Mercer remained undefeated in conference play with a 34-24 win over Western Carolina after a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions helped seal the game for the Bears on the road.
Mercer jumped out to an early lead when Fred Payton found Parker Wroble on a 5-yard touchdown pass. In the second quarter, Payton added to the lead with a rushing touchdown to put Mercer up 14-0.
Western Carolina responded with a touchdown from running back Kenny Benjamin. But Mercer’s first-half dominance continued with a touchdown run from Fred Davis. The Bears went into the half up 21-7.
But in the second half, Mercer’s offense struggled to move the ball, with five of its first six drives ending in punts and fumbles.
On the other side, Western Carolina found the end zone on two of its first three drives and added a field goal on its fourth drive. With 14:45 left in the game, the teams were tied at 24 and the momentum was on the side of the Catamounts.
With nine minutes remaining in the game, Western Carolina quarterback Carlos Davis threw a costly pick to Mercer defensive back TJ Moore.
On third-and-30, Fred Payton rushed for a 10-yard gain to set up Devin Folser for a 51-yard field goal — a Mercer record — to put the Bears up 27-24.
On the following drive, Davis once again looked to take a shot down the field when defensive back Lance Wise came up with the biggest play of the game.
Wise read the pass and intercepted it before returning it deep into Catamounts territory. The Bears capped the drive with a Fred Davis touchdown to end the Western Carolina comeback.
Three stars
Mercer defense: The Bears once again won the turnover battle with a pair of interceptions and a fumble recovery. The two interceptions came when Mercer looked to be on the ropes as Western Carolina had erased a two-touchdown lead.
Mercer has quickly become one of the most balanced teams under head coach Drew Cronic. He has both sides of the ball dominating and has kept the Bears perfect in conference play.
Fred Davis, Mercer RB: It is hard to follow up the best single-game rushing performance in the history of the Mercer football program. While Davis didn’t quite reach his 276-yard, five-touchdown performance, he did pace the Bears with a pair of scores and 130 yards.
Davis is making a case as the top back in the conference and is one of the biggest reasons the Bears are in the hunt for a conference title.
Devin Folser, Mercer K: Folser tied a school record in the third quarter with a 50-yard field goal to extend the Bears’ lead. In the fourth quarter, he claimed the record for himself with a 51-yard field goal to help clinch the victory for Mercer.
Folser’s ability to hit long field goals on a regular basis is becoming a weapon for the Bears. Down the stretch, Mercer will take on some of the best teams in the league and having a kicker like Folser could be the key to winning those games.
They said it
“I can’t say it was a great performance. I was disappointed with some of the ways we played but at the same time, we found ways to get it done. We got to learn to play good all the time and there were times in this game where we had lulls.” — Mercer head coach Drew Cronic on allowing Western Carolina to get back into the game.
“Championship teams find ways to win when things are looking bad and we have done that… We are fortunate today that we were able to make one more play.” — Cronic on coming away with wins in a variety of ways.
“It is exciting but you can’t really think about stuff like that during the season. I will think about it tonight for a little bit. It is awesome.” — Mercer kicker Devin Folser on record-breaking performance.
“We just stayed true to who were. Our team is relentless in everything we do. Coach Cronic gave us the momentum and he talked to us and told us we got to play better and that is what we did.” — Mercer defensive back Lance Wise on coming up with the key turnovers down the stretch.
What’s next?
Mercer will take on VMI at home next Saturday. The Keydets dominated when these two teams met in the spring schedule 41-14. This Mercer team has gained a ton of momentum over the past three weeks to start 3-0 in the SoCon. A win over the Keydets would keep Mercer in the driver’s seat in the race for a conference title and a playoff berth.
This story was originally published October 9, 2021 7:44 PM.