Quarterback JP Pickles '28 ran for three touchdowns and No. 18 Mercer football won with relative ease over Samford University 31-21 on Saturday in Birmingham, Ala.
Pickles, who looks to have taken over the starting job from struggling QB Jaylen King '27, threw for 108 yards on 16-of-22 passing and ran the ball 17 times for 86 yards for the Bears (6-2, 3-1 Southern Conference). Devon Caldwell '30 ran for 134 yards on 13 carries for Mercer in relief of usual bellcow fifth-year Zahmari Palode-Gary, who managed just 11 yards on seven carries.
The Bears jumped out to a 21-8 lead after the first quarter and never relented despite managing just three points in the second half. While Mercer's passing game was relatively nonthreatening, as Pickles threw for under five yards per attempt, the Bears relied on their steady ground game and penchant for explosive plays to grab their fourth-straight win.
Defensively, Cameron Goggins '27 continued his dominant defensive season when he intercepted Samford QB Charlie Gilliam in the third quarter as the Bulldogs attempted to mount a comeback. Goggins currently leads the conference in interceptions and is a large contributor, along with Jyarius Carter '29, who recorded a pick-six, to a Bears defense that is second in the conference in turnovers forced.
Mercer remains tied for second in the SoCon standings after their loss to Furman University (2-5, 1-2 SoCon) on Sept. 12 blemished their usually-strong conference standing. East Tennessee State University (5-2, 3-0 SoCon), who the Bears will face in their final game of the season on Nov. 21, remains the current No. 1 team in the conference.
The Bears take their winning streak into a bye week this week before they face off against The Citadel (2-5, 0-3 SoCon) on Saturday, Oct. 31 at home in Five Star Stadium. The Bears hope to continue racking off victories in hopes of defending their SoCon title before what could be a conference-deciding matchup against ETSU in November.
Editor's note: The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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.
