Long Road, Big Opportunity: Bears Set For Saturday Showdown In Texas

MACON – Nationally-ranked Mercer (2-2, 0-1 SoCon) will venture west of the Mississippi River for just the fourth time in school history on Saturday when it treks 1,500 miles to central Texas on Saturday to take on United Athletic Conference foe Abilene Christian (1-3, 0-0 UAC) at Wildcat Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:02 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Grant Boone (play-by-play), De'Andre Brown (commentary) and Roman Raffaeli (sideline) calling all of the action.

ABOUT THE GAME
Date: Saturday, September 26 Time: 8 p.m. ET Location: Abilene, Texas I Wildcat 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	Abilene Christian Game Notes	SoCon Weekly Release

TICKETS
Tickets are still available for Saturday's game and can be purchased by visiting the *Abilene Christian ticketing portal*.

MERCER/ABILENE CHRISTIAN SERIES
Saturday's matchup will mark just the second series matchup between the Bears and Abilene Christian, but the first meeting between the two schools since a 2020 meeting at Five Star Stadium. That contest was played during the fall portion (October 31) of the CoVID-altered 2020-21 campaign. Abilene Christian scored 10 unanswered points to claim a 20-17 comeback victory in that 2020 matchup, including a game-winning 38-yard field goal by Blair Zepeda as time expired. The Bears mustered just 82 yards on three possessions in the second half, but managed to take a 17-10 lead with 6:59 left in the third quarter thanks to Harrison Frost's 30-yard touchdown pass to Zacch Davis.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
a { text-decoration: none; color: #464feb; } tr th, tr td { border: 1px solid #e6e6e6; } tr th { background-color: #f5f5f5; } Abilene Christian entered 2026 looking to defend its United Athletic Conference championship after a 9-5 season and FCS playoff appearance in 2025. The Wildcats returned eight significant offensive contributors and six significant defensive contributors, led by veteran running back Rovaughn Banks Jr. and an experienced offensive line anchored by Colter Lynch, Landon Roaten and Luke Roaten. a { text-decoration: none; color: #464feb; } tr th, tr td { border: 1px solid #e6e6e6; } tr th { background-color: #f5f5f5; } ACU is 1-3 through four games, but the record is somewhat deceiving. The Wildcats have endured a difficult schedule thus far, going toe-to-toe with NCAA FBS rival Texas Tech, as well as 9th-ranked Stephen F. Austin and 20th-ranked Lamar. Abilene Christian scored 20 unanswered points on Saturday to register a 41-39 road win over Idaho.

BEARS IN SEPTEMBER
Mercer is 27-18 (.600) all-time in the month of September since bringing football back to campus in time for the 2013 campaign, including a 26-12 clip against FCS schools in the calendar's ninth month. MU is 13-7 at home in September across the modern era of the program (2013-present).

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
Mercer will venture west of the Mississippi River for just the fourth time in school history, but the first time since traveling to Fargo, N.D., to take on North Dakota State in the 2024 FCS Quarterfinals. It is the first time that the Bears will travel west of the Mighty Mississippi during the regular season since a 2013 trek to San Diego, Calif., to take on then-Pioneer Football League rival San Diego. Saturday's contest will also be the first game for the Bears inside the The Lone Star State across the 52-plus seasons of Mercer Football. Mercer is 1-1 all-time against Texas-based schools, including previous matchups with Abilene Christian (L, 2020) and East Texas A&M (W, 2026)

NEXT WEEK FOR THE BEARS
Mercer will close out its 3-game road trip on October 3 when it makes the long haul to Lexington, Va., to battle Southern Conference rival VMI. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET at Foster Stadium and tickets can be purchased by visiting the *VMI athletic ticketing portal*.

Long Road, Big Opportunity: Bears Set For Saturday Showdown In Texas

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