No. 13 Bears Use Second Half Surge To Dispel Of Pesky Furman

Saturday, November 1

Greenville, S.C.

2 p.m.

Mercer University

7-1 , 6-0

Furman

5-4 , 3-3

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Mercer

Furman

No. 13 Bears Use Second Half Surge To Dispel Of Pesky Furman

11/1/2025 1:44:00 PM | Football

Box Score

By: Todd Anderson, anderson_t02@mercer.edu

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Visiting and 13^th-ranked Mercer amassed more than 625 yards of total offense, including 340 in the second half alone, and scored touchdowns on its first four possessions across the last two quarters to turn back upset-minded Furman, 52-28, on Saturday afternoon at Paladin Stadium.

It was the fourth-straight road victory for the Bears (7-1, 6-0 SoCon) who used Saturday's result to post its first win in Greenville, S.C., since the 2021 campaign. It was the third loss in the last four outings for the Paladins (5-4, 3-3) who have now dropped four of the last six meetings with the Orange & Black.

THE BASICS

SCORE: Mercer 52, Furman 28
RECORDS: Mercer 7-1 (6-0 SoCon); Furman 5-4 (3-3 SoCon)
LOCATION: Greenville, S.C. (Paladin Stadium)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

A 35-yard punt return set the Paladins up in short field inside the red zone. The Bears used a 3-yard drop behind the line to force Furman into a 3^rd-and-4 situation, but Trey Hedden connected with Evan James streaking across the middle of the field and the freshman took care of the rest. FU 6, MU 0

It did not take long for Furman to add to its lead on the ensuing possession for the hosts. A costly pass interference penalty on 3^rd-and-long gave the Paladins new life, and CJ Nettles delivered one play later with a 67-yard scoring scamper down the far sideline. FU 13, MU 0

The Bears punched back on the next possession, capping a 12-play, 88-yard touchdown with Braden Atkinson's 21-yard strike to a wide-open Malik Simmons in the end zone. The drive was aided midway through on a pass interference penalty, while a 10-yard jaunt by CJ Miller moved Mercer into the red zone. FU 13, MU 7

In our element 🧪#WeOverMe pic.twitter.com/H6Mioz344W
— Mercer Football (@MercerFootball) November 1, 2025

2ND QUARTER

Mercer went to work again on its ensuing possession, driving 54 yards in seven plays before Braden Atkinson and CJ Miller connected on an 18-yard touchdown reception. The drive, which bridged the first and second periods, was aided by a costly pass interference call early on, but a 16-yard reception by Adonis McDaniel later in the drive proved key as well. MU 14, FU 13

CJ Miller handled a bulk of the offensive load on the following possession for the visitors, including a 6-yard touchdown drive that extended the lead. Miller carried the ball three times for 29 yards on the possession, while Braden Atkinson completed a trio of passes for 39 yards. MU 21, FU 13

The Bears put the final points of the opening half on the board right before the break, culminating a 7-play, 43-yard scoring drive with a 44-yard field goal from Reice Griffith. An 18-yard pass from Braden Atkinson to Adjatay Dabbs midway through the possession moved the visitors all the way down to the 30-yard line. MU 24, FU 13

2Q I 13:14

🐻 14
⚔️ 13

Bears take the lead for the first time today on an 18-yard touchdown pass from @Braden_Atkinson to @_cj2m!#WeOverMe
— Mercer Football (@MercerFootball) November 1, 2025

3RD QUARTER

Furman came out of the halftime gates with little intention of folding. Caleb Easterling hauled in the second half kickoff at Furman's own goal line and raced 100 yards untouched to pull the Paladins closer. MU 24, FU 20

Mercer punched back just more than a minute later when Adjatay Dabbs corralled a 63-yard scoring reception from Braden Atkinson. The Bears had started the possession with two-straight runs by CJ Miller. MU 31, FU 20

The Paladins mirrored the strategy by the visitors moments later, running the ball twice before breaking through on a big scoring pass. It was Trey Hedden's 64-yard touchdown pass to Ja'Keith Hamilton that capped the 3-play, 66-yard possession. MU 31, FU 28

Mercer kept the back-and-forth going on the ensuing possession when Braden Atkinson capped a 7-play, 79-yard touchdown drive with a 1-yard plunge over center. The freshman signal called completed all three of his pass attempts for 62 yards to fuel the successful drive. MU 38, FU 28

A quick 3-and-out by the Paladins with the ensuing possession eventually set the Bears up near midfield. Braden Atkinson found Adonis McDaniel on a 44-yard pass-and-catch on the first play of the possession, and CJ Miller bulldozed his way up the middle two plays later to help the Bears pull away. MU 45, FU 28

The Bears push their lead back to two scores on this 63-yard scoring pass from @bradenatkinson to @AdjatayD

🐻31
⚔️ 20#WeOverMe pic.twitter.com/FoNhnt0vgM
— Mercer Football (@MercerFootball) November 1, 2025

4TH QUARTER

Mercer used an impressive 12-play, 85-yard touchdown drive to put what would be the final points of the afternoon on the scoreboard. The Bears used a handful of ball carriers to chew up 32 yards on the ground, but Braden Atkinson logged a trio of pass completions, including a 37-yard touchdown pass to Adonis McDaniel. MU 52, FU 28

That's a dime alright! 👏#FCS x 🎥 ESPN+ / @MercerFootball

pic.twitter.com/Q2nw74uhXF
— NCAA FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) November 1, 2025

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Freshman Braden Atkinson threw for 426 yards and four touchdowns on 28-for-49 passing with no interceptions. He also logged his first career rushing touchdown midway through the third quarter.
+ Mercer turned in two 100-yard receiving days for the second-straight week. Newcomer Adonis McDaniel caught seven passes for 139 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown, while sophomore Adjatay Dabbs recorded six catches for 117 yards and one score.
+ Junior CJ Miller amassed 125 yards of total offense, including 111 rushing yards (20 carries), and three touchdowns. It was the fourth 100+-yard rushing game in the last six outings for Miller.

NOTABLES

+ MU totaled 240 yards of offense and 21 points in the third quarter alone on Saturday. That tally included 189 yards (8-for-11 passing) through the air, and 51 yards (11 carries) on the ground.
+ Mercer has now registered school-record win streaks in two-straight seasons. Saturday's victory marked the seventh-straight triumph for the Bears who bested the 2024 squad that won its first six games of the campaign.
+ The Bears matched another school record on Saturday as well by racking up 500 or more yards of total offense for the fourth-straight game. The only other Mercer team to accomplish that task was the 2013 squad that hit that particular statistics plateau against Valparaiso (519), Carnegie Mellon (554), Campbell (500) and Davidson (533).
+ Mercer has now tacked up four-straight road wins for the first time since the 1932 season. The Orange & Black has also captured 11 of its last 16 regular season road games.

UP NEXT

The Bears will close out the road portion of their 2025 Southern Conference road schedule when they head to Cullowhee, N.C., to take on Southern Conference co-leading Western Carolina in a 2:30 p.m. kickoff at E.J. Whitmire Stadium. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by visiting WCU's athletic ticketing portal.

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