No. 17 Bears Host East Texas A&M In FCS Kickoff On Saturday
8/28/2026 10:04:00 PM | Football
Kickoff Is Slated For 7 P.M. ET On ESPN
MACON – Mercer (0-0, 0-0 SoCon) will open its 53rd season of intercollegiate football on Saturday evening when the 17th-ranked Bears suit up to host Southland Conference foe East Texas A&M (0-0, 0-0 SLC) in the 12th edition of the FCS Kickoff in Five Star Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game is slated to be nationally televised by ESPN.
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| Â ABOUT THE GAME | |||
| Date: Saturday, August 29 Time: 7 p.m. ET Location: Macon, Ga. 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 | East Texas A&M 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 VS. THE SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE | |||
| Saturday's contest will mark the first meeting between Mercer and East Texas A&M. It will also be just the second time in program history that the Bears have faced a member of the Southland Conference. Mercer dropped a 20-17 nailbiter to visiting Abilene Christian in 2020 - the Wildcats' last season as a member of the SLC. Abilene Christian is a current member of the United Athletic Conference. | |||
| Â SCOUTING THE LIONS | |||
| The Lions return three starters and 35 other letterwinners from last year's squad that posted a 3-9 clip, including a 3-5  league mark and a share of seventh place in the final Southland Conference regular season standings. East Texas A&M posted wins over SLC foes Incarnate Word and Houston Christian to highlight the campaign. New is the theme in Northeast Texas going into 2026 as the program welcomes 58 newcomers on the field as well as a complete overhaul of the coaching staff with seven new assistant coaches. | |||
| Â THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME | |||
| Mercer is 54-22 (.701) all-time in Five Star Stadium and have turned in at least four wins inside their home stadium in each of the last five seasons. The Orange & Black has captured 20Â of their last 24 home games heading into Saturday's contest with East Texas A&M. | |||
| Â NATIONAL RANK STREAK | |||
| Saturday's contest will mark the 25th-straight time that Mercer has toted a national ranking into a game – the longest-such stretch in the history of the program. The Bears achieved a program-best No. 6 national ranking with the release of the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 on Nov. 17, 2025. | |||
| Â NEXT WEEK FOR THE BEARS | |||
| Mercer will continue a season-opening 3-game home stand on September 5 when the Bears suit up to take on Pioneer League rival Presbyterian in Five Star Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET and tickets can be purchased by visiting MercerBears.com/Tickets. | |||
Friday, August 28
Friday, August 28
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