No. 20 Football Falls To No. 22 Ole Miss In Road Opener

Saturday, September 2

Oxford, Miss

2 p.m.

Mercer University

1-1 , 0-0

Ole Miss

1-0 , 0-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Mercer

Ole Miss

No. 20 Football Falls To No. 22 Ole Miss In Road Opener

9/2/2023 1:54:00 PM | Football

Box Score Photo Gallery

MACON – Home-standing and 22nd-ranked Ole Miss scored points of 10 of its 12 possessions on the afternoon, including a quartet of touchdown drives in the first quarter alone, to hand the visiting and 20th-ranked Mercer football team a 73-7 defeat on Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

The setback marked a rude return to the state of Mississippi for the Bears (1-1) who were making their first appearance in the Magnolia State in 82 years. The Rebels (1-0) improved to 2-0 all-time against Mercer, but Saturday's contest marked the first meeting between the two squads since the 1911 campaign.

The Bears will open up the home portion of their 2023 schedule on September 9 when the Orange & Black suit up to take on Morehead State at Five Star Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.

THE BASICS

SCORE: Ole Miss 73, Mercer 7
RECORDS: Mercer 1-1, 0-0 SoCon; Ole Miss 1-0, 0-0 SEC
LOCATION: Oxford, Miss. (Vaught-Hemingway Stadium)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

Ole Miss went to work quickly, putting together a 3-play, 72-yard scoring drive. The possession was capped on Jaxson Dart's 38-yard touchdown strike to Tre Harris. UM 7, MU 0

Mercer answered in a flash, setting up shop at its own 25-yard line following a touchback on the ensuing kickoff. Carter Peevy handled the rest, tucking the ball on a called draw up the middle and racing 75 yards for the tying score. UM 7, MU 7

Ole Miss punched back quickly, this time with a 5-play, 69-yard drive that was capped on Dart's 28-yard pass to Harris. The scoring play was set up by an acrobatic 23-yard catch by Dayton Wade who touched his right elbow in bounds before the rest of his body landed out of play. UM 14, MU 7

A fumble on the ensuing kickoff return gave the Rebels a bonus possession, and the hosts displayed their quick-strike offense once again. Dart found Harris on a routine pass across the middle, but the Ole Miss senior darted through the Mercer secondary for his third score of the opening period. UM 21, MU 7

The Rebels put together a methodical 7-play, 77-yard scoring possession late in the first quarter that milked more than two minutes off of the game clock. Dart completed all four of his passing attempts for 67 yards, but all-American Quinshon Judkins punched it in from the 1-yard line. UM 28, MU 7

2ND QUARTER

A fumbled snap set the Rebels up at the Mercer 33-yard line midway through the third quarter, but the defense tightened its grip and allowed just 12 yards on six plays to force a field goal by the hosts. A 31-yard field goal from Caden Davis extended the lead for the hosts. UM 31, MU 7

Ole Miss added the final score of the opening half with 32 seconds left in the second quarter. Jaxson Dart completed five of his seven pass attempts for 72 yards on the possession, but it was Quinshon Judkins that finished off the drive when he took a direct snap and scurried three yards up the middie. UM 38, MU 7

3RD QUARTER

Ole Miss extended its lead just less than two minutes into the second half when Jordan Watkins hauled in a low-flying punt from Ian Garcia and raced 70 yards down the far sideline. UM 45, MU 7

A turnover on the ensuing possession gave the Rebels a short field for the third time on the afternoon, and Ole Miss took advantage. Jaxson Dart found Tre Harris on a 22-yard gainer to move the hosts into the red zone, and then found Harris again two plays later on a 16-yard touchdown strike. UM 52, MU 7

The Rebels strung together a 10-play, 76-yard scoring drive midway through the third period to pad their advantage. Spencer Sanders keyed the scoring drive with a 43-yard pass to Ayden Williams, and then found Ulysses Bentley in the end zone two plays later. UM 59, MU 7

Ole Miss turned in a 6-play, 66-yard scoring drive on its ensuing offensive possession. Spencer Sanders completed three of his five passing attempts on the drive for 63 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown pass to Cayden Lee. UM 66, MU 7

4TH QUARTER

Ole Miss put the final points of the day on the scoreboard with just more than three minutes left in the fourth quarter. The 12-play, 65-yard touchdown drive was capped with a 1-yard run by Matt Jones, but the drive was keyed by a 29-yard pass-and-catch from Walker Howard to Bralon Brown that moved the Rebels into Mercer territory. UM 73, MU 7

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Sophomore Carter Peevy's 75-yard touchdown run in the opening quarter established a new school record for longest run from scrimmage. The previous record was held by Tayshaun Shipp who rattled off a 72-yard run at The Citadel on Oct. 30, 2021. The previous record for longest run by a Mercer quarterback was John Russ's 71-yard jaunt at Campbell on Oct. 26, 2013.
+ Senior all-American Devron Harper led the receiving corp with four catches for 47 yards. Harper was targeted 11 times on the afternoon.
+ Junior Marques Thomas registered a team-best seven tackles for the Orange & Black against the Rebels, including four solo stops. He also forced a fumble.

NOTABLES

+ Mercer fell to 3-8 in road openers since the football program returned to campus in 2013, and has now dropped four-straight road openers - all of which have come at the hands of current NCAA FBS foes.
+ The Bears are now 0-10-1 against Mississippi-based teams, including a pair of losses against Ole Miss. Saturday's contest marked the first between the two squads since 1911, and the first-ever meeting between Mercer and the Rebels in Oxford.
+ Mercer possessed the ball for more than 35 minutes (35:10) on Saturday. That is the most possession time for the Bears since holding on to the ball for more than 41 minutes against VMI last season.

UP NEXT

The Bears will open up the home portion of their 2023 regular season schedule on September 9 when they welcome Morehead State to Macon. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Five Star Stadium.

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