Mercer football held off East Texas A&M 23-15 on Saturday night in Five Star Stadium in a back and forth contest which saw a 23-0 Bears lead in the first half nearly fall apart. The Lions drove all the way into the red zone in the waning minutes of the quarter before an overthrown pass on fourth down ended the comeback attempt.
The Bears put up 23 unanswered points and looked to be cruising when the first half came to a close, but an offense that couldn't generate yards and a defense that kept giving up chunk plays left Mercer scrambling in the fourth quarter. The Bears gained four first downs and less than 100 yards while giving up 12 first downs and 313 total yards during the second half.
Starting QB Jaylen King '27 was electric when targeting Brayden Smith '29, who finished the game with nine catches and 131 yards, but could not connect with the Bears' other receivers, who collectively finished with six receptions as well as King's only touchdown. A Mercer running game that has historically been strong, especially utilizing returning fifth-year running back Micah Bell, struggled mightily. Bell gained 19 yards on seven attempts, and besides fifth year Zahmari Palode-Gary's 62 yard rush in the second quarter, the Bears could not find much success.
Mercer came out fast, putting up 10 unanswered points on East Texas in the first quarter. Led by a 55-yard Simon Zeidan '29 field goal that began the scoring and a 62-yard rush from Palode-Gary, the Bears were able to cruise off of big plays despite an offense that looked uneven at times under starting QB King.
After four straight punts, the Bears got back good field position off of an interception by Justin Ferguson '29. What followed was the first of many frustrating drives for the Bears that ended in or near the red zone, as Mercer had four downs to punch in a touchdown at the Lions' five-yard line but failed and ultimately settled for a field goal. A string of King passes and solid rushes by Javious Bond '27 set up Mercer with first-and-10 at the Lions' 21 yard line, but the Bears faltered again and settled for another field goal.
An errant pass from East Texas signal-caller Eric Rodriguez with 15 seconds left in the half gave Mercer what looked to be the nail in the coffin, as Cameron Goggins '29 returned his pass for a pick-six, giving the Bears the lead 23-0 heading into the break.
A promising drive from the Lions to begin the second half ended on another interception by Rodriguez inside Mercer territory. The Bears were unable to capitalize on their next two drives, both ending in punts. East Texas finally struck on a 48-yard bomb from Rodriguez to Micah Simpson halfway through the third which made the score 23-7.
The Bears then began a steady drive which fizzled out in the Lions' red zone yet again off of a King incompletion and a sack. This time, kicker Zeidan missed the 29-yard attempt wide left, which turned out to be crucial in facilitating the Lions' would-be comeback.
Deep completions of 27 and 23 yards propelled the Lions into Mercer territory, and East Texas eventually punched in their second score on a Quay Middlebrook rush, making it just a one score game after a succesful two-point conversion. The Lions found their rushing gear in the fourth quarter, carving up the Bears defensive line for 81 yards on just 13 attempts. East Texas was also able to convert on crucial third downs during the fourth, going three for five in the quarter after completing just 16.6 percent of their attempts in the first three quarters.
Two consecutive incompletions on the Bears' next drive left them stranded on the Lions' 40 yard line, forcing a punt. Mercer and East Texas went back-and-forth on three-and-out drives before the Lions took over with just over two minutes left, needing a touchdown and a two-point conversion to force overtime. Key scrambling by Rodriguez put East Texas on the Bears six yard line, but a crucial sack by Jyarius Carter '29 and Kehinde Akintunde '27 eventually made it fourth and goal on the Mercer nine.
Rodriguez overthrew a wide-open Jake Whitehead with just over 30 seconds remaining to seal the game for the Bears.
Mercer's next game will take place Saturday, Sept. 5 in Five Star Stadium against Presbyterian College. The Bears will look to be more consistent in the red zone and improve their defensive scheming against a potent Blue Hose offense which put up 47 points and nearly 600 yards in their season opener against the University of Virginia's College at Wise last Thursday.
Jacob Hossler '28 is an English and Law and Public Policy double major at Mercer University who has worked at the Cluster since his freshman year. While not serving as the Cluster's current Editor-in-Chief, he enjoys running, mapmaking, and using the Oxford comma.
