Bears Win Fourth Consecutive Game, Defeat #20 ETSU

Saturday, April 10

Macon, Ga.

6 p.m.

Mercer University

5-5 , 5-2

ETSU

4-2 , 4-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

ETSU

Mercer

Photo by: Christopher Ian Smith

Bears Win Fourth Consecutive Game, Defeat #20 ETSU

4/10/2021 11:54:00 PM | Football

Box Score

The win was Mercer’s third straight victory over a ranked opponent.

By: Kraig Doremus

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer Bears defeated the 20^th-ranked ETSU Bucs, 21-13, inside Five Star Stadium on Saturday night for their third consecutive win over a ranked foe and fourth straight triumph of the spring season.

Yahsyn McKee was the star under the stadium lights on Saturday, returning a kickoff 80 yards and taking a fourth quarter fumble 63 yards to the endzone to help Mercer top ETSU and extend its winning streak to four contests. The Bears also set the program record for Southern Conference wins in a season with five.

Mercer's (5-5, 5-2 SoCon) first drive stalled at the ETSU 16-yard line, and the Bears could not convert a field goal to get on the board in the early minutes of the crucial Southern Conference contest. Despite the missed attempt, the Bears' defense held the Bucs to only eight yards and forced the visitors to punt on their opening drive.

With 93 seconds remaining in the quarter, Mercer faced fourth-and-nine from its 24, and Caleb Dowden punted the ball to the ETSU 40. Return man Alijah Huzzie fumbled the football, and the Bears' Zach Hopkins quickly pounced on it at the Bucs' 45-yard line. Peevy, who has found his rhythm under center for head coach Drew Cronic's squad, then began to methodically engineer a drive that ultimately ended in a touchdown. Before the horn sounded on the first 15 minutes, the freshman signal caller sprinted 12 yards to the ETSU 33-yard line and found his roommate Ethan Dirrim for three yards. Deondre Johnson rushed to the Bucs' 24-yard line on the final play of the quarter, and after Fred Davis earned the Orange & Black a new set of downs to start the second quarter, Peevy found Drake Starks in the endzone on a play-action pass. Dowden's extra point sailed through the uprights, and Mercer held a 7-0 lead 32 seconds into the second frame.

Peevy ➡ Starks = SIX! The ensuing extra point was successful! @PeevyCarter | @starks_43 | #RaiseTheBar pic.twitter.com/y23mj7S2QV
— Mercer Football (@MercerFootball) April 10, 2021

ETSU's (4-2, 4-2 SoCon) drive after Mercer's touchdown was one the Bucs will want to forget. A pair of five-yard penalties and only six yards of offense forced ETSU to return the ball to Orange & Black. Despite the stellar defense and solid field position following the punt, Mercer was unable to extend its lead.

On the sixth play of ETSU's ensuing drive, Danijah Gammage stopped Nate Atkins three yards away from a first down, and the Bucs' Randy Sanders sent the field goal unit on the field at the Mercer 32-yard line. Tyler Keltner's 52-yard attempt was good as he cut four points of Mercer's lead, making it a 7-3 contest.

McKee's first big play of the night came on Keltner's kickoff. McKee fielded the ball at the 12-yard line, utilized a block to get to the outside, juked a pair of defenders and carried a third more than 10 yards to the ETSU eight-yard line for an 80-yard return. The Bears kept the ball on the ground for each of the drive's three plays with Davis picking up seven yards on two carries before Peevy called his own number behind a strong offense lined and punched the ball into the endzone. Dowden's extra point try was successful, and the Orange & Black extended its lead to 14-3 with 7:07 remaining until halftime.

ETSU tried to answer the Bears with a 13-play drive that chewed more than six minutes off the clock, but on fourth-and-two from the Mercer 11-yard line, Gammage and Luke Ward met Quay Holmes in the backfield, forcing a turnover on downs. The Bucs wisely used their timeouts to force Mercer to punt with 34 seconds remaining, and they regained possession four yards past the 50-yard line on the Bears' side of the field. ETSU moved the ball 25 yards in 21 seconds, and Keltner made his second field goal of the night, this time from 39 yards out, to make the score 14-6 in favor of the Bears after 30 minutes.

Neither offense was sharp after the intermission, as the two teams combined for 96 yards and no touchdowns in the third quarter. McKee was sharp in pass coverage, breaking up two passes on the Bucs' first possession of the quarter. He forced a pass for Juliun Lane-Price to fall incomplete, stalling ETSU's best drive of the frame at Mercer's 45-yard line.
The Bears were forced to punt just two plays into the final quarter, and ETSU took over at its 31-yard line facing a 13-6 deficit. Quarterback Brock Landis had two completions for first downs – a six-yard throw to Will Huzzle and a 27-yard pass to the Mercer 27-yard line on third-and-six. On first down, Landis' lateral was behind Jacob Saylors, and McKee picked up the ball and sprinted into the endzone untouched, extended the home team's advantage to 21-6 with 12:16 to play.

𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄!!!!@iam_ysmfrizz | #RaiseTheBar pic.twitter.com/JMs3ZoAfF5
— Mercer Football (@MercerFootball) April 11, 2021

ETSU's next drive lasted just 20 seconds and ended with Lance Wise intercepting a poorly thrown ball at the Bucs' 48-yard line. Mercer was unable to take advantage of Wise's pick and went three-and-out. Landis showed confidence after Dowden's punt, leading a 10-play, 80-yard drive by rushing for five yards and throwing for 61, including a 4-yard touchdown to Will Huzzie with 5:17 remaining in the game.

Mercer went three-and-out after the Bucs scored, but a tremendous 57-yard punt by Dowden pinned ETSU at their own 15-yard line with 2:59 to play. ETSU moved 19 yards in four plays to its 34, but an incomplete pass on third-and-three forced the Bucs' offense to stay on the field on fourth down. Landis was unable to escape pressure from the Mercer defense, and Gammage sacked him for a loss of three yards with 64 seconds until the final horn. Peevy handed off to Johnson on the first play of the drive, and he scampered to the ETSU 41-yard line for a first down. Johnson ran one final time for two yards before time expired, and Mercer officially secured a 21-13 win over the 20^th-ranked Bucs for its third consecutive win over a ranked foe and fourth straight victory.

Peevy was 9-of-15 for 65 yards and a touchdown through the air. He also ran for a career best 58 yards and one score. Davis (44 yards) and Johnson (32 yards) also contributed yards on the ground. As a team, the Bears ran for 154 yards and had 219 yards of total offense.

ETSU's Landis was 26-of-44 for 228 yards and one touchdown. Holmes led the Bucs' rushing attack with 89 yards on 14 carries, and W. Huzzie paced the receiving corps with 74 yards and a touchdown.

Post-Game Show

Mercer Athletics · Coach Cronic Postgame Interview vs. ETSU

Offensive Star
Peevy showed that he can be a dual threat quarterback in the win. The freshman from Lawrenceville, Ga., threw for 65 yards and a touchdown while running for 58 yards and one score.

Defensive Star
McKee made an impact on defense and special teams. Not only did he return a kickoff 80 yards, but he also made a career high four solo tackles in addition to returning a fumble 63 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Stats That Matter
63 yards will be a number that many fans remember from the victory. That was the length of McKee's fumble recovery for a touchdown in the final quarter.

Notables

The Bears defeated a ranked opponent for the third straight game for the first time in program history.
The win was Mercer's fourth consecutive victory. Prior to Saturday, the last time the Bears had a four-game winning streak was in 2013.
The victory was Mercer's fifth SoCon win of the season and marks the first time in team history that the Bears have won five Southern Conference games in a season.
The win was Mercer's 30^th in Five Star Stadium.
The Bears snapped a three-game losing streak to the Bucs.
Wise recorded his first career interception.
The fumble recovery for a touchdown was McKee's first career fumble recovery and third career score.
McKee made a career high four solo tackles.
Peevy ran for a career best 58 yards. He had a 40-yard rush, the longest of his career.
Peevy had both a passing and rushing touchdown for the second consecutive game.
The freshman quarterback completed at least 50 percent of his passes for the third straight contest.
Dowden's 57-yard punt was his longest of the season.
The Bears had at least 150 rushing yards for the sixth time in 2020-21.
The 110 kick return yards marked the second time Mercer surpassed 100 yards. The Bears had 126 kick return yards at Jacksonville State (Oct. 10).

Up Next
The Bears will travel to Samford on April 17 for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff. A Mercer win and VMI loss will give the Bears a share of the Southern Conference title for the first time in program history.

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.