By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com

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Facing a top ten opponent, away from home, Mercer put it all together.

One of the hottest teams in the Southern Conference, Mercer has momentum. Impressively, the Bears have now won three of their last four games, defeating The Citadel, Western Carolina and nationally-ranked Chattanooga over the last month. Saturday’s triumph over the Mocs was a signature win for the Mercer program, head coach Drew Cronic and a team that is suddenly one of just five in the SoCon with a winning league record. A 35-28 win over UTC gives the Bears their first victory over a ranked opponent since September of 2018.

Facing a top ten opponent, away from home, Mercer put it all together. The Bears earned their inaugural road win of the Cronic era and did so in resounding fashion. Mercer opened the scoring midway through the first quarter, ultimately holding a 28-7 advantage by late in the third period. It was one of the most impressive and sweeping stretches of play of the SoCon spring season, with Harrison Frost, Julian Beris and Brandon Marshall all rushing for touchdowns in roughly one quarter of play.

Led by Marshall, the Bears rushed for a total of 206 yards and five touchdowns. Quarterback Carter Peevy was also 13-of-17 passing and averaged 9.8 yards per attempt. Defensively, Mercer held Chattanooga to just 3-of-10 on third down tries and forced two turnovers. In all, in a contest that had multiple weather delays, the Bears were balanced and controlled the tempo of the game. Mercer made the plays, from the first half rally, to recovering a late onsides kick, that mattered most.
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The effort resulted in one of the biggest wins in program history. In Macon, the bridge is lit; the glow should have the SoCon’s attention.

With a boost from this weekend, the Bears will have even more energy heading into a two-game home stretch against Furman and East Tennessee State. Though VMI is atop the conference standings as the league’s only unbeaten team, redhot Mercer, with those two teams currently ahead of them in the rankings, has a chance to continue to climb. The Bears will finish the spring regular season against the Paladins, Bucs and Samford, all of whom are currently at .500 or better in SoCon play.

Fresh off a statement performance, Mercer is making a move.