Bears Fall To ETSU In SoCon Championship

Saturday, November 20

Johnson City, Tenn.

1 p.m.

Mercer University

7-3 , 6-2

ETSU

10-1 , 7-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

MER

ETSU

Photo by: Clarence Powell

11/20/2021 4:46:00 PM | Football

Box Score

Mercers drops heartbreaker to ETSU, 38-35

By: Zach Durkee

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – In what turned out to be the SoCon championship game, Mercer (7-3, 6-2 SoCon) fell to ETSU (10-1, 7-1 SoCon) by a 38-35 score. The Bears were highlighted by a record-breaking receiving effort by Ty James, catching eight passes for 224 yards. This is 45 yards more than the previous school record which he also owned.

ETSU got on the board first when they connected on a 43-yard touchdown pass. Mercer responded with a 26-yard Devin Folser field goal and a five-yard touchdown run by Fred Davis. ETSU scored a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter to head into the break up 21-10.

Mercer came out hot in the third quarter, outscoring the Bucs 18-0 in the third stanza. It started with a Fred Davis touchdown, his second of the game and 14^th of the season. Devin Folser then split the uprights from 31 yards out and Fred Payton found Ethan Dirrim for a five-yard touchdown pass, followed by a two-point conversion from Payton to Devron Harper. This gave Mercer a 28-21 lead heading into the fourth.

The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth thriller. ETSU tied things up early, but Mercer responded just a minute and a half later, when Fred Payton found Ty James for a 48-yard touchdown pass to give Mercer a 35-28 lead. ETSU scored the final ten points of the game to take the lead and claim the victory.

Fred Payton completed 21-of-31 for 375 yards and two touchdowns. Ty James led the receiving effort with eight catches that totaled 224 yards and a trip to the endzone. Fred Davis paced the rushing attack with 71 yards on 18 carries and two scores.

Lance Wise, Isaac Dowling, and Ken Standley all registered 13 tackles, with Wise collecting six solo ones.

Drew Cronic Quotables

"Our kids our heartbroken. What a game, that was a championship game right there. Kids on both sides made plays. I was really proud of the way we responded in the second half. There's no excuses, they made one more play than we did. If you're going to be a champion, eventually you have to act like a champion, and that's what a champion does, take responsibility. It just wasn't our day yet, wasn't our time."

"I'm proud of a lot of people. We've come a long way. It just wasn't our time. We've got to get back to work and get better but we're going to get there, there's no question in my mind. I appreciate everyone out there supporting us. Please continue to do that. We're going to build something everyone can be proud of."

Offensive Star
Ty James set a school record with 224 receiving yards on eight catches. This is 45 yards more than the previous school record, which he also owned. Ty James now owns the top three single game receiving performances in school history.

Defensive Star(s)
Lance Wise, Isaac Dowling, and Ken Standley all recorded 13 tackles on the game. 13 tackles was the season high for each of these athletes and a career high for Ken Standley.

Stats That Matter
Ty James has been rewriting the record books since coming to Mercer. He currently owns the top three single game receiving yardage records at Mercer. His 224 today broke his old record, that he set last year against Furman, by 45 yards. The third highest total was set earlier this year against Wofford when he caught five passes for 153 yards.

Notables

The Bears finished the regular season 6-2 in conference play, which is the best SoCon record in program history.
Fred Payton set a career high of 375 passing yards, 40 yards more than his previous high.
The overall series dating back to 2015 is now at 4-3 in favor of the ETSU
Mercer is now 0-3 in Johnson City against ETSU.
Lance Wise, Isaac Dowling, and Ken Standley all recorded season highs in tackles (13).
Fred Davis led the Bears ground attack with 18 carrier for 71 yards.
Ty James had a school record of 224 receiving yards on eight catches.
The Bears held the SoCon's second leading rushing offense to 161 yards rushing on the game, 86 yards less than their season average.

Up Next
The Bears future is now in the hands of the selection committee. The committee will determine if the Bears advance to the FCS playoffs or if the Mercer football season comes to an end. The selection show will be on Sunday, November 21.

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.