Mercer football won a close game on the road against Southern Conference rivals East Tennessee State University 38-34, to advance to 3-1 on the season and 3-0 in SoCon play. The win put the No. 23 Bears in first place in the Southern Conference.
Mercer struck first with a 49-yard field goal by kicker Reice Griffith ‘27, who hit a career-long 51-yard field goal last week. ETSU (2-3, 0-1 SoCon) responded twice before the quarter ended with a touchdown pass from quarterback Cade McNamara to wide receiver Jeremiah Harrison, and a 21-yard field goal from kicker Ewan Johnson. McNamara, in his first season with the Bucs, led the University of Michigan to the 2021 Big Ten championship before losing the starting position to J.J. McCarthy the next season.
Mercer quarterback Braden Atkinson ‘29, who has thrown for 300+ yards in both of his starts this season and leads the SoCon in passing percentage, dialed it up to start the second quarter as he led an 11-play, 75-yard drive to tie the game at 10 apiece.
The Bears defense struggled in the first half, though, against ETSU's efficient offense, which put up two touchdown drives of more than 70 yards. Mercer fought back with their own long plays, including a 29-yard touchdown grab from Adjatay Dabbs ‘26 halfway through the second.
A Brayden Smith '27 fumble at Mercer's own 34-yard line gave the Bucs solid field position with less than a minute left in the half. However, the Bears' defense held strong and forced a field goal to lead the Bears, 27-17, going into halftime.
Both teams scored once in the third quarter as Atkinson connected with Dabbs again, this time for a 21-yard touchdown pass. ETSU’s McNamara and wide receiver Hakeem Meggett helped extend ETSU's lead, 34-24, going into the fourth quarter.
Mercer started off with a bang in the fourth on another double-digit yard touchdown connection by Atkinson on a 17-yard touchdown pass to Smith. After the Bears forced an ETSU three-and-out, Mercer’s offense struck again with a 36-yard scramble by running back CJ Miller ‘27. Miller capped off the 65-yard drive with a touchdown run up the middle from the one yard line, giving the Bears their first lead of the game with less than six minutes to go.
Both teams struggled offensively as the game clock winded down, and Mercer solidified a potential comeback with a crucial interception by safety Kaleb Hutchinson ‘27. Hutchinson secured the game with 50 seconds left with his first takeaway of the season. He was also the co-leader in tackles against ETSU with 11. Despite giving up nearly 400 yards through the air, the Bears' defense was able to disrupt McNamara throughout the game, sacking the quarterback seven times, including two from Andrew Zock '28.
The Bears will be back at home for their next game on Oct. 4 to take on Samford University (0-5, 0-3 SoCon). Mercer will look for revenge against the Bulldogs, whose victory last year put an end to the Bears’ historic undefeated season.
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.
