No. 17 Football Battles Top-Ranked South Dakota State On Saturday

MACON – The 17^th-ranked Mercer football team will continue down the road of its first appearance in the FCS Playoffs on Saturday when it makes the long trip to Brookings, S.D., to take on top-ranked, top-seeded and defending national champion South Dakota State inside SDSU's 19,300-seat Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. EST.

The game is slated to be streamed live on ESPN+ with Richard Cross and Taylor McHargue handling the duties in the booth. Rick Cameron and the rest of the Mercer Sports Network will call all of the action as well, and fans can listen to that broadcast on The Creek 100.9 FM, or by visiting Sportsmic. A live statistics link is also being provided by the NCAA.

ABOUT THE GAME
Date: Saturday, December 2 Time: 2 p.m. ET Location: Brookings, S.D. I Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium TV: ESPN+ Listen Live: 100.9 The Creek I Sportsmic Network Live Statistics: NCAA.com Twitter Updates: @MercerFootball

GAME NOTES (PDF)
Mercer	South Dakota State	Southern Conference

MERCER/SOUTH DAKOTA STATE SERIES
Saturday's matchup will mark the first meeting between SDSU and Mercer on the gridiron, and just the fourth matchup between the Jackrabbits and Bears in any sport. South Dakota State registered a 74-61 victory over Mercer in men's basketball on Nov. 23, 2011, as part of the CBE Classic in Hawkins Arena. Mercer's baseball team took both matchups with the Jackrabbits at an Indiana State-hosted tournament in 2013 (March 8-9).

WINNING STREAKS ON THE LINE
South Dakota State will ride the nation's longest active win streak (25 games) into Saturday's matchup having suffered their last loss to Iowa (7-3) in the 2022 season opener, as well as their last defeat at the hands of an FCS squad in the semifinal round of the 2021 FCS Playoffs. The Bears have captured seven of their last eight outings, and will tote a 5-game win streak into frigid South Dakota.

SCOUTING SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
Boasting an 18-game home win streak, the Jackrabbits are fueled by the nation's second-ranked total defense (266.5 yards allowed/game), but also showcase FCS's seventh-ranked total offense (446.8 yards/game) as well. On offense, quarterback Mark Gronowski leads all of FCS in passing efficiency (184.1), while Isaiah Davis has been superb from the backfield with 97.7 rushing yards per game (14th NCAA). Defensively, Tucker Large has tallied three interceptions and leads a secondary that has surrendered just 174.6 passing yards per game (11th).

MERCER VS. TOP 25 COMPETITION
Five of the Bears' nine wins against Top 25 FCS foes over the last decade have come away from Macon (5-11 away vs. FCS), while the Orange & Black has also posted a quartet of wins against Top 10-ranked FCS opponents (4-6 vs. Top 10). Mercer's 45-38 win at then-No. 10 Western Carolina in Week 9 was its first triumph over a nationally-ranked squad since a 10-6 home win over then No. 19 Chattanooga on Nov. 13, 2021.

DEFENSE STILL ROLLING
Following Saturday's defensive effort against Gardner-Webb that produced a quartet of turnovers, Mercer's stop unit has now collected 21 takeaways since its Week 4 loss at nationally-ranked Furman (eight games), including 17 over the last five outings for the Bears. Four of Mercer's 17 turnovers over the last five weeks have been returned for touchdowns, including a pick-6 in consecutive matchups with Wofford, Western Carolina and The Citadel. Mercer's six forced turnovers in the upset win at then-No. 10 Western Carolina on October 28 fell just one takeaway shy of a 10-year-old school record.

ROAD WARRIORS
Mercer is 9-4 since 2020 against FCS foes away from Five Star Stadium including 3-1 marks in both 2021 and 2023. The Bears are currently sporting a three-game road win streak for just the second time (2021) in program history, and head into South Dakota having captured six of their last nine matchups outside the state of Georgia.

No. 17 Football Battles Top-Ranked South Dakota State On Saturday

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