Mercer football (2-1, 2-0 Southern Conference) shutout The Citadel (1-3, 1-1 SoCon) 38-0 on the road on Saturday, Sept. 20.
The Bears came out hot after shutting down the Bulldogs’ opening drive, as quarterback Braden Atkinson ‘29 was able to find multiple deep connections with wide receivers Adjatay Dabbs ‘28 and Kendall Harris ‘27. Mercer drove 71 yards in just three plays, capping it off with a 18-yard pass to Dabbs to make the score 7-0. After another stifled Citadel drive, Mercer’s second offensive possession set up kicker Reice Griffith ‘27 on a career-long 51-yard field goal to make the score 10-0.
The Bears’ dominance continued in the second quarter as the offense was able to stick together another long drive, this time marching 82 yards in 11 plays, and finished it off with another touchdown connection from Atkinson to Dabbs.
The rest of the game followed mostly the same: the Bulldogs were unable to find much success on early downs, and were unable to then convert on crucial later downs, finishing the game 3-of-13 on third downs and 0-for-5 on fourth down attempts.
Mercer’s offense looked electric on the shoulders of the true freshman Atkinson, who threw for 300+ yards for a second straight game, and finished the game 29-for-35 with four touchdowns. Atkinson’s replacement of DJ Smith ‘25 as the signal caller looks to be, for now, a lasting one.
“We have a real young team,” said Head Coach Mike Jacobs, who emphasized the team’s mix of youth and experience consistently throughout the post-game press conference. “I never want to sound cliche, but it’s always the way we prepare.”
To start the second half, the Bears' offense had a slower start, but the defense, who held the Bulldogs to under 200 yards, remained stout. The scoring drought ended with less than five minutes left, as a 44-yard drive was capped off with a 12-yard Atkinson pass to Adonis McDaniel '27.
Capping off the victory was history: running back CJ Miller broke away for a 79-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, the longest running score in Mercer football history. Miller finished the day with 100 yards rushing, a career high total.
The last points of the game came after linebacker Julian Fox ‘27 intercepted an errant Citadel pass that happened at midfield. This set up Harris to score on an eight-play, 51-yard scoring drive. Fox earned SoCon Defensive Player of the Week recognition for the nine tackles and one takeaway that he recorded in the game.
The Bears will be on the road again, in another crucial conference game against East Tennessee State University (2-2, 0-0 SoCon) this Saturday, Sept. 27, in Johnson City, Tenn.
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.
