Mercer University
6-3 , 4-2
Western Carolina
5-3 , 3-2
Mercer Topples No. 10 Western Carolina
10/28/2023 2:10:00 PM | Football
The triumph marked the eighth-straight series win for Mercer (6-3, 4-2 SoCon) who has not tasted defeat against WCU since a 24-21 road setback on Oct. 10, 2015. It was the second-straight loss for the Catamounts (5-3, 3-2) who fell to 1-4 all-time against Mercer in Cullowhee, N.C.
| THE BASICS |
| SCORE: Mercer 45, Western Carolina 38 RECORDS: Mercer 6-3, 4-2 SoCon; Western Carolina 5-3, 3-2 SoCon LOCATION: Cullowhee, N.C. (E.J. Whitmire Stadium) |
| HOW IT HAPPENED |
| 1ST QUARTER |
| Mercer forced a fumble on the game's opening kickoff and went to work after that, driving 28 yards in five plays and putting up the first points of the afternoon. An ill-timed pass interference penalty in the end zone eventually set up quarterback Carter Peevy for a 2-yard dive up the middle. MU 7, WCU 0 A fumble by the Bears at their own 18-yard line set the Catamounts up with a short field, and the hosts answered the call. Cole Gonzales misfired on the ensuing play from scrimmage, and then found a wide-open David White on an 18-yard touchdown strike down the near sideline. MU 7, WCU 7 Mercer went the conventional route on its next possession after a kickoff out of bounds set the Bears up at the 35-yard line. Brayden Smith got the action started with an 18-yard run on first down, but Carter Peevy all three of his pass attempts after that, including an 18-yard touchdown pass to Ty James. MU 14, WCU 7 It did not take long for the Orange & Black to extend its lead as Christian Davis forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and Mic Wasson scooped up the loose ball and raced 24 yards for another score. MU 21, WCU 7
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| 2ND QUARTER |
| The Bears bridged the first and second quarters with a 13-play, 76-yard scoring drive that was eventually capped on a 4-yard touchdown scamper by Carter Peevy. Al Wooten II chewed up 22 yards on the ground on the possession, while Peevy completed all four of his pass attempts for 42 yards. MU 28, WCU 7 Western Carolina finally got its engine running late in the second quarter as it added the final points of the opening half by virtue of a 9-play, 80-yard touchdown drive. Cole Gonzales completed all five of his pass attempts for 85 yards on the possession, including a 12-yard scoring toss to Branson Adams. MU 28, WCU 14
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| 3RD QUARTER |
| The Bears drove 72 yards on 11 plays on the opening possession of the second half before fumbling the ball away at the WCU 3-yard line. Undeterred, Lance Wise Jr. sat the crowd back down on the ensuing play when he jumped in front of a pass from Cole Gonzales and returned the pickoff nine yards for a score. MU 35, WCU 14 The hosts answered Mercer's score on the following possession when they drove 92 yards on 14 plays, and eventually punched the ball into the end zone on Cole Gonzales's 4-yard toss to Ajay Belanger. Gonzales was 8-for-8 for 68 yards on the scoring possession. MU 35, WCU 21
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| 4TH QUARTER |
| The Catamounts climbed to within a lone score with a 4-play, 51-yard scoring drive that spanned the third and fourth periods. Cole Gonzales accounted for all 51 yards through the air, including a 7-yard touchdown pass to Ajay Belanger in the corner of the end zone. MU 35, WCU 28 Mercer capped the ensuing possession with some much-needed points when Reice Griffith came through with a 44-yard field goal that found its way just inside the right upright. Carter Peevy completed a 26-yard pass to Ty James on the second play of the possession, and nearly kept the drive alive on a 3rd-down pass to James if not for a key pass break-up from Rod Gattison. MU 38, WCU 28 Western Carolina kept its momentum flowing on the following possession as Cole Gonzales culminated a 10-play, 54-yard touchdown drive with a 20-yard scoring strike to Calvin Jones. The drive was kept alive twice, first on a 4th-and-1 situation near midfield, and again on a 19-yard run by Gonzales on a 3rd-and-10 from the Mercer 41-yard line. MU 38, WCU 35 The Bears were rather methodical in keeping the scoring party going minutes later as Al Wooten II finished off a 5-play, 55-yard scoring possession with a 17-yard touchdown run through traffic. Devron Harper gave the Orange & Black a jolt before the drive even started when he returned the kickoff all the way to near the midfield stripe. MU 45, WCU 35 Needing two scores to force overtime, Western Carolina drove 60 yards in nine plays before kicking a 27-yard field goal on second down to make it a one-score affair. The ensuing onside kick attempt, however, was covered by the Bears. MU 45, WCU 38
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| INSIDE THE BOX SCORE |
| + Senior Ty James caught six passes for 115 yards and a first-quarter touchdown to pace the offensive attack for the Bears. It was the 11th 100-yard receiving day of the Conyers, Ga., native's career. + Sophomore Carter Peevy threw for 212 yards and one score on 18-of-28 passing, while also logging 16 rushing attempts for 38 yards and two additional scores. + Senior Lance Wise Jr. and junior Ken Standley both totaled a team-best eight tackles, while also forcing a turnover. Wise registered a 9-yard interception return for touchdown in the third quarter, while Standley forced a fumble on a 6-yard sack in the second period. |
| NOTABLES |
| + Saturday's win snapped a seven-game skid for the Bears against nationally-ranked teams. It was Mercer's first win over a Top 25 opponent since a 10-6 home triumph over then-No. 19 Chattanooga on Nov. 19, 2021. It was the first victory over a top 10 foe for the Bears since toppling then-No. 9 Chattanooga on March 27, 2021. + Western Carolina's six turnovers was the most by a Mercer opponent since Drake turned the ball over seven times (4 interceptions) on Sept. 28, 2013. The Bears registered three interceptions on Saturday for the first time since picking off East Tennessee State three times last season (October 15). + The Orange & Black improved to 2-2 away from Macon with Saturday's result, and have now posted consecutive road victories for the first time since besting Gardner-Webb (September 24) and Wofford (October 1) last season. It the first time that Mercer has tallied consecutive road wins against SoCon foes since beating Wofford and Chattanooga in Spring 2021. |
| UP NEXT |
| The Bears will close out the road portion of their 2023 regular season schedule on November 4 when they head to Charleston, S.C., to battle Southern Conference rival The Citadel at Johnson-Hagood Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. |
| STAY CONNECTED |
| Follow Mercer Football on Twitter and Instagram and "Like" Mercer Football on Facebook. |
| 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
MER 7, WCU 0
MER - Peevy,Carter 2 yd run (Griffith,Reice kick), 4 plays, 28 yards, TOP 01:29
MER 7, WCU 7
WCU - White,David 18 yd pass from Gonzales,Cole (McCollum,Richard kick) 2 plays, 18 yards, TOP 00:13
MER 14, WCU 7
MER - James,Ty 18 yd pass from Peevy,Carter (Griffith,Reice kick) 5 plays, 65 yards, TOP 01:56
MER 21, WCU 7
MER - Wasson,Mic 24 yd fumble recovery (Griffith,Reice kick)
MER 28, WCU 7
MER - Peevy,Carter 4 yd run (Griffith,Reice kick), 13 plays, 76 yards, TOP 06:35
MER 28, WCU 14
WCU - Adams,Branson 12 yd pass from Gonzales,Cole (McCollum,Richard kick) 9 plays, 80 yards, TOP 03:15
MER 35, WCU 14
MER - Wise,Lance 9 yd interception (Griffith,Reice kick)
MER 35, WCU 21
WCU - Belanger,Ajay 4 yd pass from Gonzales,Cole (McCollum,Richard kick) 13 plays, 92 yards, TOP 05:57
MER 35, WCU 28
WCU - Belanger,Ajay 7 yd pass from Gonzales,Cole (McCollum,Richard kick) 4 plays, 51 yards, TOP 01:20
MER 38, WCU 28
MER - Griffith,Reice 44 yd field goal 8 plays, 48 yards, TOP 02:50
MER 38, WCU 35
WCU - Jones,Calvin 20 yd pass from Gonzales,Cole (McCollum,Richard kick) 10 plays, 54 yards, TOP 03:43
MER 45, WCU 35
MER - Wooten II,Al 17 yd run (Griffith,Reice kick), 4 plays, 55 yards, TOP 01:28
MER 45, WCU 38
WCU - McCollum,Richard 27 yd field goal 9 plays, 60 yards, TOP 01:28
