Mercer Hosts ETSU for Senior Day

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer football team will host the No. 20/21 ETSU Bucs on Senior Day on Saturday. The Bears match up against a ranked team for their third straight game when the Bucs roll into Five Star Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.

If you can't make the game, catch the broadcast on ESPN+. As always, the game will also be broadcast by Rick Cameron and his crew on The Creek (100.9 FM) and the SportsMic App.

Prior to the start of the contest, the Bears will honor their senior class. Senior Day recognition will begin at 5:30 p.m.

GAMEDAY LINEUP
» Date | Time: Saturday, April 10 | 6 p.m.
» Teams: Mercer (4-5, 4-2 SoCon) vs. ETSU (4-1, 4-1 SoCon)
» Location: Macon, Ga. | Five Star Stadium (10,200)
» Television: ESPN+
» Television Talent: Frank Malloy (PxP), John Patterson (Analyst), Megan Birdsong (Sideline)
» Radio: Mercer Sports Network | 100.9 The Creek FM | SportsMic
» Radio Talent: Rick Cameron (PxP), Roger Jackson (Analyst), Charles Davis (Sideline)
» Live Stats: MercerBears.com/LiveStats
» Twitter Updates: @MercerFootball
» Game Notes: Mercer | ETSU | SoCon

The matchup pits the Bears against the Bucs is the sixth meeting between these two programs. ETSU leads the all-time series, 3-2.

SCOUTING ETSU
ETSU enters the matchup with the Bears with a 4-1 record both overall and in conference play. The Bucs are ranked No. 20 in the FCS Coaches' Top 25 and No. 21 in FCS Stats Perform Top 25. ETSU is coming off a 24-20 win over Southern Conference leader VMI.

The Bucs' offense is scoring 22.6 points per game, ranking 47th in FCS football. The Buccaneers' offense has seen a consistent play from redshirt-junior Quay Holmes who is second in the FCS in all-purpose yards (184.8) and rushing touchdowns (8) and is ninth nationally in both rushing yards (551) and rushing yards per game (110.2). Holmes is the reigning SoCon Offensive Player of the Week.

ETSU's defense has turned heads in the FCS realm, ranking 17th in rushing defense (106.6), 23rd in interceptions (5) and scoring defense (18.4) and 24th in total defense (301.6 ypg). The Bucs have forced 10 turnovers. Jared Folks leads the team in tackles with 40, and Donovan Manuel leads the team with 4.5 tackles for loss.

Quick Hits

For the first time in program history the Mercer football team earned back-to-back wins over ranked opponents. The first win came on March 27 when the Bears defeated then-No. 9 Chattanooga, 35-28. Mercer followed it up with a win over No. 17 Furman, 26-14, last Saturday. Mercer will be looking for its third win over a ranked team in as many weeks when ETSU comes to town.
The Bears will play a ranked opponent for the fourth time overall and third consecutive week on Saturday. The Bears are currently 2-1 against ranked teams this year with a loss to No. 17 Wofford, 31-14, and victories over No. 9 Chattanooga, 35-28, and No. 17 Furman, 26-17. The four games against ranked schools are the most since 2018 when Mercer went 1-2 top-25 programs.
Carter Peevy, a true freshman, was named the Stats Perform FCS National Freshman of the Week. He passed for a school-record 406 yards as well as two fourth quarter touchdown passes to help Mercer defeat Furman, 26-14, for its second straight upset of a nationally ranked Southern Conference opponent. He completed 21 of 36 passes, averaging 19.3 yards per completion. He also rushed for 12 yards, capping Mercer's opening drive with a 1-yard touchdown.
The Bears saw two school records fall in the win over No. 17 Furman. Peevy set the school record with 406 yards passing, becoming the first Bear to throw over 400 yards in a game. Peevy shattered the previous record of 347 yards, set by Robert Riddle in a 2018 game against The Citadel.
Not only did Peevy break a record, but so did redshirt freshman Ty James. James set the school record with 179 receiving yards on eight receptions. He averaged 22.4 yards per receptions and scored one touchdown. He broke the previous mark held by Tucker Cannon, who had a 144-yard performance against Presbyterian in September 2019.
Caleb Dowden was named SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week presented by GEICO for the second time on Monday afternoon. Dowden accounted for eight points in the Bears' 26-14 win over No. 17 Furman on Saturday, connecting on field goals of 23 and 31 yards and two extra points. Both field goals came in the third quarter and initiated a 19-0 game-ending run for the Bears. Dowden, a redshirt sophomore from Statesboro, Ga., also punted three times for 115 yards, downing one inside Furman's 20-yard line.
Mercer continued to put defensive pressure on the opposing quarterbacks in the win over the Paladins, tallying four sacks. It marked the sixth time this season, Mercer recorded at least three sacks in a contest. Mercer has only failed to collect a sack in one game this season, Feb. 20 at Wofford. This season, Mercer has recorded 25 sacks and has forced opponents into losing 166 yards. The 25 sacks are the second most in a single season in Mercer program history. The 2013 team recorded the most sacks in program history with 35. Tosin Aguebor has the most sacks in program history with 10 in a single season. Isaac Dowling has 6.5 this season, the third most all-time, and is only 3.5 sacks away from tying the school record.
For the first time since Sept. 7, 2019, the Bears had two 100-yard receivers in the same game. Against No. 17 Furman last Saturday, Ty James and Ethan Dirrim both had 100-yards receiving. James led the way with 179 yards on eight receptions, while Dirrim had 110 yards on four receptions. Both James and Dirrim had a touchdown in the game. All of these marks were career-highs for the players.
Facing one of the best running teams in the Southern Conference, the Bears defense locked in and did not allow the Paladins to gain momentum on the ground. For the first time this season, Mercer held an opponent to less than 100 yards as Furman rushed for only 66 yards on 33 attempts.

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.

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Players Mentioned

Tucker Cannon

Ethan Dirrim

Caleb Dowden

Isaac Dowling

Ty James

Carter Peevy

Robert Riddle

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