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(04/25/12 7:22pm)
Mercer’s men’s golf finished sixth at the Atlantic Sun Championship at The Legends at Chateau Elan in Braselton, Ga. The Bears finished the season ranked 87th in the nation according to golfstat.com, with a 65.694 percent comparative wins percentage.
Sophomore James Beale continued his fantastic play, finishing tied for seventh place overall. His first round of 71 strokes marked his 10th consecutive round where he did not shoot above par, dating back to Feb. 26, when Beale shot a 74.
Freshman Trey Rule shot a 76 to have the second best finish for Mercer on the first day of play. Junior Thomas Holmes, Senior Josh Cone and redshirt sophomore Hans Reimers rounded out the rest of the orange and black’s roster with rounds of 77, 79 and 81 respectively. Rule finished the first day 23rd, while Holmes, Cone and Reimers finished tied for 26th, tied for 37th and tied for 44th. The Bears combined for a shot total of 303 strokes on day one.
The second day of the tournament saw the boys from Macon rise one spot in the standings, finishing in fifth place on the day. The Bears improved their first day shot total by six strokes, finishing with a total of 297. Beale again led Mercer, shooting a two-over-74. Rule and Holmes both stepped up their game, finishing the second round of play with shot totals of 74 as well. Cone shot a 75, four strokes better than his opening round. Reimers also shot a 75.
The final day saw Mercer slip back down to sixth place. Due to wet conditions, play was delayed. When it finally resumed, however, Mercer’s performance was quite reflective of the atmospheric conditions. The Bears shot their tournament-worse round by combining for 314 strokes. Beale again was on the top end of the Bears’ scorecard, totaling 76 strokes in the third round. This brought his tournament total to 221, and into a tie for seventh place, his fourth consecutive top-10 finish. Beale broke into his first top-10 finish back in early March at the Seminole Invitational. He followed that up with a top-five finish at the Linger Longer Invitational before coming in first place at the Irish Creek Invitational three weeks ago.
Rule shot an 80 in the final round, finishing with a three-round total of 230 strokes. Holmes, Cone and Reimers were right behind, finishing the tournament with totals of 233, 234 and 234 respectively.
Collectively, Mercer shot a 914 throughout the championship, finishing ahead of seventh place USC Upstate Trojans by four strokes. The Bears also outpaced Jacksonville, Lipscomb and Belmont.
Unfortunately for Mercer and Head Coach Steve Bradley, the Bears will not participate in postseason play. Their 87th place finish is 17 places out of the top 70 finish required for postseason competition. The other requirement is a winning percentage greater than 50 percent.
With only one graduating senior, Mercer has a lot of young talent and appears to be another program on the rise.
(04/25/12 7:15pm)
At the end of the 2011 regular season, the Phillies won the National League Eastern Division, the Braves collapsed just as bad as the Red Sox, the Nationals were one game below .500, the Mets were 25 games back from the first place Phillies and the Marlins were in dead last.
Throughout the first 14 games of the 2012 season, the NL East could not have gone through any more twists and turns.
First, the Florida Marlins no longer exist and the Miami Marlins are attempting to reinvent themselves through a new stadium and players. They acquired former Mets All-Star José Reyes and White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. Some things, however, do not change. Through 14 games the Marlins have gone 7-7, and currently sit in a tie for fourth place in the East. Their skipper has already been suspended for five games of the season due to his comments in favor of Cuban Dictator Fidel Castro.
Some things do change. Who are the Marlins tied with for fourth place? The Phillies. This is the same ball club who went 102-60 during the 2011 regular season. It could be argued that the Phillies even got better during the off-season, acquiring pitcher Jonathan Papelbon from the Red Sox. He already has five saves in 2012. Most of the Phillies troubles come from their aging lineup, as Ryan Howard and Chase Utley are both injured. So if the Phillies are in a tie for fourth place, who is leading the NL East?
Answer: the Nationals. Yes, you read that correctly. They are off to their best start (11-4) since they started 12-3 in 1981, when they were the Montréal Expos. This is due in large part to excellent pitching, including a healthy Stephen Strasburg. Strasburg has a 1.42 ERA and a 2-0 record through three starts. National pitchers have a combined 2.38 ERA, with only two of their four losses being attributed to their starting pitchers.
After losing Reyes to the Marlins, everyone wrote off the Mets for 2012. And the Mets took notice, opening the season 4-0 after sweeping the Atlanta Braves and taking the first game of the series against Washington. The Mets are combining both offense and defense, riding the shirttails of David Wright. Wright has an astounding .486 batting average, .556 on-base percentage and a whopping .676 slugging percentage. They have cooled off however, and are in third place with a 7-6 record.
Last but not least, who could be more up and down than the Atlanta Braves? After scoring a combined 10 runs in their 0-4 start, their bats have come alive and their pitching has all but silenced the opposition. They are 9-1 in their last 10 games, averaging 7.4 runs per game while giving up 3.8. Jason Heyward has been returning to his 2010 form as young pitchers Mike Minor, Brandon Beachy, and Randall Delgado have a combined 6-2 record. Beachy has an MLB-leading 0.47 ERA through three starts. Freedie Freeman has come alive as well, adding 10 hits, seven runs scored and 12 RBI in his last four games.
Well folks, looks like baseball season is back and in full swing.
(04/11/12 8:00pm)
The Mercer men’s basketball team defeated the Utah State Aggies on the road to claim the CollegeInsider.com Tournament Championship, winning 70-67. The win is the first post-season championship for both Mercer University and the Atlantic Sun Conference.
Despite the Aggies’ obvious home court advantage (having won 100 of their last 106) and the six-point deficit with only 4:35 left to play in regulation, Mercer was still able to escape with the victory.
With only 3:45 left on the clock, the Bears would go on a 19-12 run to steal the win from the Aggies. Late-game heroics by sophomore Bud Thomas and junior Travis Smith, who each added three-point jump shots in the last few minutes of the game, were coupled with a 9 of 10 finish from the free throw line during the last 2:50 of the game.
Sophomore Langston Hall finished with 16 points, six rebounds and four assists. Hall was awarded the tournament Most Valuable Player trophy for his performance throughout Mercer’s campaign.
Travis Smith added a career-high 17 points off of the bench, going 6 for 12 from the field and 3 of 4 from long range. He was also 2 for 3 from the free throw line.
Sophomore Thomas achieved the double digits mark for the second straight game again, adding 10 points, two rebounds and two assists to Mercer’s stat line. “It was an exciting game played in a great basketball atmosphere,” said Thomas. “We played hard and made plays down the stretch when we needed to. Hopefully, it will give us some momentum going into next season and we can pick up right where we left off.”
Mercer and Utah State were virtually identical on the stats sheet, so Mercer had to make the plays late to come away with the win. Utah State shot 41.5 percent from the field while Mercer shot 40.4 percent. Utah State shot 30.4 percent from three-point range; the orange and black shot 28.6 percent. The Aggies pulled down 36 rebounds, while the Bears garnered 33. Utah State dished out 15 assists while Mercer tallied 13. The only lopsided stat was points off of the bench with Mercer dominating 20-6, due to Travis Smith’s 17 points.
“We were close as a team and we have stayed in a tight circle all year,” Mercer head coach Bob Hoffman told mercerbears.com. “Being on the road together in our last three wins has united us even further, and solidified what these young guys believed they could do anywhere, in any place and against any odds. That is what we were able to accomplish, and it has been an unbelievable experience for our fans and our community. It is just a blessing to be a part of something this special, and we thank everyone who was a part of it.”
Mercer finished its record-breaking season with a 27-11 overall record, going 15-3 at home and 12-8 on the road. Mercer set program-records in total wins (27), points scored (2,589) and blocks (180) led by sophomore Daniel Coursey, who set the regular season record for blocks.
With all of this success to build one, combined with a young team (Justin Cecil is the only senior), Mercer has a bright future ahead when it comes to basketball.
(04/11/12 7:55pm)
The Atlanta Braves had the best bullpen in baseball last year, leading all of Major League Baseball (MLB) with an earned run average of 3.03, opponents’ batting average (.216) and strikeouts (536).
This was mostly due to the dynamic trio of Eric O’Flaherty, Jonny Venters and the 2011 Rookie of the Year Craig Kimbrell.
Outside of those three pitchers, however, it seemed that Fredi Gonzalez did not trust his bullpen. O’Flaherty pitched in 78 games, Venters played in 85 and Kimbrell made 79 appearances. Compare this to other members of the Braves’ bullpen: Anthony Varvaro (38), Arodys Vizcaino (17), Scott Linebrink (64), Scott Proctor (31), George Sherrill (51).
The real story comes from the ERA of these players, however: O’Flaherty (0.98), Venters (1.84), Kimbrell (2.10), Varvaro (2.68), Vizcaino (4.67), Linebrink (3.64), Proctor (6.44) and Sherrill (3.00).
To be fair, the elevated number of appearances for the bullpen was due in part to Peter Moylan and Kris Medlen being out all season due to injuries, partly to the post All-Star break collapse of Jair Jurrjens, and partly due to another terrible year from Derek Lowe.
Luckily for Braves fans, Lowe, Linebrink, Proctor and Sherrill are no longer with the ball club. However, Medlen and Moylan are both back. Medlen posted a 3.68 ERA in 31 games in 2010. So far in 2012, which consists of two innings against the New York Mets in the season-opener, Medlen has yet to allow a run with an opponents’ batting average of .160. Moylan posted a 3.24 ERA in 13 games in 2011, though his career ERA is an impressive 2.60 in 255.2 innings.
With Lowe no longer with the club, the Braves starting rotation is comprised of Tommy Hanson, Jurrjens, Tim Hudson, Brandon Beachy and Mike Minor, with Randall Delgado coming out of the bullpen as well. Delgado and minor-league ace Julio Teheran will most likely make starts once the roster expands to 40 in September.
Outside of stellar pitching, a lot of other areas seem to point to a better 2012 for the Braves. For one, Atlanta finally has a solid leadoff hitter in Michael Bourn. In a deal where the Houston Astros basically gave Bourn away, the Braves traded Jordan Schafer, who had 47 hits, 15 stolen bases, and a .623 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) in 52 games for the Braves, for Bourn, who managed 62 hits, 22 stolen bases, and a .673 OPS in 53 games for the boys in red, white, and blue. It turned out to be a great deal for the Braves on multiple accounts, as they were able to keep their top pitching prospects and avoid Schafer’s off-field drug issues.
Other things that are looking up for Atlanta: Dan Uggla’s post All-Star break batting average (.296 vs. .185 pre-All Star break average). Uggla’s 33 game hitting streak last season somewhat salvaged his pedestrian .233 batting average. If Uggla continues to hit, Freddie Freeman’s power flourishes (Freeman tied for the most home-runs in spring training in all of MLB), Brian McCann stays healthy and Jason Heyward sheds his sophomore slump in favor of his rookie campaign. The Braves could have one of the most potent offenses in the National League.
All in all, with the 2011 collapse as fuel to the fire, the Atlanta Braves will look to rebound in 2012 and make it back to the postseason.
(04/11/12 7:04pm)
The Mercer men’s golf team rebounded from a disappointing showing at the Linger Longer Invitational, an event that they co-hosted with Kennesaw State University at Great Waters Golf Course in Eatonton, with a stellar performance at the Irish Creek Invitational at Irish Creek Golf Course in Kannapolis, N.C.
The Bears finished in third place overall, with a final shot total of 839 strokes. The boys from Macon were only four shots back from No.17 Duke and were six strokes ahead of the fourth place team, UNC Charlotte 49ers.
Mercer was paced by sophomore James Beale, who had just come off of a great individual finish at the Linger Longer Invitational, finishing five under par, ending the tournament in a tie for fourth place. His performance at the Linger Longer garnered him the Atlantic Sun Golfer of the Week award. Beale’s success would not end in Eatonton, however, and as he would fire rounds of 68, 68 and 64, ending the tournament as the overall winner, ending 13 under par for the tournament.
“(James) has really come into his own in the last month,” said Head Coach Steve Bradley. “From his first top 10 finish at Florida State, to his first top five finish at Linger Longer, to winning his first tournament at Irish Creek. He’s always had the talent, but now he’s starting to believe in himself and his confidence is through the roof.”
The victory gave Beale a second-straight Atlantic Sun Golfer of the Week award, becoming the first Bear to earn the honor in back-to-back weeks and only the second Atlantic Sun player to do so this season.
The rest of the orange and black squad would likewise perform well, with senior Josh Cone finishing in a tie for 17th place. Cone shot rounds of 69, 72, 72, which gave him an even par through the three rounds. “Overall as a team we played pretty good,” said Cone. “We played with two really good golf teams in Kent State and Duke and we felt like we held our own. We’ve gained a lot of momentum and feel really good about our chances heading into conference.”
Freshman Trey Rule had the third best team finish, with rounds of 75, 67 and 72. Rule finished one over par. His score put him in a four-way tie for 12th place. Sophomore Hans Reimers shot rounds of 73, 74 and 70, to finish plus-four and in a six-way tie for 29th place. Reimers had the fourth best finish for Mercer.
Junior Thomas Holmes ended with his best round of the tournament (72), having shot rounds of 76 and 73 on the first day of competition. Holmes finished in a four-way tie for 43rd place and rounded out the Bears’ scorecard.
Mercer is preparing for the Atlantic Sun Championship, which takes place from April 16-18 at The Legends at Chateau Elan in Braselton. “I’m proud of all the hard work the team has put in this season,” said Bradley. “We got better and that was our main goal. The success that we have had is going to be a good springboard into the future. We’re only going to get better and that’s really exciting from a coaching perspective.”
(03/28/12 8:40pm)
After the disappointing finish to the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, a game in which the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) got up 2-0 over Mexico, but would go on to lose 2-4, the United States Soccer Federation relieved coach Bob Bradley of his duties. In his place, they hired Jürgen Klinsmann to take over the reins. In his time as coach, Bradley led the USMNT to the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup championship.
Klinsmann played on the 1990 FIFA World Cup Championship team from West Germany. As a coach, however, he has had similar success. Coaching for Germany’s national team in the 2006 FIFA World Cup (hosted by Germany), Klinsmann led the fatherland to a third place finish, falling 0-2 to the eventual champions Italy. Germany would defeat Portugal 3-1 to take third place. In fact, in his two years as coach for Germany’s national team, Klinsmann went 8-2-2 in international competition (75 percent) and 12-6-4 (68.18 percent) in international friendlies, for a total winning percentage of 70.59 percent.
Soccer is a different beast entirely in the United States, however, and it was going to be interesting to see how the USMNT would function under foreign leadership.
Success did not come early for Klinsmann, who made many changes to the national team, including removing the names from the back of the jerseys and making the starters wear the numbers 1-11 instead of whatever number that they wanted to wear. After drawing in a rematch with Mexico, 1-1, the USMNT would then lose four out of its next five games. These losses included a 0-1 defeat against Costa Rice on U.S. soil, a 0-1 loss at the hands of Belgium, a 0-1 loss to Ecuador at home and a 0-1 nail-biter to a France team that imploded at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. According to the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings, Costa Rica is ranked No. 59, Belgium, No. 40, Ecuador, No. 39 and France, No. 16, while the United States is ranked No. 27 internationally.
Klinsmann’s team would rebound, however, behind the leadership and the foot of Clint Dempsey. The United States would end 2011with a 3-2 victory over Slovenia, a team that was in Group C with the Americans, along with England and Algeria, in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The USMNT drew Slovenia 2-2 during that World Cup game, amidst several controversial calls.
The first three matches of 2012 have all been great showing by the boys in red, white and blue, as the USMNT is 3-0 against No. 46 Venezuela, No. 50 Panama and No. 9 Italy. All three matches were shut-outs, with the Americans coming out on top 1-0. Dempsey scored in the 55th minute of the game on Feb. 29, in Genoa, Italy. It was the first time ever that America has beaten Italy, breaking a 10-game losing streak that dates back to 1934. Dempsey became the fourth American to score against Italy, joining fellow Landon Donovan, and with that goal became fourth on the U.S. scoring list (25) for international goals.
(03/28/12 8:38pm)
The Mercer men’s tennis team recently opened conference play in the Atlantic Sun with a trip to Florida to play Florida Gulf Coast University and Stetson University, before returning to Macon to face Belmont and Lipscomb.
Mercer 3, FGCU 4
The Bears took the double point from the Eagles with a 2-1 margin. The No. 1 doubles team of Dave Barton/Victor Dias won 8-3, while the No. 3 team of Vincent DeLise/Joao Pagan won 8-5. Pierre Tafelski/Peter Tauchner would fall at No. 2 doubles 6-8. The Eagles would equalize, as No. 3 singles Pagan would fall 1-6. No. 4 Barton would put the Bears back on top with a 6-3, 6-1 victory. The team from Macon would then trail 2-3, as both No. 5 and No. 6 singles would lose close matches, with Delise falling 4-6, 3-6, and Dias 5-7, 5-7, respectively. No. 2 Tauchner would seal it, losing a tight three-set match 6-4, 4-6, 1-6. No. 1 Tafelski would not be denied, however, winning a marathon match 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 12-10 in the super tie-breaker.
Mercer 2, Stetson 5
Mercer would not be able to secure the doubles point against the hatters, as all three teams would lose. Tauchner/Tafelski would fall 2-8 at No. 2, Barton/Dias would lose a close one 6-8, and DeLise/Pagan dropped an even closer one 7-8. Singles wouldn’t fare much better against Stetson, as Dias would lose at No. 5 (1-6, 3-6). DeLise continued his impressive freshman season with a 6-2, 6-0 victory at No. 6. No.1 Tafelski lost 5-7, 1-6, followed by No. 2 Tauchner losing 3-6, 5-7. Barton then couldn’t prevail at No.4 (4-6, 5-7), while Pagan won at No. 3 (6-3, 5-7, 1-0).
Belmont 4, Mercer 3
Hosting its first conference match, the Bears could not capture the doubles point and it cost them. No. 3 DeLise/Pagan dominated 8-0. Mercer however, could not steal another victory, with No. 1 Barton/Dias falling 6-8 and No. 2 Tauchner/Tafelski losing 8-9. No. 3 Pagan lost 3-6, 2-6, putting the home team down 0-2. No. 4 Barton would add to this deficit, falling 1-6, 2-6. Mercer was down, but not out. The orange and black would respond with three victories of its own, with No. 6 Dias, No. 1 Tafelsi, and No. 5 DeLise all winning their matches. Unfortunately, No. 2 Tauchner would lose in another three-set epic, 6-3, 4-6, 5-7, which resulted in the Bears’ defeat.
Lipscomb 4, Mercer 3
Mercer had another heart-breaking 3-4 loss on Saturday, falling to the Lipscomb Bison. The Bears lost all three doubles matches, with No. 1 Barton/Dias falling 6-8, No. 2 Tafelski/Tauchner 5-8, and No.3 DeLise/Pagan 4-8. The Bears would equalize after No. Barton would win 5-0 after his opponent retired with an injury. The orange and black would not be tied for long, as DeLise lost 2-6, 2-6 at No.5. Mercer would equalize again with No. 1 Tafelski’s 6-3, 6-2 win. However, Tauchner and Dias could not secure their matches, both in three sets, to give the Bison the win.
Mercer is 3-8, 0-4 in conference. They head into a four-game stint on Saturday, at KSU.
(03/28/12 8:37pm)
The Mercer men’s golf team is coming off of their best performance of the season, finishing fourth at the Seminole Intercollegiate at Southwood Golf Course in Tallahassee, Fla. On Mar. 24-25, they co-hosted the Linger Longer Invitational at Great Waters Golf Course in Eatonton, with Kennesaw State University. The field consisted of Alabama, Georgia, Mercer, KSU, Chattanooga, Oklahoma, Charlotte, Notre Dame, Jacksonville, Liberty, South Alabama and Charleston Southern for a total of 12 teams, six of which are ranked in the top 50 collegiately.
Mercer’s lineup consisted of sophomore James Beale, redshirt sophomore Hans Reimers, senior Josh Cone, freshman Trey Rule and junior Thomas Holmes. Redshirt junior John Gregory Joseph, redshirt freshman Mike Hirthler and junior Alex Street all qualified to participate as individuals.
Through the first day of play, the Bears were in 11th place overall out of 12 teams. Their shot total for the first two rounds was 599, two strokes ahead of Jacksonville and one stroke behind Charleston Southern.
The team from Macon was spear-headed by Beale, who finished in a three-way tie for first place individually, shooting a 71 in the first round, followed by his season-best 68 in the second round, for a stroke total of 139. Beale notched eight birdies and had just three bogies par in his final 18 holes.
The next best performance for Mercer came from redshirt sophomore Hans Reimers, who finished the day tied for 45th place. He shot a 76 in the first round on Saturday, then improved on his total by one shot in the second round, ending the day with a 151 shot total.
Lone senior Josh Cone also aided his team’s efforts with another solid performance. Cone shot a 75 in the first round, followed by a 77 in the second round, ending the day tied for 50th place with a 152 total.
The rest of Mercer’s team did not fare so well in finding the fairway.
Freshman Trey Rule ended the day after shooting two-rounds of 79, for a 158 shot total. This put Rule in a tie for 64th place. Holmes ended the day in a tie for 68th place after firing a 78 in the first round, followed by an 82 in the second, giving him a 160 shot total for the day.
Individual participants John Gregory Joseph and Mike Hirthler were faring better than some of their teammates through the first day of play in Eatonton. Joseph ended Saturday in a tie for 53rd place, shooting a 78 in the first round and a 75 in the second. He shot a 74 on the final round on Sunday. Hirthler also ended the first day in a tie for 53rd place, with his two rounds having of 76 and 77 respectively.
Mercer’s final tournament before the Atlantic Sun Championships is from March 31-April 1, at the Irish Creek Invitational at Irish Creek Golf Course in Kannapolis, N.C., which is hosted by UNC Charlotte.
(03/14/12 8:50pm)
The Mercer men’s basketball team, which finished the regular season 21-10, the first 20-win season in nine years, and was given the number two seed in the 2012 edition of the General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament. The Bears’ first game was on Wednesday, Feb. 29 against the number seven Lipscomb Bison. Ironically enough, Mercer played on Feb. 29 the last time there was a leap day as well, losing to the Owls of Kennesaw State 61-65 on Feb. 29, 2008.
Lipscomb 53, Mercer 61
Forward Jakob Gollon made his first five shots en route to a 19-point, eight rebound performance against the number seven Lipscomb Bison in the first round of the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament. Gollon, a redshirt-sophomore from Stevens Point, Wis., put on an Aaron Rodgers “belt” worthy game (and tournament), for the Mercer faithful. This included his parents, who have not gotten to seen Gollon play collegiately before the Lipscomb game.
Knotted up at 29-29 at halftime, Mercer would go 8-for-8 from the free throw line in the last 39 seconds of the game to put away the Bison. The Bears only shot 38 percent from the field, a stat line bolstered by Gollon’s 8-for-12 night. Likewise, Hoffman’s crew shot a mere 32.1 percent from long distance, a percentage again aided by Gollon’s 3-for-5 performance. However, the orange and black got it done when it came down to crunch time, shooting 84.6 percent from the free throw line on the night (14 of 17 total).
Sophomore Langston Hall contributed 11 points, seven assists and five rebounds while sophomore Bud Thomas, whose family was also in town, added 10 points and nine rebounds in the Bears’ victory. Junior transfer Travis Smith added 11 points and eight rebounds off of the bench. Gollon’s 19 points tied his career high. “I wish (Gollon) could play for me another 50 years,” Hoffman said, as ported by the Atlantic Sun insider blog. “He’s a special dude.”
FGCU 62, Mercer 58
Sophomores Langston Hall and Jakob Gollon combined for 33 points, 13 rebounds, four steals and four assists, yet Mercer could still not overcome an energetic Florida Gulf Coast team who had already eliminated the number three USC Upstate Trojans the night before.
Again tied at halftime at 30-30 against the Eagles, Mercer was again struggling from the floor, shooting 40.7 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from long range (compared to FGCU’s 48 and 44.4, respectively), though Mercer was again near-perfect from the free throw line, shooting 5-of-6 (83.3 percent).
Things went from bad to worse in the second half, as the Bears shooting percentages went to 41.7 and 33.3 percent from three-point range. The one thing that kept the Bears afloat throughout the tournament so far, free throw shooting, abandoned the orange and black as they went 5 for 12 in the second half, including missing five in the last 4:39 of the game. During that same time span, Mercer committed three turnovers and missed three shots.
After the game, the Bears were still hopeful they could receive another opportunity to play in a tournament before the season’s end.
(03/14/12 8:47pm)
In the final two games before the end of the season, the Mercer bears split their games against conference foes Lipscomb and Belmont.
The first match-up for the Bears was against the Lipscomb University Bison. Sophomore Bud Thomas led the Bears to victory with an impressive 15-point performance. Mercer improved its record to 21-9 (13-4 A-Sun) and snapped a two-game losing streak while Lipscomb dropped its fourth-straight contest and fell to 12-17 (7-10 A-Sun).
“They hit some shots tonight but our guys found a way,” Mercer head coach Bob Hoffman said. “[Lipscomb head coach Scott Sanderson] is a great coach and always has his guys playing really hard,” added Hoffman.
Thomas’ 15 points came on 7-for-10 shooting and combined with five rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. Mercer sophomore Daniel Coursey scored 12 points while also tallying five rebounds and five blocks.
Coursey’s five blocks marked the seventh time this season he has collected four or more blocks in a single game. His season block total after this game was 68, four short of tying Scott Farley’s program record set during the 1995-96 season. The Savannah, Ga. native now owns sole possession of second place on this list.
Travis Smith finished the game with eight points and a season-high six rebounds and four assists. Senior Justin Cecil also booked eight points, all scored in the first half of play.
The Bears collected a season-high 10 blocks in the win and pushed the team’s rejection total to 144. That figure ranks third among program single-season team leaders. Mercer also had an impressive season-low six turnovers in comparison to 13 assists.
The next match-up was against the Belmont Bruins. Belmont was already crowned regular season champions because the Bears put themselves mathematically out of the equation in the previous weekend.
In front of one of the largest turnouts in UC history, a crowd of over 3,000 people came to watch the men’s basketball team take top-seeded Belmont to the very last second, but redshirt sophomore Jakob Gollon’s last second jumper could not drop as the Bruins escaped with a 62-61 victory. On a day in which he was honored as the lone senior on senior night before his final regular season-game at the UC, Justin Cecil led all scorers with 17 points.
Cecil’s 17 points came on the strength of 5of 9 shooting from three-point range in 25 minutes of play. He also booked six rebounds and two steals in the losing effort.
Langston Hall scored in double figures for the seventh time in his last eight games, collecting 13 points, three assists, two rebounds and a steal. Daniel Coursey posted eight points and tied career-high with six blocks, moving his season rejection total to 74. That figure broke the program’s previous single-season block record of 72 held by Scott Farley.
Mercer’s loss was the team’s first defeat at the hands of an A-Sun opponent in the UC this season.
(03/14/12 8:02pm)
The Bears have been playing some good tennis lately, and their record shows it. Heading into their weekend matchup against powerhouse Wake Forest, the orange and black were 3-4 throughout the 2012 season. However, they are 2-1 in their last three matches.
Jacksonville St. 2, Mercer 5
The Bears got on the board early, taking all three doubles matches to earn the elusive doubles point. The teams of Victor Dias/Peter Tauchner, Pierre Tafelski/Dave Barton and Vincent DeLise/Joao Pagan all had hard fought matches, yet came out victorious in the end, 8-7 (7-5), 9-7, and 8-6, respectively, at one, two and three doubles. Tafelski would easily win at number one singles 6-0, 6-1, to give the Bears a 2-0 lead. Mercer would then win numbers four through six singles to secure the match, with Pagan, DeLise and Dias all winning their contests.
Florida A&M 5, Mercer 2
Mercer would not be able to capitalize on their success and would fall to the FAMU Rattlers the following Sunday 2-5. The doubles point would go to the Rattlers 1-2, with the only victory coming at the hands of Delise/Pagan at number three doubles. DeLise and Dias would again win at number five and six singles, 6-3, 7-5 and 6-3, 6-2, respectively. Tafelski would lose a close three-set match at number one single 7-5, 2-6, 2-6. The rest of the Bears’ singles would lose in straight sets.
Fort Valley St. 0, Mercer 7
The Bears would rebound against Fort Valley State, taking all nine matches, for a final score of 7-0. The number one doubles team of Tafelski/Tauchner easily won 8-2, while number two doubles (Barton/Disa) blanked their opponets 8-0. Mercer would also win at number three doubles, as Pagan/DeLise won their match 8-3. At singles, the Bears would only give up a total of six games combined to the Wildcats. Tafelski would “double bagel” his opponent at number one singles (6-0, 6-0), as did Barton and DeLise at number four and five singles, respectively. Mercer would take the final three matches in straight sets as well, with Tauchner winning 6-2, 6-1 at number two, Pagan winning 6-1, 6-2 at number three and Dias winning 6-0, 6-1.
Mercer 1, Wake Forest 6
On a road trip to play the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest, the Bears would put up a fight. The doubles point would easily go to WF, with number two and three doubles (Pagan/DeLise and Tauchner/Elbert Beekman) losing 2-8, 3-8, respectively. But the number one doubles team was out to send a message. Barton/Dias would lose a heartbreaking tiebreaker, 7-8 (7-9). At singles, the lineup was missing their usual number one player in Pierre Tafelski, but that didn’t bother Tauchner, who won at number one 6-2, 3-6, 10-7. He would be the lone Bear to win, as Pagan would fall 2-6 at number two, as would Barton at number three. Freshman sensation Vincent DeLise would lose a hard fought match 4-6, 6-2, 2-10 at number four, while Dias lost a close one 4-6, 5-7, at number six singles. Beekman lost 3-6, 0-6 at number six.
The Bears start conference on the road at FGCU on March 15. Mercer will host Belmont University on Mar. 23 for their first home conference match.
(03/14/12 8:01pm)
Of all the crazy sports stories to happen in the last year, nothing is more outrageous than the following sentence: the Indianapolis Colts have released Peyton Manning. In the words of American tennis star Andy Roddick, “The Colts cutting Peyton feels like the North Pole kicking out Santa.”
Manning, drafted in 1998 out of the University of Tennessee, had completed 4,682 of 7,210 pass attempts (64.9 percent) for 54,828 total yards and 399 touchdowns. In 2009 the Colts were AFC Champions; in 2006, Super Bowl Champions. In fact, Manning led the Colts to nine consecutive 10-win seasons, including seven straight 12-win seasons. A four-time NFL Most Valuable Player (2003, 2004, 2008, and 2009), Manning led the Colts to the playoffs in 11 of his 13 seasons with the Colts, including another Super Bowl appearance in 2009. Each of the seasons that the Colts made the playoffs, Manning was also elected to the AFC Pro-Bowl squad. Yet the Colts decided to use their number one draft pick to pursue Andrew Luck out Stanford, two-time Heisman trophy runner-up, and thus part ways with Peyton Manning.
So what’s next for Peyton? He has made known that he would like to remain in the AFC, which makes sense because he has thrown against the AFC defenses for 13 years. Below is my humble opinion on where he should go:
Top Three Landing Spots:
1. New York Jets
The Jets are known for their stout defense, something that a below-mediocre quarterback like Mark Sanchez was able to ride to back-to-back AFC Championship games in 2008 and 2009 (which the Jets lost to Manning and the Colts, followed by the Steelers, respectively). If Sanchez can engineer an 11-5 season with the Jets, imagine what Peyton would be able to conjure up.
2. Denver Broncos
Yes, Tebow-time is amazing. However, as exploited by the Patriots, it can’t win big-time games. The Broncos made the playoffs in 2011 even though their quarterback would average more rushes than passes per game. Tebow fumbled 13 times in 2011, while throwing six interceptions. He only threw 12 passing touchdowns and rushed for a mere six touchdowns as well. The Broncos defense, like the Jets, is what brought them into the 2011 NFL Playoffs. Yes Tebow-time pulled off some improbable victories, but the defense is what kept them in those games to begin with. With a solid rushing game firmly established, the addition of Manning would drastically improve the Broncos.
3. Houston Texans
The Texans started three different quarterbacks throughout the 2011 season: Matt Schaub, Matt Leinhart, and T.J. Yates. Schaub was injured during the season, so Leinhart came in and got injured as well. Yet the Texans still made the playoffs with their third string quarterback: Yates, a rookie out of UNC. This is due, again, to a stout defense, but mostly an unstoppable running game powered by Arian Foster (think 1999-2005 Colts with Edgerrin James). Adding Manning finally gives them the extra dimension they need, and it gives Manning a chance to play against some familiar faces: the Colts and the Texans are in the same division. Peyton gets payback and the Texans are golden.
(02/22/12 9:37pm)
Bob Hoffman and the Mercer Bears extended their Cinderella Story win streak to nine games with a win over the hometown KSU Owls before disappointingly falling at the hands of Jacksonville on the road. With the A-Sun tournament in sight, the Bears must stay focused and hopeful in the games to come.
Mercer 61, KSU 57
Surrounded by a crowd of 5,000 fans all wearing “BEAT MERCER” shirts to commemorate their debut of their first fight song, the Owls of Kennesaw State University only had one thing on their mind: to prevent Mercer from garnering its 20th win against them. Hoffman’s bunch looked like it was going to oblige during the middle of the second half, as Spencer Dixon would have a 17-point outburst in the second half for KSU, going 5-for-5 from long range and 6-of-8 from the field.
The Owls would have an 18-6 run midway through the second half to take the lead from Mercer 42-36. However, the Bears were out for blood and would claw back behind redshirt-sophomore Jakob Gollon. Gollon would dazzle in the second half as well, going 1-for-1 from three-point range, 3-for-4 from the charity stripe, and 4-for-5 from the field, totaling 12 second half points. Sophomore Bud Thomas also added 10 points in the second half. Sophomore Langston Hall would contribute 11 points to the effort and Monty Brown added a spark off of the bench, contributing 12 points towards the Bears’ victory.
“It was a very exciting atmosphere,” said Thomas. “We had to overcome a lot of obstacles during the game. We handled adversity well and most importantly found a way to win our ninth straight game,” he added.
Mercer 75, Jacksonville 81
The first of a two-game business trip to Florida didn’t go as planned for the orange and black of Mercer. Against a Jacksonville team that was 6-20 before the game, the Bears outpaced the Dolphins in second-chance points, rebounds and points in the paint. Unfortunately for Mercer, however, Jacksonville shot 65 percent from the field, 50 percent from long range and 68.2 percent from the foul line in the second half, while the boys from Macon only shot 40.5, 30.8 and 60 respectively.
The Dolphins would be up by as many as 18 with 7:35 left to play in regulation before Mercer mounted a 22-5 point comeback to pull within two points at 75-77. The foul, then free throw, game wouldn’t go Mercer’s way, and the Bears suffered their first loss in over a month, 81-75.
The game featured five lead changes in the first half. “We still have a chance to win the conference, so this is disappointing, but the season isn’t over,” Head Coach Bob Hoffman said to MercerBears.com. “We had an unbelievable run and tonight we didn’t get it done in a game we could have, but that’s what happens in this league,” he added.
Hall would finish with 20 points, while Sophomore Daniel Coursey added 16 points and eight rebounds. Thomas and Gollon each contributed 10 points as well, with Bud coming one rebound short of a double-double.
Mercer has three regular season games left, at North Florida, and then at home versus the Lipscomb University Bison and the conference-leading Belmont University Bruins on Feb. 25. The Belmont game is the “Halloween in February” game, where the student section will be dressing up in costumes to support the Bears and confuse the Bruins.
(02/22/12 9:22pm)
First there was Tebow time. Now there’s Linsanity. In case you’ve been living under a sports rock for the last two weeks or so, Jeremy Lin, who plays for the New York Knicks, has taken over sports media. Jeremy Lin, an undrafted Harvard graduate, spent most of the 2010-2011 season on the Golden State Warriors’ bench. He accounted for a mere 76 points throughout the entire season, adding 33 steals, 34 rebounds and 42 assists. The 2011-2012 season looked like it was heading in the same direction, though Lin had been traded to the Knicks. Hardly.
On Feb. 4, the New Jersey Nets entered Madison Square Garden to try and cause the Knicks to go 0-for-3 on a back-to-back-to-back stretch versus the Bulls, Celtics and Nets respectively. By all accounts it should have been a Nets victory: superstars Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire would do little to help the Knicks, as Melo went 3-for-15 from the field and Amare got in foul trouble. Coming off of the bench, Lin would play for 36 minutes, a minute longer than Anthony, 11 minutes longer than Stoudemire, while providing 25 points to help the Knicks win 99-92. Linsanity was now in motion, though no one knew it yet.
Two days later, Jeremy Lin was a starter against the Utah Jazz. Lin put up 28 points, eight assists, and two steals and rebounds each. The Knicks would win again, 99-88. Linsanity was starting to take shape, and the Knicks were now 2-0. Two more days of media hype and an away game later, Lin had his first double-double (23 points, 10 assists), his first NBA dunk and the Knicks showed that they could use this momentum on the road as well, defeating John Wall and the Washington Wizards 107-93.
However, the real test was yet to come, as the Knicks were to host the perennial NBA juggernaut Los Angeles Lakers, featuring superstars Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace (the Artest formerly known as Ron), at home on Feb. 10. How would the new Knicks respond behind this sensation Lin and without their own mega-stars Stoudemire and Anthony? 38 points, seven assists and out playing five-time NBA Kobe Bryant was the result.
After beating the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Knicks would head to Toronto, riding Linsanity for five-straight wins. So what hasn’t this come-out-of-nowhere phenom done yet? Oh that’s right, hit a game-winning shot. Lin would post another 27 points and 11 assists, but the game-winning three-point jumper with 0.5 seconds on the clock, over Jose Calderon, were the biggest.
The Knicks would go on to beat the Kings and extend their streak to seven games in a row behind this Lin-sation. However, the magic ended at the hands of the Chris Paul-less New Orleans Hornets, as Lin posted 26 points, but had nine turnovers. Was that seven-game stretch a fluke, or is Linsanity here to stay? Ask the 2007-2008 Mercer men’s basketball team: Lin produced 23 points, nine assists and nine rebounds against them while playing at Harvard.
(02/22/12 9:18pm)
After an inaugural 1-12 season for Mercer’s first-ever Division I lacrosse program, Head Coach Jason Childs and the bears have gotten off to a tough 2012 campaign with three consecutive losses to begin the spring.
Ohio State 15, Mercer 8
The Mercer men’s Lacrosse team opened up their season for the second straight year against the Buckeyes of Ohio State University. Although the outcome of both games was the same, with the Bears coming away without the victory, it is clear that the lacrosse team has improved by leaps and bounds in only its second year of existence. Whereas the orange and black were handedly beaten last year in enemy territory 20-2, this year would show just how far the program has come.
If it weren’t for an unfortunate second quarter, the Bears could have come away with the victory. As it was, however, they still came roaring back in the second half.
Down 12-3 with 5:18 left in the third quarter, Mercer would go on a scoring frenzy, posting four unanswered goals. Brett Eisenmann was in the thick of the flurry of shots, contributing a goal himself and two assists in the four-goal run, bringing the score to 12-7. However, the Buckeyes experience proved invaluable, as the Buckeyes would go on to win 15-8, taking almost twice as many shots as Mercer (48-27).
#6. UNC 20, Mercer 7
Played on neutral ground, Mercer would again show signs that their program is on the rise, as the preseason number six North Carolina Tarheels defeated Mercer 20-7 in Atlanta. Sophomore Zach Ward tied the game at 1-1 four minutes into the game. Unfortunately for Mercer Lacrosse, the rankings exist for a reason and the Tarheels would respond with eight unanswered goals.
Sophomore Cole Branch would answer with two goals of his own, but the orange and black were not able to keep up with the constant attack that UNC was dishing out. Although Mercer goalies Dillion Volk and Justin Bateman would combine for 16 saves, the Tarheels still managed 56 shots. Branch would finish with two goals and two assists, while Ward added two goals and an assist for the Bears.
Bellarmine 13, Mercer 5
In their closest game this season, the Bears were unable to produce goals and fell to the Knights of Bellarmine University for the second straight year. Even in defeat however, the Bears are constantly showing improvement.
Last year, the orange and black travelled to Louisville, Ky., and were beaten 20-6 by the Knights. This year, however, the Bears were a much more experienced team, as well as a team on a mission. Although Mercer and Bellarmine were near mirror images, with minor differences in shots, saves, ground balls, and face-offs, the turnovers proved costly as the Bears committed 18 to the stingy Knights’ six.
Mercer would jump out to an early 1-0 lead before giving up four unanswered goals to the Knights in the first quarter. Bellarmine would have another 4-0 run in the fourth quarter to come away with the victory. Sophomore Eoin Collins finished with two goals and an assist, while Branch and Ward each added an additional goal and assist.
The three losses bring the lacrosse team’s record to 0-3 on the season. They next hit the field on Saturday, Feb. 25 against the visiting Detroit Mercy. This ends the stretch of three home games in four matches as the Bears will hit the road for three straight and seven of nine away contests beginning March 4.
(02/08/12 11:45pm)
The Mercer men’s golf team had a disappointing beginning to the spring season, coming in ninth in the Sea Best Invitational at TPC Sawgrass, hosted by Jacksonville University.
Heading in the final round on Tuesday, Jan. 31, the Bears were in sixth. After the last round, however, they were in ninth place. “I’m really disappointed in the way we played today,” Mercer head coach Steve Bradley said, “We had a chance to move up but it just didn’t happen for us.”
The orange and black finished the tournament with a stroke total of 925, with round totals of 304, 306, and 315, respectively. Redshirt junior John Gregory Joseph and sophomore James Beale lead the team through the first two rounds, each with a 151 shot total, which had them tied for 18th place individually. By Monday’s end, the Bears were in sixth place, ahead of Atlantic Sun Conference rivals East Tennessee State, Florida Gulf Coast and Jacksonville.
During the final round of the Sea Best Invitational, however, Mercer slipped up. Although the final round of the tournament was their worst round, senior Josh Cone stepped up and made a personal charge, finishing the day with a team best 75.
“Overall it was a pretty frustrating tournament,” said Cone. “We were in a decent spot coming into the final round and just flat out didn’t have it the last day. We’ve got to get a lot tougher moving forward because we cannot have another total team collapse like we did the last day. I think that we will learn from this and that we will only get better moving into the heavier portion of our spring schedule,” he added.
Unfortunately for the Bears, they finished the tournament one stroke behind conference foes Florida Gulf Coast, as well as five strokes back from East Tennessee State.
Although frustrated by his team’s performance, Bradley said that the setback could not have come at a better time. “If we have played well, we’d be singing a different tune. But if we had just gotten lucky, well that’s not good for long-term success,” said Bradley. After identifying some problems that became evident, the Bears have changed up things at practice and that the players are challenging each other. Senior Cone echoed Coach Bradley in saying that, “We have had a team meeting to discuss it and I think we have already moved past it and are excited about preparing to play in Mobile.”
The Bears have two weeks off to implement their new training schedule, as Mercer doesn’t return to action until Feb. 20 at Mobile Bay Intercollegiate at Magnolia Grove Crossings GC in Mobile, Ala. Other teams that will be attending include the University of Kentucky, the University of Illinois, Mississippi State University, Vanderbilt University, and Wake Forest University.
Coach Bradley noted that he is looking forward to the test against such big name schools. He believes that his team is up to the challenge. “They have the talent to compete [against big schools],” said Bradley. “They have got to believe in themselves,” he added.
(02/08/12 11:44pm)
Mercer’s men’s tennis team opened the season with a pair of disappointing losses against Georgia Southern University and Coastal Carolina University on Jan. 27 and Jan. 29 respectively.
Against the Eagles, Mercer narrowly missed coming away with the doubles point. Playing number two doubles, Vince DeLise and Joao Pagan lost a close match 5-8. At number three doubles, Victor Dias and Peter Tauchner came away with the victory 8-4. Unfortunately, the number one doubles team of Dave Barton and Pierre Tafelski lost their pro-set in a tiebreaker 8-9 (5-7). That stroke of bad luck gave GSU the doubles point with a 2-1 doubles victory.
Freshman Vince DeLise got the Bears on the board quickly, however handily beating his opponent at number five singles 6-1, 6-3, tying the match at 1-1. Unfortunately for Mercer, Georgia Southern proved to be too tough on the day. The Eagles were able to defeat the Bears in three out of four matches that went to three sets. Tafelski, Barton and Elbert Beekman all lost close, three-set matches. Tauchner was the only Bear to come away victorious in the extended matches, as he won 6-4, 0-6, 6-4. Pagan also lost, which made the final score of the match 2-5.
Later in the week, Mercer hosted the Chanticleers of Coastal Carolina University in what would end up being a one-sided match.
The Bears jumped out front early, with Dias and Tauchner easily winning at number two doubles 8-1. Coastal would rebound, defeating Mercer’s number one doubles team of Barton and Tafelski 3-8, but the Bears wouldn’t be denied as Pagan and DeLise would win 8-4 at number three doubles. This put Mercer ahead on the day 1-0.
Unfortunately for the Bears, Coastal would rebound again, but this time with a vengeance. Out of the six singles matches that were to be played, only one of them would go to three sets, and what was worse for the orange and black, even that match resulted in a loss. Beekman was defeated 2-6, 0-6, while Barton 2-6, 2-6. Pagan was defeated 2-6, 3-6 and Tafelski lost a close match 4-6, 4-6. DeLise also lost, 4-6, 3-6. The lone three-set match of the again went to Junior Peter Taucher. Tauchner lost a heart-breaking match 5-7, 6-4, 1-10. A 10 point super-tiebreaker was played in lieu of a third set, as the match had already been decided.
The Bears look to rebound in the upcoming weeks, as they host Jacksonville State University, Florida A&M University and Fort Valley State University on Feb. 21, Feb. 26 and Mar. 1, respectively.
Mercer will open up its Atlantic Sun Conference schedule Mar. 15 with a road-trip to Florida as they play at Florida Gulf Coast University (Mar. 15) and Stetson University (Mar. 17) during that stretch, before returning home to host conference rivals Belmont (Mar. 23) and Lipscomb (Mar. 24).
Last year, Mercer had a 9-12 overall record, with a 5-5 Atlantic Sun Conference record, going 6-5 at home, 3-3 on the road, and 0-4 at neutral locations.
(02/08/12 11:18pm)
The University of Kentucky Wildcats is, historically, the most successful college basketball team ever. With the most total wins, 2,052 and counting, and the second most total national championships, seven, they have proven time and time again that they are the best. Even in 2012, the Wildcats remain on top. With their only loss coming back on Dec. 10 to Indiana, Kentucky is one point and a buzzer-beater three point attempt away from perfection, as their record is currently 22-1 and 8-0 in the Southeastern Conference.
As has been his style, Head Coach John Calipari returns this year with loads of talent. Calipari has had success at every school he has coached at, having previously coached 22 professional players throughout his time at the University of Massachusetts, Memphis University and Kentucky, including overall number one picks Derrick Rose (Memphis 2008) and John Wall (Kentucky 2010). He has become well-known for a recruiting style that is referred to as “one and done,” implying that the incoming freshmen will play the mandatory one year at the college level before turning professional.
Coming off of his third straight number one recruiting class, there are six freshmen on his roster, headlined by five-star recruits Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marquis Teague and Kyle Wiltjer. This is nothing new for Calipari, as he signed four five star recruits in 2010 (Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones, Enes Kantor and Doron Lamb) as well as in 2009 (John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton). Many of these recruits have followed the “one and done” method, and thus Kentucky is always plagued by inexperience.
However, I believe that this year is different. The difference can be found by solely studying the roster. Take a step back into 2010, when Knight et. al entered the blue and white’s camp. Who remained from the 2009 recruiting class? One single player: Jon Hood, a four-star recruit from Madisonville, KY.
Although last year’s team was highly successful, losing in the Final Four to eventual champions the University of Connecticut Huskies by one point, I believe that this year’s team is different, and has a great chance of winning it all. The reason this year is different is visible on the roster.
Alongside this year’s number one recruiting class you’ll find some familiar names: Hood is still there, now a junior, but Lamb, Jones, and Eloy Vargas, a four star junior college transfer student, are also on the roster.
With the fresh talent from 2011’s recruiting class, as well as half of 2010’s recruiting class. The team is still talented, yet now more experienced, thus comes a recipe deadly to opposing teams.
With only four away games left, Kentucky is looking to head into the post-season with their number one ranking intact. Four home games remain as well, and though on any given day a team can win, the Wildcats have a 48 game home winning streak for a reason. In fact, they have the longest home winning streak in the nation, another stat line in which UK is at the top.
(02/08/12 11:12pm)
Mercer President William Underwood recently sat down to discuss an array of topics surrounding Mercer athletics. Since arriving in 2006, Mercer athletics have seen tremendous growth, academically as well as athletically, under the helm of President Underwood. The following is what transpired:
Cluster: In the last five years, Baylor University, a private school founded in Texas by a Mercer graduate, went from consistent 4-8 football seasons to going 10-3 this year, including having a Heisman winner in their quarterback Robert Griffin III. Do you see Mercer football following a similar path?
Underwood: I think the key at Baylor has been finding great leadership a coach that appreciates the ways in which Baylor is distinctive from the large state schools that they compete against, and then being able to sell those features to young men who are student athletes…I think the same thing is going to be true here. I think having coaches that understand the qualities that make Mercer special and appreciate those qualities canrecruit young men who are attracted to those qualities. Bobby Lamb is that kind of coach. When we were looking for a head coach, we wanted someone who had coached at a high quality private university with really strong academics. His 97 percent graduation rate at Furman told us he was that kind of coach. He also had competitive success, going 69-40 in the Southern Conference. I think he’s the whole package–exactly the kind of leader we need.
C: Will Mercer ever have a Heisman Trophy winner?
U: Not in our lifetime. I think a better test for me is how many years will it be before we have our first football player who wins a Rhodes Scholarship. I think you’ll see that much quicker. I think football is first and foremost about developing young men for leadership and giving them the discipline and other qualities from participating in intercollegiate athletics, while they’re having a rigorous liberal arts education, and putting those two together preparing them to be successes in whatever they choose to pursue in life.
C: How will the recent success of the men’s basketball program, as well as the addition of football, impact Mercer’s campus as well as the community?
U: I think we’ll continue to grow in terms of size, scope, impact of the university. We are currently among the top six or seven largest, most impactful private universities in the southeast and athletics will play appropriate and important role in this growth. Nothing builds community better in our culture than athletics, community on campus, which you already see at basketball games. We’re seeing people from Macon who are coming to the University Center and wearing orange and black, who had never been on our campus. There is tremendous energy and excitement in middle Georgia about the return of Division I college football. The success of the basketball team has been building over the last several years and has done tremendous things for the community. Positive impacts in middle Georgia are already being felt, but this is the south and football is king. When football returns you’ll see that coming together multiplied.
C: What are your thoughts about the success about the basketball team’s success this year?
U:You know we’ve got our toughest games left, including tonight (vs. FGCU, a game Mercer won 75-66), but especially Belmont at home for the last game of the season. (Not only will it probably determine who are the number one and number two seeds for the Atlantic Sun tournament), but it’s beyond that: in the rules, if you win the league but don’t win the tournament, you automatically get a bid to the NIT. So being number one is worth something.
C: How important is student attendance and participation for the success of the basketball team at home? (The Bears are undefeated in conference play at home so far during the 2011-2012 campaign.)
U: When I first got here, six years ago, there’d be 20 students (at a game). You guys make a difference. Last year, in the Atlantic Sun tournament, and the year before, you guys really made a difference. They even had that soccer chant going on…there is a really big game this weekend against USC Upstate and I think that the students are going to pack the whole place.
Coming from President William Underwood’s lips himself we can firmly agree that with the continuing success of Mercer’s current athletic teams, as well as the addition of future successful programs, Mercer University’s impact grows all the more. Go Bears!
(01/25/12 9:59pm)
Defense wins championships–at least so far in 2012. Consider what was eventually the national championship game, LSU vs. Alabama, back on November 5. The final score was 9-6 in favor of LSU…after overtime. Fast forward to January 9, and the game was won handily by Alabama 21-0. The Crimson Tide proved that not only did they have the best defense in the country, but also that their defense made them the best team in the country. Not only was it the first shut-out in bowl history, it was done against the (then) “best” team in the country. Heck, the Tigers didn’t even cross mid-field until there was only eight minutes left in the game. Even then, they only managed 92 yards of total offense. Clearly, as the Southeastern Conference has shown us over the past six years, defense is king in college football.
But is defense king on the professional level? Can explosive offenses led by all-star quarterbacks such as the Green Bay Packers (Aaron Rodgers), the New Orleans Saints (Drew Brees), the New England Patriots (Tom Brady) be ousted from glory by teams with mediocre offenses but stellar defenses? As the play-offs have shown us recently, the answer is yes. When the final regular season game ended, Green Bay Packers ranked first in points scored per game, as well as third in both passing yards per game and total yards per game. Yet after resting Rodgers for a week and then having a bye week, the Giants of New York held them to 65 yards less passing and 15 less points than they were averaging throughout the regular season. When Green Bay has the worst defense in the league in terms of pass yards given up and total yards given up, the result was inevitable: defeat. Likewise the Saints, with their Dan Marino’s record-breaking stud of a quarterback Drew Brees, could not handle the San Francisco 49ers. Ranking second in points scoring per game, and first in passing yards and total yards per game, the Saints still managed to lose a shoot-out despite garnering over 470 total yards. It’s interesting to note that the potent dual-threat backs of Pierre Thomas and Darren Sprolles combined for 32 yards against a 49ers defense that ranks first in the league in rushing yards allowed.
There you have it, two high-powered offenses kicked out of the play-offs by two relentless defenses. I know I sound crazy, and I’m writing this in advance of the NFC/AFC championship games, but I think that defense will continue to be dominant this weekend. My predictions? The Patriots, ranking third in points scored, second in passing and total yards, will fall to the Ravens of Baltimore. Why? The Patriots’ defense is non-existent (31st in passing and total yards) and the Ravens’ is stifling (second in rush yards allowed, third in points allowed and total yards allowed, and fourth in passing yards allowed). What’s my take on the NFL? Well, just like in college, defense wins championships.