The football season opener for the No. 11 Bears against No. 7 University of California–Davis was deemed a “no contest” as lightning forced the end of the game. Neither team will be awarded a win or loss for the game, statistics for the game have been voided and there will be no attempt to finish the game
Prior to the cancellation, with about seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Bears were down 23-17 with possession of the ball. Mercer had momentum at the time as they had scored 14 unanswered points after being down by 18 points at halftime. The Bears’ first half underperformed expectations as the offensive line was shaky against a formidable Aggie pass rush. Quarterback DJ Smith ‘26 found himself scrambling often, causing Mercer to repeatedly find themselves in 2nd-and-long situations.
The Bears shook off the rust in the locker room at halftime and answered UC Davis' late first-half touchdown with a 69-yard touchdown run from transfer running back Autavius Ison ‘27 with less than six minutes left in the third quarter. With the ball back at the Aggies' 1-yard line, Smith carried the ball into the end zone to bring the Bears within striking distance of UC Davis. A blocked Aggie field goal shortly before the game was called off gave Mercer the ball back in their half.
The Bears will retake the field on Saturday against Presbyterian College at 6:00 PM. It will be Mercer's first home game of the season and will be preceded by a concert from Ole 60 on Black Field.
Nevaeh Wilson '28 is majoring in Journalism and minoring in Film Studies. She has been writing for The Cluster since her freshman year, and has worked for Mercer's ESPN studio. She enjoys watching college and professional sporting events.
