Saturday, November 8
Cullowhee, N.C.
2:30 p.m.
Mercer University
8-1 , 7-0
49
at
47
#24 Western Carolina
6-4 , 5-1
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Mercer
7
11
21
10
49
Western Caro.
7
14
6
20
47
No. 10 Mercer Tops No. 24 Western Carolina In Shootout, Clinches Share Of SoCon Title
11/8/2025 2:04:00 PM | Football
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Visiting and 10th-ranked Mercer racked up nearly 600 yards of total offense and got a go-ahead field goal from junior Reice Griffith with 90 seconds left to help the Bears clinch at least a share of the Southern Conference championship with a 49-47 win at 24th-ranked Western Carolina on Saturday.
Mercer (8-1, 7-0 SoCon) became the first team in six seasons to claim back-to-back SoCon trophies, and can become the first team in to win consecutive outright titles since Appalachian State in 2008 and 2009 with a Homecoming victory over Chattanooga next weekend. It was the 10th-straight series loss for the Catamounts (6-4, 5-0) who had their six-game win streak snapped on Saturday as well.
Saturday's shootout featured five lead changes, 1,167 combined offensive yards and 10 passing touchdowns. The Catamounts missed a potential game-winning 33-yard field goal as time expired.
Mercer (8-1, 7-0 SoCon) became the first team in six seasons to claim back-to-back SoCon trophies, and can become the first team in to win consecutive outright titles since Appalachian State in 2008 and 2009 with a Homecoming victory over Chattanooga next weekend. It was the 10th-straight series loss for the Catamounts (6-4, 5-0) who had their six-game win streak snapped on Saturday as well.
Saturday's shootout featured five lead changes, 1,167 combined offensive yards and 10 passing touchdowns. The Catamounts missed a potential game-winning 33-yard field goal as time expired.
| THE BASICS |
| SCORE: Mercer 49, Western Carolina 47 RECORDS: Mercer 8-1 (7-0 SoCon); Western Carolina 6-4 (5-1 SoCon) LOCATION: Cullowhee, N.C. (E.J. Whitmire Stadium) |
| HOW IT HAPPENED |
| 1ST QUARTER |
| Western Carolina received the opening kickoff and struck right away, capping a 9-play, 65-yard touchdown drive with a 27-yard strike from Taron Dickens to Michael Rossin. The Catamounts began the possession at their own 35-yard line after the opening kickoff went out of bounds, and were also the benefactor on an ill-timed roughing the passer penalty early on. WCU 7, MU 0 The Bears evened things back up later in the quarter, culminating a 5-play, 68-yard scoring drive with CJ Miller's delayed run through the center of the WCU defense. Mercer used a 50-yard pass from Braden Atkinson to Brayden Smith on the opening play of the possession to key the final result. WCU 7, MU 7
|
| 2ND QUARTER |
| The Catamounts bridged the first and second quarters with a 6-play, 54-yard touchdown drive to retake the lead. Taron Dickens completed both of his pass attempts for 41 yards, including a 21-yard scoring toss to Patrick Boyd, while the Catamounts were aided again on a costly pass interference penalty on a 3rd-and-15 situation. WCU 14, MU 7 The Bears tacked up their next points in an unconventional manner. A 56-yard punt from John McConnell pinned the Catamounts at their own 4-yard line, and Jordan Swain broke through on first down to take down quarterback Taron Dickens in the end zone for a safety. WCU 14, MU 9 The Bears made it an 8-point swing by converting the ensuing possession into points as Braden Atkinson engineered a 7-play, 69-yard touchdown drive that was capped on his 6-yard bullet to Kendall Harris. Atkinson was a perfect 4-for-4 for 55 yards on the possession. MU 15, WCU 14 Western Carolina used an 11-play, 79-yard touchdown drive to take the lead again just less than five minutes later. Taron Dickens shouldered a bulk of the offensive load on the possession, completing three passes for 57 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown reception, while also carrying the ball four times for 22 yards. WCU 21, MU 15 Mercer converted its final possession of the opening half into points as Reice Griffith capped a 10-play, 68-yard scoring drive with a 24-yard field goal. The Bears set themselves up with a 1st-and-goal opportunity at the 9-yard line, but Western Carolina dug their heels in to retain the lead heading into the break. WCU 21, MU 18
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| 3RD QUARTER |
| The Bears came out of the halftime gates on fire and used a methodical 6-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to take the lead for the second time. A costly roughing the passer penalty moved the visitors into WCU territory, but it was Braden Atkinson's 45-yard pass to Adjatay Dabbs on the ensuing play that inevitably set up a short rushing touchdown by CJ Miller. MU 25, WCU 21 Justin Gilbert's strip sack near midfield set Mercer up in its best field position of the afternoon, and the Bears delivered. Ty Doughty toughed his way through for three yards on a key 3rd down shortly after, and Kendall Harris made an acrobatic catch at the 3-yard line and fell into the end zone seconds later. MU 32, WCU 21 The Catamounts punched back on the ensuing drive, using a trio of long passes to ultimately pull to within one score. Taron Dickens went 3-for-3 for 72 yards on the possession, including a 32-yard scoring strike to Malik Knight. MU 32, WCU 27 The Bears kept the back-and-forth going on the next possession, capping a 6-play, 75-yard touchdown drive with CJ Miller's 26-yard jaunt. Braden Atkinson's 23-yard pass to Adonis McDaniel on second down, coupled with a facemask on the sideline tackle, fueled the scoring possession. MU 39, WCU 27
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| 4TH QUARTER |
| Western Carolina bridged the third and fourth quarters with a 3-play, 64-yard touchdown drive, but it was the last play that inflicted nearly all of the damage. The Catamounts rattled off 10 rushing yards with their first two plays of the possession before Taron Dickens connected with Malik Knight on a 54-yard touchdown pass. MU 39, WCU 34 The momentum continued to swing back and forth on the ensuing possession, although the hosts held Mercer to just one yard on the first two plays. Adjatay Dabbs hauled in a pass near midfield on third down, however, and then made a few defenders miss on the way to an 81-yard scoring reception. MU 46, WCU 34 Western Carolina scratched back again midway through the period as Taron Dickens strapped the team to his shoulders and led an 8-play, 73-yard touchdown drive. Dickens went 7-for-8 for 73 yards on the possession, including a 10-yard scoring strike to Jai Boyd. MU 46, WCU 41 The Catamounts picked up where they left off on their following possession, capping a quick 3-play, 82-yard scoring drive with a 42-yard touchdown pass from Taron Dickens to James Tyre. Dickens threw a 39-yard strike to Dominic Dutton on first down, and then Western Carolina set up the touchdown pass with a 1-yard run up the middle. WCU 47, MU 46 Mercer used a 6-play, 45-yard drive to provide the game-winning score with 90 seconds left. Braden Atkinson threw a 49-yard pass to CJ Miller on the second play from scrimmage to move the visitors inside the red zone, but Mercer ultimately had to settle for a 37-yard field goal from Reice Griffith. MU 49, WCU 47
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| INSIDE THE BOX SCORE |
| + Junior CJ Miller racked up 148 offensive yards and three touchdowns, including 91 rushing yards (21 carries) and a trio of scores. He also caught three passes for 57 yards. + Freshman Braden Atkinson threw for 443 yards and three touchdowns on 23-for-39 passing with no interceptions. He tallied touchdown passes of six, 24 and 81 yards, while also logging a dozen rushing yards. + Redshirt sophomore Adjatay Dabbs caught four passes for 147 yards, including an 81-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. He was one of four Mercer receivers with 73 or more receiving yards on Saturday. + Redshirt sophomore Julian Fox paced the Mercer defense with a game- and career-best 13 tackles, including an assist on a tackle for loss. Redshirt senior Drew Clare turned in 10 stops and a fumble recovery. |
| NOTABLES |
| + Mercer clinched at least a share of the Southern Conference title, as well as the league's automatic bid to the NCAA postseason, with Saturday's victory. The Bears are the first team since Wofford in 2018 and 2019 to rake in consecutive SoCon crowns. + Saturday's result gave Mercer its 11th-straight win against a Southern Conference opponent, as well as its fifth-straight road win. It is the first time in the 51-plus seasons of the program that Mercer has won five road games in a single season, let alone five consecutive victories away from home. + MU picked up its 10th-straight win over Western Carolina with Saturday's result and now lead the series, 10-2. The Catamounts have not tasted victory against the Bears since a 24-21 win in Cullowhee, N.C., Oct. 10, 2015. |
| UP NEXT |
| The Bears will close out the home portion of their regular season schedule on November 15 when they suit up to take on Southern Conference rival Chattanooga on Homecoming at Five Star Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. Tickets are still available, and can be purchased by visiting MercerBears.com/Tickets. |
| STAY CONNECTED |
| Follow Mercer Football on Twitter and Instagram and "Like" Mercer Football on Facebook. |
| 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
MER
WCU
Total Yards
568
599
Pass Yards
443
551
Rushing Yards
125
48
Penalty Yards
72
55
1st Downs
23
33
3rd Downs
7
10
4th Downs
0
0
TOP
30:32
29:28
1st Quarter
MER 0, WCU 7
WCU - Rossin,Michael 27 yd pass from Dickens,Taron (Trout,Marcus kick) 9 plays, 65 yards, TOP 03:20
MER 7, WCU 7
MER - Miller,CJ 7 yd run (Griffith,Reice kick), 5 plays, 68 yards, TOP 02:24
2nd Quarter
MER 7, WCU 14
WCU - Boyd Jr.,Patrick 21 yd pass from Dickens,Taron (Trout,Marcus kick) 6 plays, 54 yards, TOP 01:36
MER 9, WCU 14
MER - Swain,Jordan 0 yd safety
MER 15, WCU 14
MER - Harris,Kendall 6 yd pass from Atkinson,Braden () 7 plays, 69 yards, TOP 02:42
MER 15, WCU 21
WCU - Rossin,Michael 25 yd pass from Dickens,Taron (Trout,Marcus kick) 11 plays, 79 yards, TOP 04:48
MER 18, WCU 21
MER - Griffith,Reice 24 yd field goal 10 plays, 68 yards, TOP 03:42
3rd Quarter
MER 25, WCU 21
MER - Miller,CJ 5 yd run (Griffith,Reice kick), 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:51
MER 32, WCU 21
MER - Harris,Kendall 24 yd pass from Atkinson,Braden (Griffith,Reice kick) 4 plays, 35 yards, TOP 01:31
MER 32, WCU 27
WCU - Knight,Malik 32 yd pass from Dickens,Taron () 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:16
MER 39, WCU 27
MER - Miller,CJ 26 yd run (Griffith,Reice kick), 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:32
4th Quarter
MER 39, WCU 34
WCU - Knight,Malik 54 yd pass from Dickens,Taron (Trout,Marcus kick) 3 plays, 64 yards, TOP 00:49
MER 46, WCU 34
MER - Dabbs,Adjatay 81 yd pass from Atkinson,Braden (Griffith,Reice kick) 3 plays, 82 yards, TOP 00:58
MER 46, WCU 41
WCU - Boyd,Jai 10 yd pass from Dickens,Taron (Trout,Marcus kick) 8 plays, 73 yards, TOP 02:43
MER 46, WCU 47
WCU - Tyre,James 42 yd pass from Dickens,Taron () 3 plays, 82 yards, TOP 01:23
MER 49, WCU 47
MER - Griffith,Reice 37 yd field goal 6 plays, 45 yards, TOP 01:43
Game Leaders
CMP
23
TD
3
YDS
443
INT
0
Players Mentioned
QB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
RB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
K
/ Football
WR
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P
/ Football
WR
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WR
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DL
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