Records Fall as Bears Defeat #17 Furman

Saturday, April 3

Macon, Ga.

3:30 p.m.

Mercer University

4-5 , 4-2

Furman

3-3 , 3-3

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Furman

Mercer

Photo by: Will Hanley

4/3/2021 10:09:00 PM | Football

Box Score

The Bears defeat their second-straight ranked opponent

By: Kraig Doremus

MACON, Ga. – Carter Peevy threw for a school-record 406 yards as the Mercer Bears defeated a ranked foe for the second consecutive week, taking down No. 17 Furman, 26-14, inside Five Star Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Bears improved to 4-5 overall and 4-2 in Southern Conference action, while Furman dropped to 3-3 overall with an identical mark in league play.

Peevy threw two touchdown passes and ran for one more, accounting for all three of the Bears' touchdowns. Ty James racked up 179 receiving yards to set a new program record, while Fred Davis led the Bears' ground attack with 61 yards on 12 carries. The Bears' defense held Furman to 177 yards passing and sacked quarterback Hamp Sisson four times. The Paladins were unable to gain any momentum on the ground as the Orange & Black allowed a season-low 66 yards on 33 carries.

After forcing Furman to punt on its opening drive, Mercer marched down the field from its 11-yard line. Peevy passed for 67 yards on the 13-play drive which lasted 6:10 but kept the ball on the ground to find the end zone. Peevy called his own number from the Paladins' one-yard line and crossed the goal line to give the Bears the lead. Caleb Dowden banged the extra point through the uprights, and Mercer took a 7-0 lead.

The Paladins answered with a nearly identical 12-play, 83-yard drive that lasted 5:36. Facing a third-and-nine from his own 46, Sisson connected with Ryan DeLuca for 35 yards to the Mercer 20-yard line. The Paladins kept the ball on the ground for five consecutive plays with Devin Wynn finding the end zone from two yards out. Timmy Bleekrode's extra point tied the contest at seven with 1:33 to play in the opening quarter.

Peevy connected with Ty James and Ethan Dirrim before the quarter ended as the freshman quarterback quickly advanced the Orange & Black back into Furman territory. Brandon Marshall's four-yard run ended the first quarter, and Mercer gained just one yard on its first two plays of the second period before Dowden's field goal try from 52 yards was blocked.

Neither team managed points in the second quarter. Mercer's most promising drive of the period ended when Peevy's pass was picked off at Furman's 16-yard line. A personal foul on the Paladins' Landon Lawrence forced Furman to start from its seven-yard line, and Mercer's defense came up big on the ensuing possession. Solomon Zubairu sacked Sisson on the first play, and the Orange & Black allowed just eight rushing yards on the next two plays before Cronic burned a timeout and forced Furman to punt with 1:33 left in the half.

The Bears moved nine yards on their last drive, but the clock expired with Mercer just past midfield. The two teams entered the locker room with the score deadlocked at seven.

A turnover deep in its own territory haunted Mercer to start the second half. Peevy was intercepted by Nick Kuzemka at the Bears' 35-yard line, and Kuzemka returned it six yards to the Mercer 29 before Marshall forced him out of bounds.

After an eight-yard run by Wynn, Isaac Dowling sacked Sisson for a loss of nine yards on second down. Facing a 3rd-and-11, Sisson found Ryan Miller for a 30-yard touchdown to put Furman ahead, 14-7.

Unbeknownst to fans inside Five Star Stadium, the Bears would shutout the Paladins for the remainder of the game. Peevy engineered an 11-play, 70-yard drive in response to Furman's touchdown. The Lawrenceville, Ga., native was stopped for a four-yard loss before completing back-to-back passes to Isaiah Harris and James. He connected with Harris for a seven-yard gain and moved the Bears to the Paladins' 38-yard line via a 34-yard throw to James. Peevy's third and final completion of the drive landed in the hands of Drake Starks who was tackled four yards shy of the goal line. Mercer was unable to score a touchdown but instead relied on Dowden's leg for three points, cutting Furman's advantage to 14-10 with 9:21 left in the quarter.

Dowden came through for the Bears once again on their next possession. A pass interference penalty on Furman helped Mercer's offense stay on the field and move to their 34-yard line. Peevy showed poise under center with a 47-yard throw to one of his favorite targets, the 6-foot-1-inch James, moving the Bears to the 21-yard line of Furman. The drive stalled on Furman's 13, but the reliable Dowden nailed his second field goal of the afternoon to trim Furman's lead to a single point, 14-13.

Furman regained possession with 3:21 to go in the third quarter, but scoring was scarce as the Paladins and Bears punted a combined five times before the next scoring drive.

With 10:45 remaining in the contest, the Bears started near midfield, taking possession at their 45-yard line. The speedy Davis ran for seven yards on the drive's first play before a four-yard rush by Max Burke moved the chains and gave the Orange & Black a new set of downs. Davis answered again when called upon, scampering before 17 yards to the Furman 26-yard line before catching an 11-yard pass to move inside the 20. On second-and-nine, Peevy tossed his second touchdown of the day, finding James, who spun around a Furman defender at the 12-yard line and raced into the end zone. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful, but Mercer took a 19-14 lead.

Michael Campbell stopped Hamp Sisson for no gain and broke up a pass intended for Noah Henderson on Furman's ensuing drive. The Bears forced a three-and-out and took control at their own 17-yard.

Peevy linked up with Ethan Dirrim on a 53-yard bomb that moved the Orange & Black to the Furman 26-yard line. Three plays later, Peevy went through his progressions and Dirrim wide open in the middle of the field for a touchdown. Peevy waited outside the pocket and directed traffic before finding Dirrim at the 12-yard line. Dirrim quickly found his way into the end zone to increase Mercer's lead to 26-14.

The Bears continued to keep Sisson and the Furman offense in check as they forced four consecutive incompletions and a turnover on downs on the Paladins' next possession. Jordan Williams, Danijah Gammage and Dowling each recorded a quarterback hurry, putting the pressure on Sisson on each of the Paladins' final three downs.

Mercer took over with 1:31 remaining, and Davis moved the chains with a 10-yard rush on second-and-eight to pick up the first down and allow the Bears to run out the clock. The Bears' 26-14 triumph over the 17^th-ranked Paladins is their second win over a ranked opponent in as many weeks.

Post Game With Coach Cronic

Mercer Athletics · Coach Cronic Postgame Interview Vs Furman

Notables
• Carter Peevy set the Mercer school record with 406 yards passing in the contest. He is the first Bear to throw of over 400 yards in a game. He broke a record held by running backs coach John Russ.
• Peevy was not the only school record to be broken on Saturday. Wide Receiver Ty James went for 179 yards, which was 35 yards more than the previous record.
• Mercer defeated back-to-back ranked opponents for its first time in school history.
• Mercer tallied 507 yards of total offense in the win. This is a season-high. The previous high was 426 against Western Carolina.
• With the win over Furman, the Bears have won four Southern Conference games, tying the school record.
• For the first time since Sept. 7, 2019, Mercer had two receivers over 100 yards receiving in the game. James tallied 179 and Ethan Dirrim collected 110 yards. Both are career-highs.
• Mercer continued to pressuring the QBs on Saturday. Mercer tallied four sacks in the game and now has 25 this season.
• Isaac Dowling picked up one sack in the game moving his season total to 6.5, which is the third-most in a single season for Mercer.

Next Up
The Bears return to Five Star Stadium on Saturday, April 10 when they host East Tennessee State University in Southern Conference action. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. Fans are encouraged to get their tickets early to secure their seats as a ticket will get you into the Ford Football Concert Series featuring The Marshall Tucker Band.

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.