Mercer University
5-3 , 3-2
Wofford
0-8 , 0-5
Big-Play Defense Leads Football To Home Win Over Wofford
10/21/2023 5:36:00 PM | Football
It was the ninth win in the last 11 home outings for the Bears (5-3, 3-2 SoCon) who tallied a pair of 90+-yard scoring drives in the contest, and racked up nearly 250 yards of offense by the halftime whistle. The Terriers (0-8, 0-5) have now dropped nine-straight games dating back to last season including all five road games in 2023.
| THE BASICS |
| SCORE: Mercer 31, Wofford 17 RECORDS: Mercer 5-3, 3-2 SoCon; Wofford 0-8, 0-5 SoCon LOCATION: Macon, Ga. (Five Star Stadium) |
| HOW IT HAPPENED |
| 1ST QUARTER |
Mercer put together a 17-play, 99-yard scoring drive to open the afternoon, and looked pretty methodical doing it. Carter Peevy completed a sextet of his eight passing attempts for 64 yards, including a 31-yard toss to Devron Harper on a key third down conversion, and then capped off the possession with a 4-yard touchdown scamper around left end. MU 7, WC 0
|
| 2ND QUARTER |
| The Bears bridged the first and second quarters with an impressive 13-play, 56-yard scoring drive that ultimately culminated in a 40-yard field goal by Reice Griffith. Mercer keyed the possession with 23 yards on the ground, but also utilized a 15-yard facemask penalty that moved the Orange & Black into Mercer territory. MU 10, WC 0 Wofford forced a 3-and-out on the following possession by the hosts, and then needed just two plays to climb back into the contest. Pauly Seeley found Tyler Parker on a 10-yard hookup to begin the possession, and then threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to Alec Holt on second down to make it a one-score game. MU 10, WC 7
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| 3RD QUARTER |
No scoring.
|
| 4TH QUARTER |
| Mercer's 12-play, 91-yard scoring drive spanned the final two periods and was capped on Carter Peevy's 9-yard touchdown pass across the middle to Al Wooten II. Peevy completed three of his four pass attempts on the possession for 28 yards, while also running for 13 more. MU 17, WC 7 It took just one more play from scrimmage for the Bears to put the game away. After a holding penalty on the ensuing kickoff return pushed the Terriers back to their own 8-yard-line, Solomon Zubairu leveled Wofford quarterback Pauly Seeley in the end zone, jarred the ball loose and covered it for another score. MU 24, WC 7
Wofford inched a bit closer with just less than four minutes left to play when it converted an errant punt by the Bears into a 37-yard field goal. The Terriers put themselves into a 1st-and-Goal situation at the Mercer 1-yard line on the possession, but a 19-yard sack by Marques Thomas kept the damage at a minimum. MU 24, WC 10 The squads traded turnovers on the next two plays from scrimmage. Wofford recovered a fumble near midfield to regain possession, but Lance Wise Jr. intercepted Pauly Seeley on the ensuing play and returned the pickoff 79 yards for a score. MU 31, WC 10
Wofford would put the final points of the contest on the board to provide the final. Pauly Seeley completed five of his six pass attempts for 65 yards, including a 16-yard scoring strike to Dillon Droze. MU 31, WC 17 |
| INSIDE THE BOX SCORE |
| + Sophomore quarterback Carter Peevy threw for 238 yards and one touchdown on 23-of-29 passing, while also rushing 11 times for 13 yards and an additional score. Five of Peevy's 23 completions on the evening went for 15 or more yards. + Junior Al Wooten II registered 38 rushing yards (10 carries), while also hauling in three catches for 49 yards and a touchdown. He caught a 37-yard pass from quarterback Carter Peevy late in the second quarter. + Solomon Zubairu (fumble) and Lance White Jr. (interception) both tallied a defensive touchdown for the Bears in the fourth quarter. Zubairu finished the game with five tackles, including a pair of sacks, while Wise Jr. recorded four tackles and a pass break-up as well. |
| NOTABLES |
| + Mercer improved to 3-1 at home this season with Saturday's triumph, and guaranteed the program its fourth-straight winning season at Five Star Stadium. The Bears are now 15-4 at home under head coach Drew Cronic. + The Bears improved to 9-7 all-time against Wofford in a series that dates back to the 1915 season. Mercer has now won three-straight games against the Terriers, including consecutive wins at Five Star Stadium. + Mercer's defense yielded just 54 rushing yards in Saturday's win, and has now limited three of its last four opponents to 81 rushing yards or less. |
| UP NEXT |
| The Bears will open up a 2-game road trip on October 28 when they head to Cullowhee, N.C., to take on No. 8 Western Carolina. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. The Catamounts were a 29-17 victim to Furman at home earlier Saturday. |
| STAY CONNECTED |
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| SUPPORT THE BEARS |
| Fans can help support the Mercer athletics department by making a gift to the Mercer Athletic Foundation. To find out more information about the Mercer Athletic Foundation, visit SupportMAF.com or email maf@mercer.edu. |
Team Stats
WOF 0, MER 7
MER - Peevy,Carter 4 yd run (Griffith,Reice kick), 18 plays, 99 yards, TOP 07:35
WOF 0, MER 10
MER - Griffith,Reice 40 yd field goal 13 plays, 56 yards, TOP 05:55
WOF 7, MER 10
WOF - Holt,Alec 56 yd pass from Seeley,Pauly (Jones,Bridger kick) 2 plays, 66 yards, TOP 00:39
WOF 7, MER 17
MER - Wooten II,Al 9 yd pass from Peevy,Carter (Griffith,Reice kick) 12 plays, 91 yards, TOP 05:10
WOF 7, MER 24
MER - Zubairu,Solomon 0 yd fumble recovery (Griffith,Reice kick)
WOF 10, MER 24
WOF - Jones,Bridger 37 yd field goal 5 plays, 2 yards, TOP 02:47
WOF 10, MER 31
MER - Wise,Lance 79 yd interception (Griffith,Reice kick)
WOF 17, MER 31
WOF - Droze,Dillon 16 yd pass from Seeley,Pauly (Jones,Bridger kick) 7 plays, 68 yards, TOP 02:04
