Bears To Battle Bucs For SoCon Title

MACON, Ga. – In the biggest game in program history, the Mercer Bears will take on the ETSU Bucs in a battle to be crowned SoCon Champions. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. in Johnson City, Tennessee.

GAMEDAY LINEUP
» Date | Time: Saturday, Nov. 20 | 1:00 p.m.
» Teams: Mercer (7-2, 6-1 SoCon) ETSU (9-1, 6-1 SoCon)
» Location: Johnson City, Tenn. | William B. Green Jr. Stadium (7,694)
» Television: ESPN+
» Television Talent: Mike Gallagher (PxP), Mark Hutsell (Analyst)
» Radio: Mercer Sports Network | 100.9 The Creek FM | SportsMic
» Radio Talent: Rick Cameron (PxP), Bryce Koon (Analyst), Charles Davis (Sideline)
» Live Stats: StatBroadcast
» Twitter Updates: @MercerFootball
» Game Notes: Mercer | ETSU | SoCon

QUICK HITS

The Bears are set to compete for their first SoCon title in program history.
Mercer has accumulated six conference wins so far this season, the most in program history
Fred Davis' 12 rushing touchdowns this season currently ranks 14^th in the FCS. He has a total of 776 yards on the season which ranks 32^nd in the FCS. He's third in the SoCon with 86.2 YPG.
The Bears rank fourth in the SoCon in scoring offense (31.3).
The defensive unit ranks second in the SoCon in total defense, allowing 316.6 YPG.
The Bears rushing attack ranks third in the SoCon, averaging 216.6 YPG.
Isaac Dowling leads the Bears with 60 tackles this season.
Solomon Zubairu sits at fifth in the SoCon with five sacks on the season.
Fred Payton leads the air attack for the Bears. The Coastal Carolina transfer has tossed for 1,286 yards and ten touchdowns on the season.
Devron Harper leads the Bears in catches with 22. Ty James leads the team in receiving yards (387 yards) and touchdowns (6) this season.
Devin Folser set a new school record for longest field goal when he split the uprights from 51 yards against Western Carolina. He had previously matched the school record of 50 yards earlier in the game.
Mercer takes on ETSU this week. The Bears and Bucs series is even at 3-3, with Mercer winning last year's matchup with a 21-13 scoreline.
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.
Lance Wise has been named SoCon defensive player of the week twice this season. He earned the honor for his performance against WCU. Wise posted eight tackles (six solo), forced a fumble, and had an interception that he returned 56 yards to the one-yard line. Followed by his performance against The Citadel with 10 tackles and an interception returned 34 yards for a touchdown.
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 ETSU

ETSU comes in with a 9-1 record overall and a 6-1 mark in league play.
The Bucs are currently on a three-game winning streak with their most recent victory coming by a 56-35 win over WCU.
ETSU is under the guidance of head coach Randy Sanders. Sanders is 24-16 during his four seasons in ETSU.
The Bucs had two running backs rush for over 200 yards in their win over WCU.
ETSU ranks second in the conference in both scoring offense (35.2) and scoring defense (20.2).
ETSU ranks second in the conference in rushing offense with 247.8.
Quay Holmes leads the conference with 129.9 rushing yards per game. Jacob Saylors is third with 93.2 YPG.
Donovan Manuel is third in the conference in tackles, averaging 9.7 per game.
Jalen Porter is second in the conference in sacks (6) and third in tackles for loss (10).

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.

Players Mentioned

Fred Davis

Isaac Dowling

Devin Folser

Devron Harper

Ty James

Fred Payton

Jason Poe

Lance Wise Jr.

Solomon Zubairu

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