Mercer University
1-0
Morehead State
0-1
Team Stats
MOR 0, MER 7
MER - Ty James 43 yd pass from Fred Payton (Devin Folser kick) 5 plays, 65 yards, TOP 1:40
MOR 0, MER 14
MER - Austin Douglas 65 yd run (Devin Folser kick), 2 plays, 66 yards, TOP 0:41
MOR 0, MER 21
MER - Austin Douglas 56 yd run (Devin Folser kick), 5 plays, 82 yards, TOP 1:54
MOR 7, MER 21
MOR - K. Daly 10 yd pass from G. Cramer (N. Hazlett kick) 6 plays, 30 yards, TOP 1:58
MOR 7, MER 28
MER - Ty James 29 yd pass from Fred Payton (Devin Folser kick) 5 plays, 69 yards, TOP 1:55
MOR 7, MER 35
MER - Fred Jackson 11 yd run (Devin Folser kick), 7 plays, 46 yards, TOP 2:39
MOR 10, MER 35
MOR - N. Hazlett 33 yd field goal 8 plays, 49 yards, TOP 2:17
MOR 10, MER 42
MER - Ty James 90 yd pass from Fred Payton (Devin Folser kick) 2 plays, 91 yards, TOP 0:39
MOR 10, MER 49
MER - Devron. Harper 29 yd pass from Fred Payton (Devin Folser kick) 4 plays, 45 yards, TOP 1:31
MOR 13, MER 49
MOR - N. Hazlett 36 yd field goal 13 plays, 55 yards, TOP 6:22
MOR 13, MER 56
MER - Devron. Harper 93 yd kickoff return (Devin Folser kick)
MOR 13, MER 63
MER - Travion Solomon 15 yd pass from Daniel Shoch (Devin Folser kick) 12 plays, 75 yards, TOP 6:42
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Mercer Breaks Multiple School Records in 63-13 Win Over Morehead State
8/27/2022 11:53:00 PM | Football, Athletics Department
Bears set school record for TD passes in a game with five
Fred Payton led Mercer's passing attack with 248 yards passing and four touchdowns. Daniel Shoch also threw for a touchdown when he connected with Travion Solomon for a 15-yard touchdown. The five total touchdowns thrown by Payton and Shoch are a school record.
Payton's most prolific target was Ty James. James finished with five catches for 192 yards and three touchdowns, all coming in the first half. His three touchdown receptions were the most by a Bear since the football program was reinstated 10 years ago in 2013.
The Bears rushed for 359 yards on the night. Austin Douglas led the Bears with 140 yards rushing on just five carries for an average of 28 yards per carry. Douglas broke free for a 65-yard touchdown run on the Bears' second possession of the game to give the Bears an early 14-0 lead.
Al Wooten II also had a great game running the football. Wooten rushed for 96 yards and had a team-high 13 carries.
The Bears set a school record with 10.8 yards per play. The explosive plays continued in special teams, as Devron Harper took back a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, late in the third quarter.Â
The Mercer defense came to play as well, holding Morehead State to 117 yards on the ground, on 42 carries for an average of 2.8 yards per carry.
The defense forced two Eagles turnovers. Cam Sims had his first interception as a Bear in the second quarter. Isaac Dowling forced a fumble that was recovered by Savio Frazier with under a minute remaining in the first half.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bears marched right down the field on their opening possession of the game, going 65 yards in five plays, capped by a Ty James 43-yard touchdown reception from Fred Payton. After the Bears defense forced a three-and-out, Austin Douglas scored the next two touchdowns for the Bears as he ran away from the Eagles defense for touchdown runs of 65 and 56 yards.
After Morehead State scored to make it a 21-7 game, the Bears scored twice in less than four minutes. Ty James scored his second touchdown of the game on a 29-yard touchdown reception from Fred Payton. On the Bears' next possession, Fred Jackson took a handoff and sprinted around the corner for an 11-yard touchdown run.
James hauled in a 90-yard touchdown reception with 36 seconds remaining in the first half to give the Bears a 42-10 lead at halftime.
Devron Harper scored the next two Bears touchdowns, including his electrifying 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, which made it a 56-13 game.
A look at @DevronHarper's 93-yd kickoff return for a TD 👀💨#RaiseTheBar | #RoarTogether pic.twitter.com/oppLAhmBJP
— Mercer Football (@MercerFootball) August 28, 2022
Click here to listen to Coach Cronic's Postgame Interview
UP NEXT
Mercer travels to Jordan-Hare Stadium for a matchup with the Auburn Tigers on Saturday, Sept. 3, at 7 p.m. ET.
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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