Bears Close Out Road Schedule Against No. 9 Tennessee Tech

MACON – Nationally-ranked Mercer (8-2, 5-1 SoCon) will close out the road portion of its regular season schedule on Saturday when the Bears travel to Cookeville, Tennessee, to take on 9th-ranked Tennessee Tech (9-1, 6-1 SoCon). Kickoff is scheduled for 2:32 p.m. ET at Tucker Stadium and the Ingles SoCon Game of the Week will be televised live with Pete Yanity (play-by-play), Jay Sonnhalter (commentary) and Dave Friedman (sideline) calling all of the action from the booth.

ABOUT THE GAME
Date: Saturday, November 14 Time: 2:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. CT Location: Cookeville, Tenn. I Tucker Stadium TV: ESPN+ Listen Live: 100.9 The Creek I Sportsmic Network Live Statistics: MercerBears.com/Live Twitter Updates: @MercerFootball

GAME NOTES (PDF)
Mercer Game Notes	Tennessee Tech Game Notes	SoCon Weekly Release

TICKETS
Tickets are still available for Saturday's game and can be purchased by visiting the Tennessee Tech athletics ticketing portal.

MERCER/TENNESSEE TECH SERIES
Saturday's contest will mark just the second meeting between the two Southern Conference contenders, and the first matchup between the two sides since the 2016 campaign. Each side has claimed a victory in the series, with the home team capturing both contests by seven points. Tennessee Tech claimed the initial meeting between the two squads with a 29-22 victory over the Bears in Cookeville, Tennessee on Sept. 19, 2015, but Mercer returned the favor with a 34-27 win over the Golden Eagles at Five Star Stadium on Sept. 17, 2016.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Tennessee Tech is a balanced, explosive 9-1 team (6-1 SoCon) built around quarterback Jax Leatherwood who has completed 68.8 percent of his pass attempts with 26 touchdowns and just four interceptions. The Golden Eagles average 35.6 points and 391.2 yards per game, relying primarily on an efficient passing attack and versatile playmakers Tre' Holloway, Qua Ashley, and MJ Flowers. Defensively, they concede only 20.3 points and 303.7 yards an outing and showcase a strong pass defense that has produced 21 sacks and seven interceptions. TTU's special teams are dangerous, averaging 30.5 yards per kickoff return and 15.1 per punt return.

MERCER VS. TOP 25 TEAMS
The Bears are 16-25 over the last decade against nationally-ranked opponents, including a 16-20 mark against ranked FCS opponents. Mercer has won eight of its last 10 games against nationally-ranked FCS teams, including a 15-18 mark against Top 25 SoCon competition. The Bears have also won their last seven games against nationally-ranked league foes. Mercer has posted a 5-11 clip against teams ranked inside the Top 10 at kickoff, including a 5-8 mark against FCS competition. Four of its five victories against Top 10 FCS squads have come on the road.

THE BEARS ARE TOUGH AWAY FROM MACON
Mercer has won nine of its last 11 road outings, including a current nine-game road winning skein against FCS foes. The Bears posted a 5-1 clip on the road last season, including a Week 12 setback at FBS foe Auburn, and are 4-1 this season with the only blemish coming in Week 3 against Georgia Tech in Atlanta. MU has captured 16 of its last 22 regular season road games (16-2 vs. FCS) heading into Saturday's tilt with Tennessee Tech.

NEXT WEEK FOR THE BEARS
Mercer will close out the regular season portion of its 2026 schedule on November 21 when the Bears make a return trip home to take on Southern Conference foe East Tennessee State on Military Appreciation Day at Five Star Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by visiting MercerBears.com/Tickets.

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