attack for the Bears. The Coastal Carolina transfer has tossed for 542 yards and five touchdowns in the early goings of the season.
Ty James leads the Bears in receiving yards with 199. Devron Harper tops the team with total receptions (11).
Mercer opened up SoCon play with a controlling 24-3 victory over Furman. The Bears defense tied a school record with four interceptions during the game. The last time they did this was in 2013 against Drake.
MU opened the 2021 season with a bang, setting a new program record with 778 yards of offense in a 69-0 win over the Point Skyhawks on Sept. 2. Numerous other records fell in the victory with the Bears scoring their most points in a game (69), accumulating the most yards in one contest (778) and most rushing yards in a game (539). The Bears' 10 touchdowns and 9.1 rushing yards per play, as well as Devin Folser's nine extra points, are all new records for a single game. The Orange & Black averaged 9.3 yards per play, the second-best average in program history.
The nation's top FBS team, Alabama, was on the docket for Mercer in week two. The Crimson Tide took down the Bears by a score of 48-14. Fred Taylor took to the air for the Bears two scores of the game. He connected with Devron Harper for a 60-yard touchdown in the third quarter. He followed that up with a 22-yard TD pass to Ty James in the fourth quarter.
Mercer takes on Western Carolina this week. The Bears are 5-2 against the Catamounts since 2014, with Mercer winning the matchup last year 45-28. Ty James had four catches for 73 yards and a touchdown during the game.
Jason Poe was featured on Bruce Feldman's Freaks of College Athletics List, which ranked the top 100 most athletic players in college football. Poe, an offensive lineman who transferred from Lenoir-Rhyne, earned the 68th spot on Feldman's list.
HERO Sports named Mercer linebacker Isaac Dowling a preseason All-American. Dowling received HERO Sports Third Team All-America honors and was one of five linebackers to receive recognition, joining Bryce Flater (Northern Iowa), Tristan Wheeler (Richmond), Adrian Hope (Furman) and Jack Cochrane (South Dakota).

SCOUTING WESTERN CAROLINA

Western Carolina comes in with a 0-5 record overall and a 0-2 record against SoCon opponents. The Catamounts have been competitive in their losses with two of them coming by five points or less.
The Catamounts are currently on a seven-game slide dating back to last season when they won at home over The Citadel
WCU is under the guidance of first year head coach Kerwin Bell. Bell is 0-5 at WCU but boasts a 93-47 record in his 13^th season of coaching.
Western Carolina ranks seventh in scoring offense (23.2 PPG) and fourth in total offense (421.8 YPG) in the SoCon this season.
The Catamounts QB Rogan Wells ranks second in the SoCon in passing offense with 223 yards per game. He also sits in the top 10 in rushing yards per game with 55.8.
Raphael Williams ranks third in the SoCon with an average of 6.0 receptions per game.

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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Players Mentioned

Michael Campbell

Fred Davis

Isaac Dowling

Isaac Dowling

Devin Folser

Devron Harper

Ty James

Ty James

Fred Payton

Jason Poe

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