Atkinson Claims National Award After Stellar Saturday
9/22/2025 1:47:00 PM | Football
MACON – National recognition was on the menu for the 23rd-ranked Mercer football team on Monday morning when freshman Braden Atkinson raked in Stats Perform FCS National Freshman of the Week laurels after leading the Bears to a 38-0 drubbing of The Citadel on Saturday in Charleston, S.C.
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A product of Rolesville, N.C., Atkinson threw for 305 yards and four touchdowns on 26-of-35 passing with no interceptions in the big win over the Bulldogs that kept the Orange & Black atop the Southern Conference standings. Atkinson completed his first nine pass attempts on Saturday, and finished the afternoon with pass completions to eight different receivers.
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Atkinson's 82.9 completion percentage is the second-highest by a Mercer quarterback in the modern era of the program (2013-present), and the four scoring passes were the most by an MU signal-caller since 2022.
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Mercer (2-1, 2-0 SoCon) will be back in action again on Saturday when they make the long trip Johnson City, Tenn., to take on SoCon foe East Tennessee State (2-2, 0-0) at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 5:30 p.m.
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A product of Rolesville, N.C., Atkinson threw for 305 yards and four touchdowns on 26-of-35 passing with no interceptions in the big win over the Bulldogs that kept the Orange & Black atop the Southern Conference standings. Atkinson completed his first nine pass attempts on Saturday, and finished the afternoon with pass completions to eight different receivers.
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Atkinson's 82.9 completion percentage is the second-highest by a Mercer quarterback in the modern era of the program (2013-present), and the four scoring passes were the most by an MU signal-caller since 2022.
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Mercer (2-1, 2-0 SoCon) will be back in action again on Saturday when they make the long trip Johnson City, Tenn., to take on SoCon foe East Tennessee State (2-2, 0-0) at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 5:30 p.m.
Players Mentioned
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