Furman Upsets No. 15 Bears In Defensive Slugfest

Saturday, September 12

Macon, Ga.

6 p.m.

Mercer University

2-1 , 0-1

Furman

2-1 , 1-0

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Furman	3	0	7	10	20
Mercer	3	0	3	7	13

Furman Upsets No. 15 Bears In Defensive Slugfest

9/12/2026 11:39:00 PM | Football

Box Score

By: Todd Anderson, anderson_t02@mercer.edu

MACON – Visiting Furman forced five turnovers, including a quartet of interceptions, and took the lead for good on Ben Croasdale's 47-yard touchdown run with 47 seconds left to help lead the Paladins to a 20-13 upset of 14^th-ranked and home-standing Mercer on Saturday evening at Five Star Stadium.

The setback snapped a 12-game Southern Conference win streak for the Bears (2-1, 0-1 SoCon) who rolled into the weekend sporting a 21-2 clip against league rivals since midway through the 2023 season. The result helped snap a two-game series losing streak for Furman (2-1, 1-0) who put the kibosh on a three-game SoCon skid.

THE BASICS

SCORE: Furman 20, Mercer 13
RECORDS: Mercer 2-1 (0-1 SoCon); Furman 2-1 (1-0 SoCon)
LOCATION: Macon, Ga. (Five Star Stadium)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

The Paladins put the first points of the game on the board with 6-1/2 minutes left in the opening period, culminating a 10-play, 50-yard drive with Nathan Chapman's field goal from 44 yards away. The Paladins moved inside the MU 30-yard line on a 13-yard run from Daniel Haughton, but the host defense tightened up to limit the damage to a minimum. FU 3, MU 0

The Bears evened the score back up with the ensuing possession, driving 33 yards on six plays before settling for an impressive 54-yard field goal from Simon Zeidan that careened off the right post and through the uprights. Mercer converted a key 3^rd-and-12 midway through the possession on Jaylen King's 37-yard strike to Travion Solomon. FU 3, MU 3

@SimonZeidan97 connects on a 54-yard field goal to tie the game!

1Q | 2:41
Mercer 3, Furman 3#ATTACK pic.twitter.com/E2xarVwdn8
— Mercer Football (@MercerFootball) September 12, 2026

2ND QUARTER

No scoring.

That's a sack for @EanJohnson_ 💪#ATTACK pic.twitter.com/oCpBMbpeoY
— Mercer Football (@MercerFootball) September 12, 2026

3RD QUARTER

Cameron Goggins picked off an errant pass from Jake Garcia with just more than eight minutes left to set the Bears up at the 37-yard line. Mercer mustered just seven yards on the possession, however, but still managed to take the lead on Simon Zeidan's 47-yard boot. MU 6, FU 3

Caleb Easterling's interception late in the third period put the Paladins in good position near midfield, and Furman took the lead a minute later. Jake Garcia found a streaking Daniel Haughton down the far hash and the fifth-year player hauled in a 46-yard touchdown reception that gave the visitors a short-lived lead. FU 10, MU 6

Another interception for the defense‼️

This time it's @CameronGoggins1 with the pick!#ATTACK pic.twitter.com/BgixRPxMYp
— Mercer Football (@MercerFootball) September 13, 2026

4TH QUARTER

Mercer struck back on the following possession, bridging the third and fourth quarters with a 9-play, 74-yard scoring drive that was culminated with a 1-yard touchdown plunge by JP Pickles. Jaylen King's 33-yard pass to Travion Solomon moved the Bears all the way down to the 7-yard line before Pickles finished off the scoring opportunity. MU 13, FU 10

A 42-yard punt return from Joshua Tarver with just more than eight minutes left in the game gave the Paladins up at the MU 34-yard line to set up the tying score. Furman netted just eight yards on the next three plays from scrimmage before a 43-yard field goal from Nathan Chapman knotted things back up. MU 13, FU 13

Mercer punter Simon Zeidan's 42-yard punt with less than two minutes left pinned Furman inside its own 20-yard line, but the Paladins followed with a 6-play, 85-yard touchdown drive to tack up the final points of the night. Jake Garcia went 3-for-4 for 37 yards on the possession, but Ben Croasdale knifed through the middle of the Mercer defense on a 47-yard touchdown run to deal the final damage. FU 20, MU 13

Can't get away from Marquise Williams! 💪#ATTACK pic.twitter.com/rLadXUVC7N
— Mercer Football (@MercerFootball) September 13, 2026

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ 5^th Year wide receiver Travion Solomon had a career night, hauling in six catches for 120 yards to lead the Mercer offense. Solomon logged a trio of 30+-yard receptions to highlight the performance.
+ Zahmari Palode-Gary ran for a season-best 87 yards on 13 carries. The 5^th year player did not lose yards on any of his attempts on the evening, while also turning in a season-longest 43-yard jaunt in the second period.
+ Sophomore Jyarius Carter led the Bears in tackles for the third time in as many games, this time posting 11 stops, including four of the solo variety. He also logged a trio of quarterback hurries and one pass break-up. Senior Cameron Goggins and sophomore Justin Ferguson both notched their second interception of the season as well.

NOTABLES

+ Saturday's setback snapped a 12-game Southern Conference win streak for the Bears who had not tasted defeat inside league play since a 55-35 loss at Samford on Oct. 19, 2024. Regardless, Mercer has still captured 21 of its last 24 outings against SoCon rivals.
+ The Bears fell to 6-7 in Southern Conference openers with the result as well, including an 0-3 mark against Furman in such games. Mercer is 7-7 in conference openers overall, including a 31-17 victory over Drake in its 2013 Pioneer Football League opener.
+ Saturday's contest marked the end of a season-opening 3-game home stand for the Bears who will now hit the road for three-straight games, including next weekend's (September 19) contest in-state rival Georgia Tech.

UP NEXT

Mercer will open up a 3-game road trip next Saturday (September 19) when it makes the short hop to Atlanta to go head-to-head with FBS rival Georgia Tech (0-2). Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field and tickets can be purchased by visiting the Georgia Tech athletics ticketing portal.

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