Mercer football (2-1, 0-1 Southern Conference) was upset by Furman University (2-1, 1-0 SoCon) 20-13 on Saturday in Five Star Stadium. The loss was the Bears' first in conference play in nearly two years and came in a rivalry match often crucial in determining end-of-year SoCon standings.
After a messy back and forth brawl which saw six interceptions between the teams and lackluster offensive consistency, the game was tied 13-13 with less than a minute left.
Furman running back Ben Croasdale then took a 47-yard carry to the house to put the nail in the coffin in a disappointing outing by the nationally-ranked Bears.
Quarterback Jaylen King '27 struggled mightily, finishing 18 for 35 with four interceptions and no touchdowns. Normally-stellar wideout Brayden Smith '27 also could not find success against a tough Paldins secondary, finishing with only three catches for 21 yards. Fifth-year Zahmari Palode-Gary continued his success as the Bears' starter as he provided much-needed offensive consistency and finished with 87 yards on 13 carries.
Bears head coach Joel Taylor will have to consider whether he wants to continue starting King, who has five touchdowns and four interceptions on the season on a 59% completion rate. Other available quarterbacks on the roster include JP Pickles '28, who has served as a backup for two years for the Bears and has flashed legitimate two-way potential in his limited looks, as well as Jake Wilson '29, a Purdue University transfer.
"We need to get back to the drawing board next week and fix everything," Taylor told The Telegraph after the game.
The first half started slow for both teams, ending 3-3. The Bears could not find any momentum on offense, producing three consecutive three-and-outs in the second quarter, one ending on a King interception. Any momentum the Bears could scrounge up was quickly lost on mistakes like a first-quarter King fumble.
The start of the second half included major defensive successes from the Bears, including two consecutive interceptions, one from Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Week Cameron Goggins '27. Both those defensive efforts were undercut by lackluster offensive drives. After nailing a 47-yard field goal to put Mercer up 6-3, Simon Zedian '29 continued his recent mid-distance struggles, missing a crucial 44-yarder in the third quarter on a promising drive that fizzled out late.
After an interception by King inside of Bears territory, Furman quarterback Jake Garcia uncorked a 46-yard touchdown pass to put the Paladins up 10-6. Mercer responded back quickly with their best offensive drive of the day, a nine play 74-yard drive that ended with a Pickles QB sneak.
A 43-yard Furman field goal tied the game, giving the Bears the opportunity to seal the game with a score with five minutes left to play at their own 25-yard line.
The drive started promising, as Mercer rode the success of Palode-Gary for an initial first down, but on third down and three Smith came up just short of the first down on a pass from King. Forced to punt the ball with less than two minutes left, the Bears defense needed one more stop to send the game into overtime.
Chunk plays by Garcia and the rest of the Furman offense quickly drove the Paladins down the field into Mercer territory, where a 47-yard rush from running back Ben Croasdale sealed the game for Furman. A last-second Hail Mary by King fell short and was intercepted.
The Bears next face off against Georgia Tech next Saturday, Sept. 19 in Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. A bus trip is being provided to students and can be found at this link
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.
