Mercer Knocks Off No. 9 Chattanooga, 35-28

Saturday, March 27

Chattanooga, Tenn.

12 p.m.

Mercer University

3-5 , 3-2

Chattanooga

3-2 , 3-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Mercer

Chattanooga

Photo by: Chattanooga Athletics

3/27/2021 7:33:00 PM | Football

Box Score

The Bears defeated a nationally-ranked foe for the first time since September 15, 2018.

By: Kraig Doremus

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Brandon Marshall scored two touchdowns, and the Mercer Bears defeated the ninth-ranked Chattanooga Mocs, 35-28, for their first win over a nationally-ranked team since 2018.

Prior to Saturday's victory, Mercer's last win over a ranked opponent came when it defeated No. 9 Samford in Birmingham, Ala., 30-24, on September 15, 2018. The Bears have now defeated a ranked foe five times, including the Mocs on two occasions. Mercer won a thriller in Five Star Stadium against the third-ranked Mocs, 17-14, on November 7, 2015, for its first win over an opponent featured in the FCS top-25 poll.

Carter Peevy completed 13-of-17 passes on Saturday afternoon and threw for 167 yards, while Marshall ran for a career-best 74 yards and two touchdowns. The Bears gained 373 yards of total offense – 206 on the ground and 167 through the air. Defensively, Solomon Zubairu led the way defensively with a career-high seven tackles and 1.5 sacks. Lance Wise, Richie Coffey and Isaac Dowling each had five stops in the win. Wise made a difference on special teams, returning a pair of kicks for 48 yards.

Mercer (3-5 overall, 3-2 SoCon) won the toss and elected to defer, giving the Mocs the ball to start the Southern Conference battle. The Mocs advanced into Mercer territory and kept the offense on the field facing a 4th-and-15 from the Bears' 28-yard line. Coffey forced Chattanooga's Drayton Arnold out of the pocket, and his pass for Ty Summers was incomplete, giving Mercer the ball for the first time.

In just two plays – an eight-yard rush by Deondre Johnson and a 13-yard pass from Peevy – Mercer found itself at midfield. The Bears moved to the Chattanooga 43-yard line before the drive stalled, and head coach Drew Cronic sent the punt team onto the field. Devin Folser looked to pin the Mocs inside their 10-yard line, but Mercer was much more fortunate than many anticipated. Jamoi Mayes coughed up the ball, and Mercer's Alvin Ward Jr. immediately dove on it, recovering the ball for the visitors. After multiple penalities, Peevy showed poise under center, completing back-to-back passes to Nakendrick Clark for 16 yards before Johnson found the end zone from three yards out, giving the Orange & Black a 7-0 lead with 6:41 to play in the first quarter.

Chattanooga (3-2, 3-1 SoCon) steadily moved down the field on the ensuing drive, but a sack by Harrison Poole on 3rd-and-10 put the Mocs on the outer edge of field goal range. Skyler Wilson's 45-yard try was off target, and the Bears took over on their 28-yard line. Mercer was unable to capitalize on the missed field goal and quickly punted.

The Mocs moved 52 yards downfield and found themselves at the Mercer 15-yard line at the end of the first quarter. Lance Jackson eventually scored from one-yard out to tie the contest.

The good fortune continued for Mercer in the second quarter. After both teams punted, the Bears took over inside their 30-yard line with 10:22 remaining the second frame. The drive stalled at Mercer's 32-yard line, but a holding penalty on Chattanooga gave the Bears a new set of downs. Mercer was again forced to punt, but another muffed punt by the Mocs went the Orange & Black's way as TJ Moore fell on the ball at the Chattanooga 16-yard line. Mercer kept the ball on the ground for eight plays, and on the final play of the drive, Harrison Frost called his own number, sneaking into the end zone from the Chattanooga one-yard line to give the visitors a 14-7 lead with 2:44 to play in the opening half.

The Mocs' final drive of the half stalled thanks in part to the efforts of Dowling and Jordan Swain, who sacked Arnold on second down. Arnold's pass on third down fell incomplete, and although Mercer did not score to end the half, it still held a 14-7 advantage after 30 minutes.

The two squads traded punts to start the final half before the Bears' 10-play, 70-yard drive resulted in their third touchdown of the afternoon. After runs by Clark and Johnson, a 31-yard pass by Peevy positioned Mercer deep in Chattanooga territory. The Bears used six consecutive rushing plays to cross the goal line with Julian Beris scampering across the line from the Chattanooga two-yard line to extend Mercer's lead to two touchdowns, 21-7.

The Orange & Black's defensive unit protected the 14-point lead on Chattanooga's next drive, limiting the home team to 12 yards on five plays in only 2:06. Mercer continued to efficiently move the ball via Peevy's powerful arm as a 56-yard pass to Ethan Dirrim placed the Bears just 15 yards from the end zone. Clark scurried ahead four yards before Peevy handed off to Marshall, who bounced between the tackles for the touchdown with 2:47 to play in the third quarter.

The Mocs answered Mercer's 77-yard scoring drive with a 75-yard drive of its own thanks to a 66-yard run by Jackson. Arnold's nine-yard pass to Smith in the end zone cut Chattanooga's deficit to 28-14 only 1:27 later.

Peevy threw his lone interception of the game in the fourth quarter, and Chattanooga capitalized off the turnover. Jackson's one-yard touchdown run caused the heartbeat of Mercer faithful across the country to increase as the team's lead fell to seven points, 28-21, five minutes into the final quarter.

Mercer punted on its next possession, and Mother Nature interrupted Chattanooga with nearly a 60-minute lightning delay. The Mocs got no further than the Mercer 36-yard line after play resumed and were forced to return the ball to the Bears. Mercer took over with 5:37 to play and ran the ball 64 yards over eight plays for its fifth touchdown of the day. Clark accounted for two carries and 34 yards, including one carry of 28 yards, while Marshall rushed six times for 30 yards and the touchdown with 94 seconds remaining.

Lightning struck again following the score, and the two teams waited until past 5 p.m. to resume play.

When play restarted, Chattanooga faced a 35-21 deficit but took advantage of a 43-yard kick return by Mayes to set up at the Mercer 27-yard line. Cole Copeland quickly completed a six-yard pass and followed that with a 21-yard touchdown strike to Mayes with 73 ticks of the clock left. The Bears recovered the onside kick, but a penalty hurt the visitors, who were forced to punt with two seconds remaining. The Mocs' punt return squad did not have an opportunity to score, and the Bears left the Scenic City with a 35-28 win, its first over a nationally-ranked opponent since September 15, 2018.

Post-Game Show

Kraig Doremus · Coach Cronic Postgame Interview - Chattanooga

Offensive Star
Marshall, a redshirt freshman from Jacksonville, Fla., scampered for a career-high 74 yards on eight carries (4.9 yards per carry) and two touchdowns. He was the only Bear to record multiple scores in the victory.

Defensive Star
Zubairu ensured that Southern Conference offensive coordinators will know where he is lined up every snap. The 6-foot-1 inch, 240-pound defensive lineman made seven tackles, three tackles for a loss, and recorded 1.5 sacks.

Stats That Matter
The Bears had a balanced attack, showing that they can move the ball on the ground and through the air. Peevy was off target just four times and completed a career-best 13 passes for 167 yards. Eight different players recorded rushing attempts for the Orange & Black in the win. The Bears, led by Marshall's 74 rushing yards, ran for 206 yards and five touchdowns.

Notables

Mercer knocked off a ranked opponent for the first time since September 15, 2018, when it topped Samford, 30-24, on the road.
The win marked the second time that Mercer has defeated a ranked Chattanooga program. The Bears beat No. 3 Chattanooga in Five Star Stadium, 17-14, in 2015.
Saturday's seven-point victory was Mercer's second-highest margin of victory over a ranked foe. On October 17, 2017, Mercer defeated the 17th-ranked Citadel, 24-14.
The Bears have won two consecutive games in the Mocs' Finley Stadium. Mercer picked up a 13-9 win in November 2018.
Mercer earned its 10th win against Chattanooga and fifth in the Scenic City.
The Bears have won two straight contests and are now better than .500 in Southern Conference action. Mercer is 3-1 in its last four contests.
Mercer scored five rushing touchdowns for the second consecutive contest.
66.7 percent (10-of-15) of the Orange & Black's rushing scores have come in the last two games.
Mercer has recorded a rushing TD in six-of-eight games this season.
The Bears eclipsed 200 rushing yards for the second time in as many games.
Marshall ran for a career-high 74 yards and two touchdowns, his first career multi-score game.
Peevy had a career-high 13 completions.
Marshall, Johnson and Beris are all averaging at least five yards per carry. Johnson's 5.8 yards per carry leads the team.
Clark's 28-yard fourth quarter rush is his new career-best.
Dirrim had 91 receiving yards, surpassing his previous career-high of 66.
Mercer's five sacks brought its total to 21 for the 2020-21 season, the third-highest total in program history. The 2020-21 edition of the Bears needs three sacks to pass the 2016 team (23 sacks) for second all-time.
Zubairu's seven tackles are a new career-high.

Up Next
Mercer will play its first of back-to-back home games on April 3 at 3:30 p.m. against the Furman Paladins. Join us before the game for the Mercer Football Ford Concert Series, which will include performances by Easton Gowan and RCA Nashville breakthrough artist Niko Moon. Fans can purchase tickets by clicking here.

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