Saturday, October 31
Macon, Ga.
3 p.m.
Mercer University
vs
The Citadel
10/30/2026 6:00:00 AM | Football
Kickoff Is Slated For 3 p.m. ET On ESPN+
MACON – Nationally-ranked Mercer (6-2, 3-1 SoCon) will ride a four-game win streak back into Macon on Saturday when the Bears battle Southern Conference rival The Citadel (2-6, 0-4 SoCon) on Homecoming. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:02 p.m. ET at Five Star Stadium and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Frank Malloy (play-by-play) and Phil Cox (commentary) calling all of the action from the booth.
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| Â ABOUT THE GAME | |||
| Date: Saturday, October 31 Time: 3 p.m. ET Location: Macon, Georgia I Five Star Stadium TV: ESPN+ Listen Live: 100.9 The Creek I Sportsmic Network Live Statistics: MercerBears.com/Live Twitter Updates: @MercerFootball |
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| Â GAME NOTES (PDF) | |||
| Mercer Game Notes | The Citadel Game Notes | SoCon Weekly Release | |
| Â TICKETS | |||
| Tickets are still available for Saturday's game and can be purchased by visiting MercerBears.com/Tickets. | |||
| Â MERCER/THE CITADEL SERIES | |||
| Saturday's matchup is the 24th meeting all-time between the Bears and The Citadel in a series that dates all the way back to 1906. The series is all square at 11-11-1, but Mercer will ride a 6-game series win streak into Saturday's matchup in Macon, including a 3-game series win streak at Five Star Stadium. The Bulldogs are 4-3 all-time in Macon, but have not tasted victory in Middle Georgia since a 38-31 triumph in 2018. Mercer has won the last six meetings by an average margin of 22.8 points per game, and has held The Citadel to 21 points or fewer in five consecutive meetings and just 44 total points over the last four matchups. The Bears  have recorded two shutout victories in the last four meetings, defeating The Citadel 17-0 in 2022 and 38-0 in 2025. Mercer has posted 38 points in each of its last three victories over the Bulldogs. | |||
| Â SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS | |||
| The Citadel enters Saturday's matchup as a team whose identity remains firmly rooted in the run game, but one that has struggled to generate enough explosive offense and defensive consistency to overcome opponents through eight games. Despite a 2-6 overall record, the Bulldogs have been competitive at times, including victories over FBS foe Charlotte (43-41 in triple overtime) and then-No. 12 South Carolina State (34-31), but have managed just 12.8 points per game against Southern Conference opponents and remain winless (0-4) in the league. The Citadel operates a run-first offense that has produced 1,585 rushing yards, averaging 198.1 rushing yards per game and 4.3 yards per carry. Of their 497 offensive plays, 370 have been rushing attempts, meaning nearly 75 percent of their offense comes on the ground. The Bulldogs are allowing 367.8 yards and 33.8 points per game, including nearly 196 passing yards per contest. | |||
| Â MERCER ON HOMECOMING | |||
| The Bears are 6-7 on Homecoming since football returned to campus prior to the 2013 season, but have won four of their last five Homecoming games heading into today's game with The Citadel, including three-straight victories in such contests. Mercer has scored 128 points across its last three Homecoming victories (42.7 points per game), and has allowed just 54 total points (18.0 points per game) over that same span. The Bears have averaged 404.0 offensive yards across that three-game span. The Bears have a Homecoming history with The Citadel, dropping a tough 28-26 setback to the Bulldogs on Nov. 1, 2014, at Five Star Stadium. The Bears nearly rallied all the way back from a 28-10 halftime deficit in that outing, but were unable to convert a 2-point conversion attempt with 3:37 left before succumbing. | |||
| Â SACRED GROUND AT FIVE STAR STADIUM | |||
| Mercer is 57-23 (.713) all-time in Five Star Stadium after the Week 6 win over Western Carolina. The Bears have captured 23 of their last 26 home games heading into their Homecoming contest against The Citadel in Macon, and boast a 27-6 (.818) clip in their home stadium over the last 5-plus seasons (since 2020), including an 18-4 clip against league foes. The Bears have averaged nearly 35 points (34.8) and 433.1 yards per game across the last 5-plus seasons (33 games) at Five Star Stadium, including an impressive 194.7 rushing yards per game across that span. Mercer has produced at least 200 yards on the ground 13 times at home since 2020, including eight 250-plus yard ground performances. | |||
| Â NEXT WEEK FOR THE BEARS | |||
| Mercer will open up a 2-game Southern Conference road trip on November 7 when it treks to southeast Tennessee for a pivotal Southern Conference clash with Chattanooga. The Ingles SoCon Game of the Week is scheduled for a 1 p.m. kickoff inside UTC's Finley Stadium. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by visiting the Chattanooga athletics ticketing portal. | |||
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