Mercer University
6-1 , 5-0
VMI
1-7 , 0-4
Records Abundant In No. 14 Mercer’s 62-0 Rout Of VMI
10/25/2025 8:58:00 PM | Football
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It was the school record-matching sixth-straight victory for Mercer (6-1, 5-0 SoCon) who improved to 5-0 in conference play for the first time in the 51-plus seasons of the program as well. It was the sixth-straight setback for the Keydets (1-7, 0-4) who have now dropped four-straight matchups in the series with the Bears by 34 or more points.
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Freshman Braden Atkinson threw for a school-record 538 yards on 29-of-35 passing with no interceptions, while also matching a school record for the second time this season with five touchdown tosses. The Orange & Black, who scored points on all five drives in the opening quarter, also registered a program-best 11.9 yards on 70 plays against the Keydets.
| Â Â THE BASICS |
| SCORE: Mercer 62, VMI 0 RECORDS: Mercer 6-1 (5-0 SoCon); VMI 1-7 (0-4 SoCon) LOCATION: Macon, Ga. (Five Star Stadium) |
| Â Â HOW IT HAPPENED |
| Â Â 1ST QUARTER |
| The Bears got Saturday's scoring party started immediately as Braden Atkinson connected with Brayden Smith on a 75-yard scoring strike on the game's first play from scrimmage that gave the Bears a lead they would not relinquish. MER 7, VMI 0 Â Mercer kept throwing kindle on the fire with their next possession, capping a 5-play, 80-yard scoring drive on Braden Atkinson's 32-yard scoring reception. Atkinson completed all four of his pass attempts for 84 yards, including a trio of 20+-yard completions. MER 14, VMI 0 Â It was the same old story on Mercer's next possession as the Orange & Black marched a modest 21 yards on four plays before CJ Miller hauled in a screen pass and raced 59 yards for another touchdown. The Bears keyed the possession with a 15-yard reception by Adonis McDaniel that converted a key 3rd-and-4 situation. MER 21, VMI 0 Â The Bears kept the train going later in the first quarter, before ultimately settling for a 25-yard field goal from Reice Griffith. A costly pass interference penalty moved Mercer into VMI territory, and Ty Doughty moved Mercer into the red zone moments later on an 18-yard jaunt around right end. MER 24, VMI 0 Â Mercer ended the first quarter in much the same way that it started it as CJ Miller galloped 75 yards down the far sideline to make it a four-score afternoon. MER 31, VMI 0
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| Â Â 2ND QUARTER |
| Mercer needed just two plays to put more points on the board in the second period, finishing off a quick 2-play drive with Braden Atkinson's 84-yard touchdown pass to Adjatay Dabbs. The Bears opened the possession with a 2-yard run on first down. MER 38, VMI 0 Â Mercer forced a 3-and-out to gain possession deep in its own territory with 54 seconds left before intermission, and still came away with points. Braden Atkinson's 16-yard pass to Malik Simmons and 18-yard strike to Adonis McDaniel proved key enough to move the Bears close enough for a 50-yard field goal from Reice Griffith. MER 41, VMI 0
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| Â Â 3RD QUARTER |
The Bears went to work again midway through the third quarter, culminating a 4-play, 76-yard touchdown drive with Braden Atkinson's 51-yard pass to Adonis McDaniel. Mercer opened the possession with a 14-yard reception by Apollos Cook, and followed with a pair of ground gainers. MER 48, VMI 0
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| Â Â 4TH QUARTER |
| Redshirt freshman JP Pickles engineered an impressive 10-play, 94-yard scoring drive on Mercer's opening possession of the final period. Â The UTEP transfer completed all three of his pass attempts for 33 yards, while also registering an 8-yard rush, but freshman Ty Doughty finished off the possession with a 15-yard touchdown run up the middle. MER 55, VMI 0 Â The Bears scratched the scoreboard for the final time on their next possession, driving 15 yards on four plays before freshman Carlos Benjamin finished it off with a 55-yard scoring jaunt. Benjamin carried the ball three times on the 5-play drive. MER 62, VMI 0
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| Â Â INSIDE THE BOX SCORE |
| + Freshman Braden Atkinson eclipsed Fred Payton's 3-year-old school record with 538 passing yards, while also matching a school record for the second time this season with five passing touchdowns. Atkinson finished the afternoon with 29 completions on 35 attempts, including seven passes that went for 20 or more yards. + Junior CJ Miller accounted for 200 yards of total offense and a pair of scores, including a 9-carry, 102-yard day on the ground that included a career-best 75-yard touchdown run. He also highlighted a 4-catch, 98-yard day through the air with a 59-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter. + Junior Brayden Smith logged career bests for both receptions (9) and receiving yards (155) against the Keydets. He scored the first two touchdowns of the game on 75- and 32-yard strikes from Braden Atkinson. + Junior Reice Griffith went 10-for-10 on kick attempts on Saturday, including a pair of field goals. His 50-yard field goal right before the half moved him atop MU's all-time field goal list with the 36th career 3-pointer. |
| Â Â NOTABLES |
| + The Bears accounted for 834 yards of total offense on Saturday to eclipse a 4-year-old program record, and averaged 11.9 yards on 70 plays to shatter a 3-year-old school record. The previous superlatives were held by the 2021 squad that posted 778 yards against Point, as well as the 2022 version of the Bears that averaged 10.8 yards on 56 plays against Morehead State. + Mercer logged its ninth-straight victory against Southern Conference teams on Saturday, and is now 5-0 in conference play for the first time in school history. The Bears also matched a school record with their sixth-straight win this season as well. + Saturday's result marked Mercer's first home shutout since a 17-0 win over visiting The Citadel in 2022. The Bears have now shut out VMI in back-to-back series matchups as well. |
| Â Â UP NEXT |
| The Bears will hit the road again next week they trek to Greenville, S.C., on November 1 to take on Southern Conference nemesis Furman. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Paladin Stadium and tickets can be purchased by visiting Furman's athletic ticketing portal. |
| Â Â STAY CONNECTED |
| Follow Mercer Football on Twitter and Instagram and "Like" Mercer Football on Facebook. |
| Â Â SUPPORT THE BEARS |
| Support the Mercer athletics department by making a gift to the Mercer Athletic Foundation. To find out more information about the Mercer Athletic Foundation, email maf@mercer.edu. |
Team Stats
VMI 0, MER 7
MER - Smith,Brayden 75 yd pass from Atkinson,Braden (Griffith,Reice kick) 1 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:10
VMI 0, MER 14
MER - Smith,Brayden 32 yd pass from Atkinson,Braden (Griffith,Reice kick) 5 plays, 80 yards, TOP 01:57
VMI 0, MER 21
MER - Miller,CJ 59 yd pass from Atkinson,Braden (Griffith,Reice kick) 5 plays, 80 yards, TOP 01:54
VMI 0, MER 24
MER - Griffith,Reice 25 yd field goal 8 plays, 60 yards, TOP 03:39
VMI 0, MER 31
MER - Miller,CJ 75 yd run (Griffith,Reice kick), 1 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:13
VMI 0, MER 38
MER - Dabbs,Adjatay 84 yd pass from Atkinson,Braden (Griffith,Reice kick) 2 plays, 86 yards, TOP 00:43
VMI 0, MER 41
MER - Griffith,Reice 50 yd field goal 6 plays, 46 yards, TOP 00:54
VMI 0, MER 48
MER - McDaniel,Adonis 51 yd pass from Atkinson,Braden (Griffith,Reice kick) 4 plays, 76 yards, TOP 01:45
VMI 0, MER 55
MER - Doughty,Ty 15 yd run (Griffith,Reice kick), 10 plays, 94 yards, TOP 05:50
VMI 0, MER 62
MER - Benjamin,Carlos 58 yd run (Griffith,Reice kick), 5 plays, 73 yards, TOP 03:01
