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(11/11/16 4:14pm)
Mercer basketball has the same amount of new players as returning athletes from last season. After finishing 19-15 last year, the Bears welcome eight fresh faces to the hardcourt this season in the form of three freshmen, four transfers and one walk-on.
The new-look team will not have long to become acclimated to one another — the Bears face the University of Florida, one of their three Power Five opponents on the schedule this season, in the second outing of the year.
The new players will get into the mix through communication and team building activities, according to head coach Bob Hoffman.
“Communication is a paramount thing that we talk about from day one – even starting [in the] summer,” Hoffman said. “Learning how to talk to each other, learning to not listen to the wrong voices, listen to each other at a high level, listen to your coaches at a high level . . . listen to all the voices that are trying to give you great instruction, and that’s an art.
“You can learn that; that’s not something that’s given. Our nature is to shut everybody out and kind of look inside ourselves and try to figure everything out, and as a team, that can be really dangerous.”
In hopes of being dangerous on the court, Hoffman said the team has spent a large amount of time on team building activities, like having speakers come in to talk to the team and spending time reading books together.
Regardless of the amount of returning players, Hoffman said team chemistry is a major focus.
“We do a lot of extra things — team-building games on the bus, trying to make them to laugh and talk and learn who each other are — because I think the more you’re invested in each other, the more you give when you get out on the floor,” Hoffman said.[sidebar title="New to the den" align="left" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]
Darius Roy, G, Freshman
J.J. Nganga, C, RS Senior
Mac Brydon, C, Freshman
Rashad Lewis, G, Junior
Ria'n Holland, G, Junior
Ross Cummings, G, Freshman
Ryan Johnson, G, RS Sophomore
Stephen Gavin, G, Sophomore
[/sidebar]
Junior forward Stephon Jelks, a member of the preseason All-SoCon team, said it was challenging to work with so many new players during the summer given their different backgrounds in coaching styles and high school.
But Jelks said progress has been made since then.
“I think it’s a big adjustment because Coach Hoffman expects a lot out of his players and is really specific on details,” Jelks said. “So, just getting them to understand that and buying into his system is pretty much the difficult part.”
Hoffman’s system is very team-oriented. The head coach said that striving to get all of the new individual talent to mesh will not be an easy task, but it won’t be as difficult as it could potentially be since team basketball is a staple of his program.
Jelks doesn’t believe selfishness will be a problem.
“We have a really unselfish team,” he said. “Everybody looks for each other. It’s not like one person [is] trying to get his own. Everybody’s looking to see each other be successful, and we’re all happy for whoever goes for 20 one night.”
Hoffman said that all of the newcomers could make an impact this year, not pointing to any specifically. Four players are transferring in with previous college experience: Ria’n Holland, a guard from Indian Hills Community College; Ryan Johnson and Rashad Lewis, both guards from Tallahassee Community College; and J.J. Nganga, a center from New Mexico.
Three freshmen join the Bears — Darius Roy, guard; Ross Cummings, guard; and Mac Brydon, center — while one walk-on, who attended Mercer last year, also joins the squad — Stephen Gavin, guard.
Even with half of the team never yet donning a Mercer jersey, Hoffman said he believes the team has “an amazing chance to be special.”
“I think there’s unlimited potential — as all teams say this time of year — but I think this is real,” Hoffman said.
(11/08/16 7:00pm)
When it comes to scoring goals early in games, no team is better in the Southern Conference than the Mercer Bears -- and it’s not even close. Over the course of a regular season in which the Bears went 12-6 (7-3) and earned the second seed in the SoCon tournament, Mercer found a knack for jumping on top of opponents early.
The Bears boast the four fastest goals in the conference this year and six of the fastest eight: Will Bagrou (0:26), Jake Mezei (1:23), Bagrou (1:30), Conner Antley (1:32), Ian Antley (2:24) and C. Antley (6:43). Five of those six goals have come in Macon, a place where head coach Brad Ruzzo said the team comes out with a lot of energy.
Redshirt junior midfielder Conner Antley attributes the large amount of quick goals to the pressure the Bears put on teams early in outings.
“Our home games, especially, our coach puts an emphasis on starting quick, starting fast, getting on top of the team early, getting the ball in their half and pressuring the defense early and making it difficult for their goalie to deal with things,” he said. “Coach has been stressing us all year, ‘Pressure makes great players good, good players average and average players really bad.’”
And that strategy has reaped success for Mercer.
In games where the Bears have scored first, Mercer is 12-2 with the lone losses to Georgia Southern (Sep. 17) and ETSU (Oct. 29). Ruzzo said scoring first is extremely important, as supported by statistics.
“If you look across anything in Division-I men’s college soccer, it’s that if you score first, basically your winning percentage is .800,” Ruzzo said. “You score first, it makes the other team kind of press more, maybe do some things they’re not used to doing to get back in the game.”
Having to get back into the game has been a rare problem for Mercer this season. The Bears have scored first in 14 of their 18 contests. Bagrou, who leads the team with eight goals, said scoring that first goal gives the team momentum for the rest of the game.
“You have a foot ahead of everyone else, and that’s just what we try to do,” Bagrou said. “First fifteen minutes, we always say, ‘Impose your will; impose your will. Go for the kill.’”
Bagrou has wasted no time sending opponents to their maker; he’s responsible for two of the three fastest goals in the conference, including the quickest — a strike only 26 seconds into a 2-0 victory over Wofford Sept. 27.
The junior forward will have another chance to face the Terriers Thursday Nov. 10 at 6 p.m. in the Semifinals of the SoCon tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Bears own a 2-0 advantage over Wofford this season and will be looking to avenge a semifinals loss to Furman last season.
“Our team truly believes we have the best team in the Southern Conference, no doubt, regardless of who we play, whoever we meet in the semi-finals or whoever we meet in the finals when we get there,” C. Antley said. “We have no doubt that we can win this whole thing and get into the NCAA Tournament, whether it be through the Southern Conference tournament or have an at-large bid.”
Mercer was in a similar position last season, entering the Semifinals with an 11-5-3 record as it faced Furman. The Bears would ultimately lose that game in penalty kicks, a loss C. Antley said still lingers on the minds of many of the players on the team.
“The next day we were turning in our gear, and I think that kind of is riding on our shoulders a little bit, because we don’t want to do that,” C. Antley said. “We don’t want to turn in our gear early.”
(10/18/16 11:52pm)
Sophomore T.J. Long and junior Nathan Hahn wanted to try out for Mercer’s men’s golf team.
But when they weren’t given the chance to do so, they took matters into their own hands. If they wanted to continue playing golf competitively, they’d need to come up with an alternative themselves.
“‘Why not just start a club team?’” Hahn said the duo thought to themselves.
So that’s exactly what they did. In order to become an official club, Hahn had to meet with Todd Thomas, Mercer’s assistant director of recreational sports and wellness. Thomas laid out the steps Hahn and Long needed to take.
“I needed to make sure we had people that actually wanted to play, [and] we have to come up with a constitution on why we’re doing this — our purpose,” Hahn, the club’s president, said.
An example constitution was sent from the National Collegiate Club Golf Association, the league which Mercer’s team will have to join to start playing in tournaments. According to the NCCGA’s website, over 350 colleges have club golf teams; seven universities in Georgia have contracts with the organization.
But Mercer has not officially signed with the NCCGA yet because Hahn and Long are still trying to determine where the team will practice. They’ve been in contact with Healy Point Country Club about setting up an arrangement.
“They were pretty open to it, but we’re still waiting on the number for the yearly fee it’s going to be for us,” Hahn said. “We’re thinking we’ll hopefully be able to go walk for free there.”
Because of conflicting class schedules, individual teammates will practice on their own time, but Long and Hahn said they will still most likely try to go out together when possible.
Once the team has a place to practice, Hahn said they will begin signing up for tournaments. While a tournament this semester is still a possibility, he said they will “definitely” be playing in one by next semester.
Playing and traveling to those tournaments costs money. Hahn said club sports has given the team a budget for the first year, but Long said he believes the five people who travel to tournaments may have to come out of pocket for traveling expenses.
“I think what’s going to end up happening is they’ll pay for the tournament, and we may be able to work out the hotel and stuff like that, but as far as traveling and gas goes, I think we’ll all have to take one [or] two cars, chip in ourselves and pay for that ourselves,” Long said.
Membership fees will be the cost of two shirts, approximately $60 according to Hahn. Right now, the team has received interest from about seven or eight people. Anyone is welcome to join until the team grows too large — about 15 or more people, according to Long. In that case, the club will hold tryouts.
A tryout is ultimately what Long is striving for himself — on the varsity team.
“I want to get noticed in club golf at tournaments so maybe one day here at Mercer I might be able to be on the varsity team,” Long said.
(10/15/16 3:19pm)
Kirby Southard didn’t know the quarterback he was facing in ninth grade would eventually be one of his closest teammates in college. A freshman at Chattahoochee High School in Johns Creek, Southard squared off against future Mercer quarterback John Russ, a freshman at Middle Creek High School.
Fast forward nine years later, and now Southard — Mercer’s center — said he is “closer [to Russ] than anybody else on the field.” Southard and Russ are both Day Ones, the players who showed up to the first day of practice once the program was re-established.
He was just trying to remember Russ’s name at that point.
“I was still starting to learn the type of guy John was,” Southard said. “I think we had like eight quarterbacks at the time that first day. Over the years, how the chemistry and bonding on the team has changed is unreal, especially between me and John. It’s gotten to the point now where we pretty much do the same thing on the field now.”
Five years will do that.
After the initial practice year, Russ and Southard have both been four-year starters on offense. While Russ receives more recognition, head coach Bobby Lamb said Southard has been a rock at one of the most important positions on the offense.
Lamb called the center position the ”quarterback of the offensive line” since he is responsible for making calls on the line and recognizing what kind of defense the team is facing.
“To have a guy like Kirby doing that from day one is huge,” Lamb said. “I really thought that someone would come in here and beat Kirby out; [that] has not been the case. Every time we’ve moved somebody to center, he’s stepped up and played even better. For him to do that is pretty remarkable.”
[pullquote speaker="Kirby Southard" photo="" align="left" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]“I’m more like a coach on the field type deal. I can calm players down. I can tell players where to go so there’s no confusion on the offensive line.[/pullquote]
Along with Russ, Southard has been through it all: the team’s first game, its 10-2 opening season in the Pioneer League, moving to the Southern Conference, beating Chattanooga and traveling to Georgia Tech this season.
That longevity is a result of Southard’s toughness, Lamb said
“One thing about Kirby — a lot of people don’t know this — he’s had a bunch of injuries since he’s been here, but he refuses to not start a game and not finish a game,” he said. “Last year he had a torn labrum in his shoulder, and he played every game. He’d be wincing in practice, but he didn’t want to come out.”
Southard said his tenure can be attributed to his never having any “major” injuries, but he believes the development of his mental game has been vital, as well. The fifth-year senior said offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Casey Vogt aided him in gaining a better grasp on football, a skill he said has allowed him to keep his job.
“I’ve pretty much mastered what our offense is trying to do and what we’re trying to do against certain defenses,” Southard said. “I’m more like a coach on the field type deal. I can calm players down. I can tell players where to go so there’s no confusion on the offensive line.”
Over Southard’s time at Mercer, the experience allowing him to be like a coach on the field did not come without memories. Along with beating Chattanooga and playing Georgia Tech, Southard said one of his favorite memories was Mercer’s 45-42 comeback win over Jacksonville during the team’s first season.
“I’m just glad that I was able to play for so long and be a part of something special,” Southard said. “We started this program up from nothing, so I’m glad to be known as one of the players that started this program along with the rest of the Day Ones ... It’s great being now one of the cornerstones and rocks of that class and really creating this tradition and this sense of this team and what we do here and how we do it.”
(10/14/16 3:55am)
Money talks.
At least, enough for Mercer athletics director Jim Cole to stray from his “business plan” of scheduling one FBS school each year for Mercer football. The money isn’t the only reason, just a big one.
In 2017, the Bears will play two Southeastern Conference opponents for a payday of over $1 million: Auburn (Sept. 16) and Alabama (Nov. 18). Mercer’s athletics department will receive a $450,000 check from Auburn and $600,000 from Alabama.
Cole said these “money games” don’t only help the football program, but they help the department as a whole supplement its budget.
“Those paydays are very nice, and we’ve figured them into our business plan of how to meet the budget and keep moving the whole athletics department forward,” Cole said. “We’ve been able to use a lot of it to just offset normal increase in operating costs. The biggest thing is we just have a rainy day fund now that we can have there in case there are special projects come up, like if one of our teams makes the NCAA tournament, and we want to send a bunch of fans.”
Those SEC outings will be the next installment of FBS games for Mercer, who played its first FBS opponent, Georgia Tech, on Sept. 10. The matchup netted the athletic department $300,000.
More games are already scheduled in the future: the Bears will travel to Memphis in 2018, the University of North Carolina in 2019, Vanderbilt in 2020, Alabama again in 2021 and Ole Miss in 2023.
[sidebar title="Monetary Details" align="left" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]
Alabama: $600,000
Auburn: $450,000
Total: $1,050,000
[/sidebar]
But money isn’t the only advantage to playing FBS opponents. Both Cole and head coach Bobby Lamb said the publicity of playing those teams is beneficial for Mercer athletics.
“The publicity you get from playing a school like Alabama or an Auburn or a Georgia Tech certainly helps in recruiting,” Lamb said.
Cole said the idea is to increase the exposure of the university, and once the team reached the full 63 scholarships allowed at the FCS level, it could schedule FBS opponents.
“When you play those type teams, it signifies now that you are at that highest level of football,” Cole said. “As we’ve progressed with scholarship football and joining the Southern Conference, that was one of our goals — was to then let people know, ‘Hey, we have all the scholarships allotted.’”
And letting people know about Mercer fell largely on the shoulders of associate athletics director Daniel Tate, whom Cole and Lamb said was responsible for scheduling these games. Cole said they look to schedule teams in the Southeast in order to limit traveling expenses.
Lamb said playing teams in the Southeast is ideal because of the fan experience and effect on recruiting.
“Your fans can get to the trip; the Georgia Tech experience was incredible for our fans and our players,” Lamb said. “And then we recruit in the southeastern United States, so it doesn’t do us any good to go play California or Michigan State or people like that.”
From a department’s perspective, Cole said there is no downside to scheduling FBS opponents. Other Mercer teams already play what Cole referred to as “money games,” such as men’s basketball, who will play the University of Florida, Clemson and Auburn in 2016-17. But these games don’t net nearly as much for Mercer, Cole said.
Lamb said that while injuries are always a concern, the opportunity for his players to compete against opponents at the highest level is special.
“All of our players dream of going to those places, and because God’s given them a certain height or a certain [40-yard dash] time, a certain bench press [or] a certain weight, they may not fit the mold at those schools,” Lamb said. “However, they get one shot a year — and obviously this team is going to get two shots next year — of playing at that level. It’s a great test for them to certainly have a moment in the sun, which they’ve got that opportunity to do.”
Correction: A previous version of the "Monetary Details" sidebar in this article incorrectly stated that Mercer would receive $1,500,000 from playing Auburn and Alabama in 2017. The Cluster regrets this error.
(10/08/16 12:22pm)
One of the lasting pieces of advice my coach has told me was simply this: Anybody can do it once, but those who can back it up and do it consistently are the ones who prove to be elite Division-I athletes.
And that’s true for any college sport, or really, anything in life. When we set out to accomplish something, we don’t plan to be a one-hit wonder -- a fluke. Those one-hit wonders and flukes make for great stories, but they often carry a negative connotation.
Think: Vanilla Ice’s “Ice, Ice, Baby” or Appalachian State beating Michigan in 2007.
Great stories, right? But they’ll always be known for that one performance.
Mercer football has a chance to rid itself of that title Saturday. The Bears travel to Chattanooga to face the No. 3-ranked Mocs for the first time since Mercer stunned Chattanooga 17-14 last season.
The question that remains unanswered: Can Mercer do it again? Head coach Bobby Lamb said his team is confident given how it has performed against Chattanooga since joining the Southern Conference.
“I think the neat thing about going to Chattanooga to play is that we played well there two years ago, [and] we beat them last year here in Macon, so our players aren’t scared,” Lamb said.
But, of course, they’re not overzealous.
“They know it’s going to be a tall task and that we’re going to have to play well and be turnover-free,” Lamb said.
In 2015, the Bears won the turnover battle 2-1 and limited Chattanooga star quarterback Jacob Huesman to no touchdown passes. In 2014, the Bears’ first season in the SoCon, Mercer gave Chattanooga a scare and fell 38-31.
The Mocs are impressive statistically this season: They lead the conference in points allowed -- only 42 in five games -- and are second in points scored per game (39.8). Not to mention, they’re also tied atop the conference with The Citadel at 5-0.
Granted, they’ve played three weak opponents in five games, but Chattanooga’s 41-21 dismantling of Samford September 24 -- a game in which running back Derrick Craine ran for 222 yards and two touchdowns -- is nothing to overlook.
“The Chattanooga team that we’re getting ready to face is probably as good of a team as they were last year,” Lamb said. “They’ve probably got the best offensive and defensive lines in our league – probably, maybe, one of the tops in the FCS. It’s going to be a very difficult challenge for us.”
So how does Cinderella find another glass slipper?
(1) Enter the construction site and limit Craine
Chattanooga’s senior running back is the engine of the offense. He’s averaging 6.7 yards per carry this season and has tallied seven touchdowns in the first five games. He’d probably have more if he had received a normal workload in the team’s first two games -- he ran the ball a total of 18 times – but they were such blowouts that the Mocs rested him.
Mercer held Chattanooga to only 14 points last year in part because of their limiting Craine to only 4.4 yards per carry and no touchdowns. Repeat that defensive performance, and Mercer’s chances improve exponentially.
(2) Keep it low scoring and control the tempo
Chattanooga actually won the time of possession battle last year, but Mercer ultimately won that game because of its defense. The Bears rank sixth in scoring defense in the SoCon, allowing 29.0 points per outing.
If the Mocs get to 29 points Saturday, Mercer will not win the game.
(3) The offensive line will have to “bear down”
Given some of the injuries at the position and the loss of Tee Mitchell, the running game has been extremely effective early in the season. But the Bears will face their toughest test yet Saturday. The Mocs have allowed only 62.4 yards per game on the ground this year, over 100 yards better than Mercer’s defense.
Lamb praised Chattanooga’s defensive line, calling it, “possibly,” the best in the FCS. Mercer’s offensive line and running backs will have to be up for the challenge.
“We’ve got an opportunity to go up there and do something again that we did last year, and to do that back-to-back years would be pretty incredible,” Lamb said.
(09/16/16 1:48pm)
Starting the season 0-2 was a very real possibility for Mercer football -- it’s just a reality that didn’t need to come into fruition.
The Bears carried major momentum into the start of 2016 after winning two of their final three conference games in 2015, most notably against Chattanooga. For the first time, Mercer was finally on a level playing field in the scholarship department.
Wide receiver Chandler Curtis was returning from injury, and the team as a whole returned 20 of 22 starters. All of the talk was focused on one idea: winning a conference championship.
Not next year. Not in three years. This year, 2016.
And while that goal is still very attainable, the Bears are going to be skating on thin ice after the season-opening loss to The Citadel. That trek continues Saturday when Mercer hosts Tennessee Tech at 4 p.m. on Family Weekend.
Sure, it’s early in the season. It’s not a conference game, either. You hate to call any outing a “must win” only three weeks into the season, but sometimes you have to break the rules.
So call me a rule breaker. This is a must win for Mercer.
More than anything else, the Bears need a win under their belt simply for momentum’s sake. After a home matchup against Tennessee Tech, Mercer takes conference road trips to VMI and Chattanooga.
While VMI ranked No. 8 on the Southern Conference’s Preseason Coaches Poll and has started the season 1-1, it’s still a road challenge against a team returning the league’s leading passer from 2015, Al Cobb.
The redshirt junior chomped through Mercer’s defense like it was a salad last year, accounting for 451 total yards and two touchdowns in VMI’s 28-21 win. At Mercer.
The Bears don’t want to travel to Lexington 0-3. In the grand scheme of the season, losing to Tennessee Tech would not affect Mercer’s chance of winning a SoCon title, but psychologically, it’s not an ideal situation as the team enters a vital two-game road trip.
Losing to Tennessee Tech is just another dent into the confidence the Bears vocalized entering the season. But a win against the Golden Eagles?
Well, that may just incite what we call a “winning streak.”
This may just be head coach Bobby Lamb if Mercer is victorious against Tennessee Tech.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnVrSZHnvYY
A win over a quality Golden Eagles team would re-energize the Bears for the VMI road game, and then a win over the Keydets would propel Mercer into its vital matchup with Chattanooga -- which very well may be the game determining Mercer’s chance at a SoCon title.
But a loss against the Golden Eagles?
Well, that would continue what we call a “losing streak.” The Bears would be 0-3 to start what was a very promising season with the real possibility of starting 0-5 if they struggle on the road.
And nobody wants that. Nobody wants to see the "Day Ones" who helped start the program finish their careers in that fashion. Nobody wants to see a once-hyped season transform into one where Mercer is fighting for the middle of the pack in the conference.
Nobody wants to see a loss Saturday, because as Vince Carter once said bluntly, it might mean this season is "over."
(09/06/16 11:01pm)
Tyler Ward remembers when pine trees and natural grass occupied the space that is now Mercer football’s home. It had been nearly 65 years since the sport had been played at Mercer.
Fast forward a few years, and the territory Ward looked out upon while attending a baseball camp would soon be engulfed by frenetic fans and artificial turf. And they would be there to watch Ward along with 105 other Mercer Bears in the program’s first game since re-establishment.
“I tell people all the time that I’ve watched this place change so much,” said Ward, a senior linebacker who was born and raised in Macon. “When I was younger, there was Mercer and then there was Macon. Now, Mercer is Macon.”
Ward said he now sees people wearing Mercer gear around town, something he never saw when he was younger. He also said elementary, middle and high schoolers have something to do on Friday and Saturday nights by attending Mercer events. It’s a product of a growing football program he helped build.
After a career at Tattnall Square Academy, Ward received some partial scholarships to FBS schools such as Georgia Tech.
But Mercer and Macon kept calling — literally.
“I was sold by Bobby [Lamb] when he kept calling me and just wanted to get me on campus,” Ward said. “I was sold on the hometown thing, on the chance to get to play right away and be a big impact for that 2013 team.”
Football was just one aspect of the college decision for Ward. The senior said he also stayed close to home because of Mercer’s size and academic standards. Coming from a small high school where everybody knew each other, Ward said Mercer was like a bigger version of Tattnall Square.
“I have friends who go to the bigger FBS schools, and they tell me they’re in classes with 100 [to] 150 kids and can’t get help on a single thing . . . obviously, it’s completely different here,” Ward said.[related title="Related Stories" stories="19780,19719,19746" align="right" background="on" border="all" shadow="off"]
“College is going to end in four years. Football is going to end in four years. I’ve got to have something by my name that will help me get a job.”
While football will end after this season for Ward, he’s certainly left his mark on the field. Ward started the first 24 games of his collegiate career, leading the team in tackles in both 2013 with 101 and 2014 with 104.
His 104 tackles as a sophomore, which also ranked him fourth in the Southern Conference, earned him All-SoCon Second Team honors. Ward described himself as a "relentless” player, one who tries to learn as much about the game as possible.
“Talent, speed and strength are all very important to the game of football, but you have to be smart nowadays,” Ward said. “The thing I try to do most is learn about the game, study up the opponent better, be smarter than the guy I’m playing against so I can out-do him, because I’m not the most athletic guy on the field all the time.”
Ward said he remembers being turned down by another SoCon team, Wofford, and was told by recruiters that he should look into playing Division-II or Division-III football. He said his success at the Division-I FCS level is “big” for him.
But while the on-field success has been noticed, Ward said, after his Mercer career is over, he wants to have influenced younger players. He said he believes up-and-coming players in the Macon area can connect with him because of his Macon roots.
“[I want to] be the best player I can be for this school, for this community and represent not only Mercer but all of Macon,” Ward said. “It’s all about your mindset, your heart and how bad you want it — how hard you want to push when people tell you you can’t.”
The influence Ward can have on young kids in Macon today is the product of his helping build a program, one which traded out pine trees for support beams and grass for artificial turf.
“Seeing them succeed and go on to their little elementary scrimmages and talking to their parents, that’s the biggest reward of it all,” he said. “I can remember when I was that young and I wanted somebody to look up to, as well.”
(09/02/16 3:45am)
In three outings, Mercer football has lost to The Citadel three times by a combined total of five points.
The Bears (0-1, 0-1) dropped their season opener Thursday to No. 15 The Citadel (1-0, 1-0) 24-23 after the Bulldogs’ Cody Clark kicked a 35-yard field goal with 2:20 remaining. The score was The Citadel’s first points in over 48 minutes of game time.
Mercer was punched in the mouth — figuratively — in the opening three minutes. The Citadel led 14-0 after three minutes because of a 70-yard rushing touchdown on its second play from scrimmage; it then strip-sacked Mercer quarterback John Russ on the Bears’ first offensive play, a turnover which led to an 8-yard rushing touchdown.
But after the Citadel took a 21-3 lead with 5:46 remaining in the first quarter, Mercer scored 17 straight points before halftime. The Bears took their first lead of the game early in the third quarter, but The Citadel ultimately had the final laugh.
STARS OF THE GAME
Payton Usher: The senior running back did not start the game but led the team in rushing with 89 yards on 10 carries. Head coach Bobby Lamb said his night was cut short because of a quadriceps injury but did not mention how serious it was.
Marquise Irvin: Irvin more than doubled his catch count from all of last year Thursday, leading the team with eight receptions for 81 yards.
John Russ: The fourth-year starter was responsible for both of Mercer’s touchdowns and made an impact through the air and on the ground; he passed for 172 yards and one interception on 15-of-25 passing and ran for 74 yards.
Cole Fisher: Mercer’s kicker went 3-of-3 on the night including a 26-, 31- and 47-yarder — which was a career long.
Tyler Renew: The Citadel’s B-back in its triple option, Renew led the team’s potent rushing attack with 146 yards and one touchdown on 27 carries.
STATS THAT POP
Penalty brigade: Mercer was penalized 10 times for 103 yards in the outing. Most notably, a holding penalty took away a touchdown in the first quarter and resulted in only a field goal for the Bears.
Limiting The Citadel’s rushing attack: In the last two years, The Citadel has averaged 430 yards per game on the ground against Mercer. On Thursday, the Bulldogs ran for just over half of that amount (262) on 4.9 yards per carry.
THREE TAKEAWAYS
(1) Mercer showed serious resilience: Mercer got punched in the mouth early. And I’m not talking about Floyd Mayweather-esque body jabs. The Citadel went full-out Rocky IV’s Ivan Drago on the Bears in the first three minutes.
A worse start could not have been dreamt. But Mercer bounced back, settled in on defense and eventually took the lead until late in the game. While the Bears couldn’t find a way to finish off another close game, their ability to even be in the game at that point is indicative of the makeup of the roster.
(2) Keep an eye on the running back position: Starting running back Alex Lakes was not 100 percent going into the outing and was not his usual self, running for only 57 yards and 3.8 yards per carry on 15 totes. The bright spot at the position was Usher, but he will also be dealing with an injury after Thursday.
Lamb said senior C.J. Kleckley and transfer Charlie Davidson are the next two in line to receive work at the position. Given wide receiver Chandler Curtis is already injured for the Bears, the running attack will be vital to initiate the offense.
Russ provided fantastic production from a quarterback, but the depth and health at the position will be keys for the next few weeks.
(3) Irvin could have a big year: The sophomore wide receiver only had 15 catches in 2015 but could very well be on his way to shattering that this season. On one drive alone Thursday, he grabbed six receptions. With Chandler Curtis out with an ankle injury, Irvin looks to be one of Russ’s go-to targets out wide.
BEAR BITES
Lamb on another close loss: “I’m proud of our team ... We rebounded with a great effort ... We’re hurting right now. It’s a tough loss. We put a lot of energy and time into this game, but at the end of the day, it’s just one game. Every Southern Conference game is going to come down to the fourth quarter, and we have to find ways to win them.”
Lamb on mindset after being down 21-3: “We just had to continue to play, and I was proud, because in the second quarter, we played really well in the second quarter. We had it going offensively and made a lot of plays.”
Tyler Ward on poor defensive start: “We didn’t adjust to the speed. I think that first run was kind of like, ‘Whoa, they are as fast as we’ve been talking about.’ So we didn’t adjust, and we let them hit it right up the pipe. It was just one missed assignment and one play that came back to hurt us in the end.”
Russ on frustration of close loss: “It seems like it happens every game. Every game that’s close in the SoCon we seem to lose and not make a play. I didn’t make plays out there. I need to make plays as the quarterback and leader of this team. I feel like I’m just a broken record every year.”
Russ on penalties: “The [referees] are going to call what they see. They do their job, and we have to do our job and not give them that opportunity ... It’s hard to see out there. You can’t blame a [referee]. You have to do your job to make them not call that play.”
(09/01/16 12:20pm)
It’s fall of 2012, and 119 Mercer students congregate on a field. Without any official place to dress, they put on their jerseys and gear in the end zone, very unfamiliar with any of the other people around them they would soon call teammates — brothers, even.
On this first day of practice for Mercer football, there was no field house. There were no press boxes. There were no seats.
There were 119 hungry Bears and a few coaches who ran them. These players are the “Day Ones.”
“There will never be a class as close as this,” said Tony Perella, a “Day One” offensive lineman. “[We’re] as close as a group of guys could possibly be . . . I don’t think we could have been any closer just coming in starting competition that same year. It was either you bond or you didn’t when we all bonded.”
The official “Day Ones” are the players who battled through practices in 2012-13 before competition began in the fall of 2013. On that first day, which players described as more of a conditioning practice, Marvin Davis said it was weird because “we didn’t know each other at all.”
But now, five years later, he said the bond is inseparable.[pullquote speaker="Marvin Davis" photo="" align="right" background="on" border="all" shadow="off"]I would describe them as my life-long brothers, guys that I can count on to spend my whole life with.[/pullquote]
“I would describe them as my life-long brothers, guys that I can count on to spend my whole life with,” Davis said. “We’ll do anything to win a Southern Conference championship our last year.”
They have come a far way to have such expectations. After going 21-14 in the first three years of competition, Mercer — now on an equal playing field with 63 scholarships — is looking to compete with other SoCon teams for a conference title.
But in the beginning, the Bears competed against themselves. In the first year, Perella and Davis said practices were a battle among each other in order to impress the coaching staff.
“It was more of a docking for power,” Davis said. “We wanted to do this and that on the team; we wanted to impress the coaches. Now, we’re all together fighting for one goal.”
Accomplishing that goal would mean ousting eight other teams in the conference, including last year’s co-champions Chattanooga and The Citadel, who are ranked No. 7 and No. 15, respectively, in the FCS.
Perella said winning a championship has been on everyone’s mind during camp.
“We’ve been doing this thing every team meeting at night, we’ll have two [or] three seniors stand up every night, and we’ll do a one-word to describe you kind of thing, they’ll introduce who their hero is and what Mercer football means to them,” Perella said. “The one thing I can tell you that like everyone is answering what Mercer football means to them is that we’re trying to finish what we started and bring a ring home this last year.”
But this group of seniors, the “Day Ones,” are not looking too far ahead. Wide receiver Jordan Marshall and Perella said they won’t take anything for granted, because as the weeks wear on, the end of their college football career will grow nearer.
“I know every time I go out on the field it’s going to be one of the last times I’m able to,” Marshall said. “Just having that in the back of my head is making me appreciate everything a little more.”
But time is not the only thing garnering respect. Head coach Bobby Lamb said the “Day Ones” are highly respected because they “made this program.” Davis said the younger players on the team understand the road the “Day Ones” have traveled, so as a respected senior, he said he tries to preach the mindset the team should have.
“We just kind of instill it into the younger guys that it’s right there for our grabs,” Davis said. “Like, ‘Hey, we can beat these teams.’ Us losing is not an option anymore.”
(08/28/16 3:02pm)
Nestled on Riverside Drive is a culinary jewel that doesn’t disappoint. Locally sourced and served, the cuisine at Grow is a cut above. The restaurant has one simple tagline: “fresh local food,” and the owners intend to live up to that.
A quick chat with owner Saralyn Harvey told us everything we needed to know about Grow. This farm-to-table style restaurant gleans all of its dishes from Georgia farms and backyard gardens. The restaurant's offerings are fresh, tasty and affordable.
THE GOOD:
The Meal
Despite the building’s modest appearance, the food at Grow was exceptional.
Summer had the eggplant parmesan sandwich with a side of squash casserole. She said the eggplant was well-breaded and the marinara sauce was sweet and tangy. The mozzarella cheese was a thick, gooey paste and her meal was satisfying overall. Eyeing it from across the table, I may have been a bit jealous.
I got the fresh tomato pasta with a side of fruit and garlic bread. The pasta was buttery and full of crispy bell peppers, tomato chunks and basil. The fresh fruit was succulent and sweet and the bread added just enough to the meal. I left feeling satisfied and not too guilty about my caloric intake.
Overall, we were impressed with the presentation and the generous portion sizes of our meal.
THE QUESTIONABLE:
The Sides
There weren’t a lot of side options to begin with, but the options Grow did have were underwhelming. We will give them a pass though, since they do have a rotating seasonal menu.
The Appetizer
Grow offered boiled peanuts instead of the traditional complimentary breadsticks you might expect from restaurants. The peanuts were a tasty shout out to Georgia (and a nice southern touch) but we were given few baskets. Go big or go home, right?
THE BAD:
The Service
We were on the fence about whether or not to put this in the questionable section. But having strong roots in the family restaurant business, Summer was adamant about placing this here. The server was just a little too pushy about getting our orders (we had not been seated for more than a few minutes when she asked, twice) and then she didn’t reappear for a long time.
Overall, Grow still hit a homerun for us. Not only is it close to campus and easy on the wallet, it’s tasty and supports local farmers.
Katie: 3.5/5
Summer: 4.5/5
(08/19/16 12:23am)
Mercer football has had only one FCS All-American in the program’s history, and his name is Chandler Curtis. The junior wide receiver from Calhoun jumped into the national spotlight two years ago as a freshman, earning Third-Team All-America recognition after a campaign in which he produced both offensively and on special teams.
But last season, the brightest number on the stat sheet was 42 — the number of snaps he played throughout the entire season. Curtis dealt with an injury-plagued year and appeared in only three games.
But he said he feels 100 percent now.
“The medical staff in there has took care of everything,” Curtis said. “I’m really just ready for Sept. 1.”
As a freshman, Curtis ranked fourth nationally with a 29.8 kickoff return average. He was also named the CFPA FCS Return Specialist of the Year after he recorded a nation-high three punt returns and four total return touchdowns.
Despite registering only 13 catches for 153 yards and a touchdown as a sophomore, Curtis still has the respect of the league’s coaches, as they voted him to the Preseason Second Team All-SoCon squad. But he strives for more.
“For a person like me, that’s a down statement, because I know the ability that I can actually do,” Curtis said. “Being voted that is a great feeling, but that makes me want to push myself more.”
Pushing himself was something he was forced to practice last season. Not only was 2015 a physical battle for Curtis as he dealt with numerous injuries, but it was also a mental battle.
“Since I was a little kid, I don’t think I missed even just one game,” Curtis said. “Sitting out, really, the whole season just felt bad, but I know me getting the mental reps and the snaps just has made me all better for this year.”
And the Bears would certainly welcome an improved Curtis. Without him in the lineup last season, Mercer’s points per game dropped from 32.5 in 2014 to 28.9 in 2015. Their yards per pass attempt also dipped from 8.67 to 7.23 while their yards per play dropped from 6.3 to 5.8.
Head coach Bobby Lamb said the offense lacked explosive plays last season, an aspect Curtis could re-energize with his return.
“We were ground and pound, and then every now and then we would hit a big play, and we lacked [in] that area,” Lamb said.
The Bears ranked fourth in the Southern Conference in total offense in 2015 and will look to improve on that ranking as quarterback John Russ enters his fourth and final year. Curtis said he knows the team has the ability to have an explosive offense.
“I expect for us to be really hard for any defensive team in the country to stop us this year,” Curtis said. “All we have to do is give it 100 percent.”
(08/18/16 1:40pm)
As John Russ took a knee, it was as if Mercer football’s prayers had finally been answered. The disappointment of so many close games -- losses of five, three, two, one, three and two over two seasons -- was finally forgotten for one night: Nov. 7.
On a brisk Saturday night in Five Star Stadium, Mercer football earned the program’s greatest victory since its rebirth as it shocked No. 3 Chattanooga 17-14.
Head coach Bobby Lamb joked that “maybe they couldn’t see us out there,” alluding to the camouflage uniforms the Bears donned in honor of Military Appreciation Day. But after that victory, Mercer won’t be incognito.
At least it shouldn’t be.
Now entering its fourth season and finally on a level playing field with 63 scholarship players, Mercer returns all but two starters to a squad who — through injuries to key players — finished 5-6 last season. So just how special can 2016 be for the Bears?
THREE THINGS TO WATCH
1. How will the cornerback depth hold up?
Even though Mercer finished as the best scoring defense in the conference last year allowing 21.6 points per game, cornerback was a position of weakness given the lack of depth. Granted, injuries were a large reason for the depth issues.
Junior Jeremy James returns as a third-year starter and will be paired with sophomore Stephen Houzah – a.k.a., “Houzah Daddy,” a nickname I thought I had created until I heard he had already been called that.
Houzah came on strong early as a freshman in a two-interception performance against Stetson before dealing with injuries and an eventual ACL tear. Lamb said Houzah is back to 100 percent.
The Bears lose Alex Avant but bring in transfer Kam Lott and freshman Harrison Poole. Lamb spoke highly of the two new incomers along with redshirt freshman Eric Jackson, who tore his Achilles his senior year of high school.
Mercer still signed him and redshirted the corner last year, who Lamb said has “really lit it up” so far.
“We’ve gone from last year maybe having two corners to having five corners this year that we like -- maybe five and a half,” Lamb said. “That position went from being a, ‘hold onto your breath … hopefully no one gets hurt,’ to a pretty deep position.”
But while it’s comforting to hear Lamb speak highly of the position, we first need to see those newcomers make an impact on the field before we can be fully comfortable with the depth at the position.
2. Get used to a firework show
The Bears have more weapons than a Bass Pro Shops. Wide receiver Chandler Curtis, who played only 42 snaps last season because of injuries, will be back on the field Week 1. As a freshman, Curtis recorded a team-high 564 receiving yards and five touchdowns while dominating as a kick returner.
His receiving totals, on top of a 29.8-yard kickoff return average — ranking him fourth in the nation — made him the program’s first All-American. Without Curtis’s 20.1-yard-per-catch average last season, the Bears struggled in the big-play department.
“We did an evaluation of our offense as we always do, and we lacked explosive plays,” Lamb said. “Chandler Curtis gives us the option to throw a 3- or 4-yard pass and maybe get 30 or 40 yards.”
But Curtis isn’t the only receiving option. Junior Avery Ward returns as the eighth-leading receptions grabber in the Southern Conference (SoCon), while 6-foot-2 sophomore Marquise Irvin showed flashes of potential as a freshman.
And don’t forget about TEU, as Lamb calls it. Tight end Sam Walker was second on the team with 25 catches last season and was named to the Preseason Second Team All-SoCon squad. Fellow tight end Robert Brown was also a weapon in 2015, finishing third on the team in receiving yards.
“Our tight end group is as good of a tight end group as you’ll see in FCS football,” Lamb said.
And that’s not just being braggadocios, considering the pair combined for an impressive 42 receptions last season. In the backfield, Alex Lakes will carry the load, finally healthy after dealing with a punctured lung for a chunk of last season.
Jimmie Robinson moved from wide receiver to running back and will be “a guy who touches the ball a lot,” according to Lamb. Expect Robinson to be the lightning to Lakes’ thunder, potentially filling the Tee Mitchell role of last season.
And all of those toys in the skill positions will be led by fourth-year starting quarterback John Russ, who Lamb said will be the starter despite the transfer of Vanderbilt quarterback Johnny McCrary.
“I think [John]’s ready to knock the top off of it,” Lamb said. “He knows our offense inside and out. He can call the plays if something happens to me on the sideline. I feel really good about John and his ability to lead this team.”
3. Can the Bears survive the first five weeks?
Mercer gained some much-needed confidence with wins over SoCon and Furman late last season. It will be vital for the Bears to utilize that momentum with a good start in 2016, but the first five games on the schedule are a doozy.
The Bears open the season at home against SoCon co-champion The Citadel, then have to travel to Georgia Tech in Week 2. But the road doesn’t become easier after the Yellow Jackets. Tennessee Tech, who defeated Mercer last season, comes to Five Star Stadium before Mercer goes on a two-game road trip at VMI and Chattanooga.
A 3-2 record through that stretch would be a solid start. A 2-3 or 1-4 beginning to the season would be difficult to recover from for a team who is extremely confident right now. Mercer will most likely have to beat at least one of two — The Citadel or Chattanooga — if it wants a SoCon title in 2016.
“We’ve got a lot of talent in a lot of spots, and it’s just a matter of these guys getting out here and competing every Saturday -- competing every single day.”
[pullquote speaker="Head coach Bobby Lamb" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]“I think [John Russ] is ready to knock the top off of it. He knows our offense inside and out. He can call the plays if something happens to me on the sideline. I feel really good about John and his ability to lead this team.[/pullquote]
GAME BREAKDOWNS
Sept. 1: The Citadel (7 p.m.)
Prediction: Mercer wins 33-27
In its first two seasons in the Southern Conference, Mercer has lost to The Citadel twice by two points. The Bears were an extra point conversion away from tying the SoCon’s co-champion in last year’s road contest.
Mercer, who will have to limit the Bulldogs’ triple option attack, will be fully healthy and utilizes home-field advantage for a win in the season opener.
Sept. 10: at Georgia Tech (3 p.m.)
Prediction: Mercer loses 52-24
Even though the odds are ever not in Mercer’s favor to beat Georgia Tech, playing a high-level FBS opponent at this stage is a great stepping stone for Mercer football. I don’t expect an embarrassing trouncing, though, considering the Bears will be facing a triple option in Week 1.
Paul Johnson throws his own wrinkles into the offensive philosophy, but facing The Citadel a week before Georgia Tech is certainly good timing. The Bears score late to make it a pretty respectable contest.
Sept. 17: Tennessee Tech (4 p.m.)
Prediction: Mercer wins 31-23
Tennessee Tech was Mercer’s first loss last season, but this year the Bears face the Golden Eagles at home. Tennessee Tech loses its starting quarterback from last year, Jared Davis, who had a field day against Mercer – 18-of-26 for 301 yards and two touchdowns.
Oct. 1: at VMI (1:30 p.m.)
Prediction: Mercer wins 35-23
The Keydets are the beginning of a testy two-game conference road trip and boast, arguably, the best quarterback in the SoCon in Al Cobb. The redshirt junior led the league in passing yards by a wide margin, finishing with 2,736 last season -- 494 more than anyone else.
But while Cobb is a major threat, VMI is one of the lesser teams in the SoCon, coming in at No. 8 on the Preseason Coaches Poll.
Oct. 8: at Chattanooga (4 p.m.)
Prediction: Mercer loses 27-17
Cinderella only went to the ball once — I think. To be honest, I don’t believe I ever watched the movie — and it’s tough to expect her to come out again. The Mocs were voted by the league’s coaches to win the conference and are ranked No. 7 in the FCS to begin the season.
While Mercer will be improved this year, beating Chattanooga on the road would be quite the feat. The Mocs will be especially hungry to beat the Bears.
[poll id="26" align="right" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]
Oct. 15: Western Carolina (4 p.m.)
Prediction: Mercer wins 23-20
Mercer led 21-3 early in the second quarter against Western Carolina before allowing the Catamounts to score the final 21 points of the game. Expect a relatively low-scoring, close game, but Mercer ekes out a victory at home over the fourth-ranked SoCon team.
Oct. 22: at Austin Peay (4 p.m.)
Prediction: Mercer wins 45-14
The Governors are one of two teams on the schedule who should be easy wins for Mercer. The Bears opened 2015 with a 28-7 win over Austin Peay, but in 2014, Mercer destroyed the Governors 49-21. Mercer should have no trouble governing this game on the road.
Oct. 29: at Wofford (1:30 p.m.)
Prediction: Mercer wins 30-20
The Wofford loss last season is one I would love to forget but simply can’t. Early in the season after a loss to Tennessee Tech, the Bears could have gained some momentum with a conference win but instead dropped a devastating outing at home.
I doubt I’m the only one who can’t forget that game, and I expect an improved Mercer team -- the better team in this matchup -- to take care of business on the road.
Nov. 5: East Tennessee State (3 p.m.)
Prediction: Mercer wins 49-10
This was probably the toughest game to pick on the schedule. Does Mercer win by 30? Or does it win by 40? These are major, life-defining questions.
Ultimately, I chose the latter given Mercer’s 52-0 win last year, a win in which the Bears had 373 total yards on offense -- in the first half.
Nov. 12: at Samford (3:30 p.m.)
Prediction: Mercer loses 41-34
We might as well call Samford “WRU” -- Wide Receiver University. The Bulldogs boast three of the top four receptions leaders in the SoCon from last season -- Karel Hamilton (75), Kelvin McKnight (57) and Emmanuel Obajimi (54).
On top of the weapons out wide, Samford’s offense is led by redshirt sophomore Devlin Hodges, who finished second in the league with 2,230 passing yards in 2015 -- in only five starts. Five. He passed for 392 yards in Samford’s 47-21 win over Mercer in the final game.
Don’t expect another blowout. The Bulldogs actually trailed in the game until late in the third quarter and pulled away in the fourth behind two 94-yard touchdowns. But in a battle of two explosive offenses, Samford gets the final laugh as it’s fueled by its home crowd.
Nov. 19: Furman (3 p.m.)
Prediction: Mercer wins 24-13
Beating Furman will always be extra special while Lamb is on the sidelines for Mercer. Furman’s head coach from 2002-2010, Lamb led the Bears to their third-ever SoCon victory when they defeated the Paladins 27-20 on the road last year.
Furman struggled to a 4-7 record last year, and given Mercer’s improvements this season, it should handle the Paladins at home in the season finale.
(06/10/16 12:17am)
In a matter of four years, Kyle Lewis went from running up-and-down a basketball court to being an 11th overall pick in the MLB draft.
After three seasons at Mercer, Lewis was drafted by the Seattle Mariners Thursday, becoming the highest-drafted baseball player in program history. The selection is 21 picks higher than Pat Creech, who was drafted 32nd overall by the Montreal Expos in 1973, according to Baseball-Reference.com.
Lewis joins a list of five other former Mercer players who are now apart of a major league organization, two of whom -- Billy Burns and Cory Gearrin -- are currently playing at the highest level for the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants, respectively.
In three seasons, Lewis registered a .364 batting average with 39 home runs and 145 RBI. He was also named Baseball America's 2016 College Player of the Year, a Louisville Slugger First Team All-American, a two-time SoCon Player of the Year and the All-Star of the Cape Cod League.
[video credit="" align="center"][/video]
TWITTER REACTIONS:
Congrats my brother. Proud of you. Can't wait to watch you play in the Show @KLew_20 pic.twitter.com/nYxEQxNoAX
— Jose (@MUJosey) June 10, 2016
The @Mariners just got the next Ken Griffey! @KLew_20 #TheNextKid pic.twitter.com/FqCuDO2djh
— Brian Gerrity (@briangerrity) June 10, 2016
After the selection of Kyle Lewis I expect a celebratory nae-nae from every Mariners fan pic.twitter.com/M2ZiJEsgZ1
— Mark Switalski (@mswit24) June 10, 2016
With the 11th pick in the #MLBDraft the #Mariners choose Kyle Lewis OF from Mercer Collage pic.twitter.com/plvKePKSoD
— Alan Reed (@areedk5sports) June 10, 2016
Congratulations bro!!! You deserve this! #SeattleMariners pic.twitter.com/LkUJio0p4b
— Trey Truitt (@Ttruitt_9) June 10, 2016
#Mariners take OF Kyle Lewis. His fall ends. Think it's just because of competition level. Think he's a RF with 25+ HR upside. #MLBDraft
— Joe DeMayo (@PSLToFlushing) June 10, 2016
(04/22/16 2:39am)
https://soundcloud.com/youngspeak-sports/inside-the-den-mens-basketballs-jaylen-stowe
Men's basketball is in its offseason, but it's still making noise. The Bears have added five new players to the roster, including two transfers. Hayes and Justin talk to freshman Jaylen Stowe about the offseason and the new faces on the team next season.
(04/06/16 1:25am)
https://soundcloud.com/the-cluster-sports/inside-the-den-mercer-baseball-and-hc-craig-gibson
Hayes and Justin interview Mercer baseball coach Craig Gibson on this week's episode of Inside the Den. The guys talk about the team's performance so far and then discuss the rest of the season, Kyle Lewis' draft prospects and more with Coach Gibson.
Music credit to Chuki Hip Hop (BE).
(04/01/16 8:41pm)
https://soundcloud.com/the-cluster-sports/inside-the-den-softballs-kaytlin-haney
What's it like moving from Texas to Macon, Georgia? Justin and Hayes are joined by softball's Kaytlin Haney on this week's episode of Inside the Den. The hosts talk to the senior about her career at Mercer as well as some of the successes and struggles the softball team has experienced this season. A short recap about the other in-season athletic teams is included.
Music credit goes to Chuki Hip Hop (BE).
(03/31/16 2:27am)
About a dozen students congregated on Mercer’s Black Field. A few ragged white balls laid on the ground while some miniature pop-up soccer goals rested on the hill leading up to the newly-built football stadium.
Few had equipment. There was no structure — no drills. It was simply a group of guys running around, flinging a ball into a net.
It was the inception of the Mercer club lacrosse team.
“It's kind of incredible to think about where the program is today compared to where we were when we first started,” said junior midfielder Suraj Kannan.
Kannan is currently a captain and has been on the team since day one. His freshman roommate Jaryd Kromsky together with Brian Stepanski started the program, and the first practices took place in the spring of 2014.
But, the team didn’t practice more seriously until the fall when it held its first scrimmage against Kennesaw State University.
“We used hand-me-down practice jerseys from the football team,” Kannan said.
The team started playing games during the spring of 2015 as a member of the Deep South Conference in the National College Lacrosse League (NCLL). Mercer lost all three of its first-year games.
But the losing streak ended at four. The team played a doubleheader Feb. 20 against Chattanooga and Marshall with only 10 players — no substitutes.
After losing 13-2 to the Mocs in the first game, Mercer walloped Marshall 14-4 in the second of the doubleheader to earn its first victory in program history.
“Honestly, it was a bit surreal,” said junior goalie Jeremy Smith. “I waited three years to have that first win, and I think we really needed it as a team. We all were a little disheartened after we had repeatedly gotten beat by these larger, well-established programs. And once we had that first win, we realized that we can actually compete in the league we are in.”
Smith said, unlike Mercer, many of the programs the team plays are schools that do not have a varsity team. Both he and Stepanski, the president of the team, said they liked club lacrosse because Division I athletics was too time consuming.
“An NCAA team practices six times a week; we only practice twice a week,” Stepanski said. “We are able to enjoy the sport and play what we all love without it consuming all of our time.”
The team boasts 15 members, some of whom had never played before joining. The program receives funding from the university, Stepanski said, although they will sell t-shirts for any additional money.
In order to recruit, Stepanski said that he sets up a table at Bear Fair each year.
“The student body is very interested in the team,” he said. “At the last game, the bleachers at Orange Field were full, and two of the fans watching the game have decided to come out for the team since they enjoyed watching the game so much.”
But he’s not picky when it comes to who can join the team.
“I started the club because I knew there were other players like me at this school, and we needed to come together for the love of the sport,” Stepanski said. “I also love seeing new players come out to practice and discovering how amazing the sport is.”
The team will play three more games this season, including a doubleheader Saturday, April 9 against Mississippi State and Memphis. Adding two more games against Dalton State and Furman — which were cancelled because of rain — is still in the works.
“I'd never even considered the thought of playing lacrosse in college, even at the club level, but when I was presented with the opportunity, I jumped at it,” Kannan said. “I'm proud to be a part of a team that I've helped build from the ground up. It's an incredible feeling.”
(03/31/16 2:15am)
Six years ago, beach volleyball was not an NCAA-sanctioned sport. But in 2012, 16 schools started a program. Mercer was one of those first 16 teams.
And after four competitive seasons, beach volleyball became the 90th NCAA championship sport in June of 2015.
The sport now features 50 programs and has announced it will host its first Collegiate Beach Volleyball National Championship in Gulf Shores, Alabama, in May.
The Bears, members of the Atlantic Sun, will have a chance to compete for a spot in the national championship.
The duo of junior Tori Penrod and sophomore Emily Krogman have played together in 13 of Mercer’s 14 matches, registering a 9-4 record from the No. 1 seed for the majority of the season.
“I think we work very well together because we communicate,” Krogman said. “We talk a lot during practices about what we need to work on individually and what we need to work on as a pair. We communicate our strategy during the match and during timeouts. We are very open with each other about what we want and how we want to execute it.”
And they’ve executed. The duo’s record is the best on the team this season.
Penrod, the Preseason A-Sun Player of the Year, said the success has been a product of their experience playing as a top seed in the past. The Jupiter, Florida, native played as both No. 1 and 2 as a freshman, finishing 8-14 during the season.
As a sophomore, she played every match in the No. 1 seed with current junior Emma Peel, finishing 8-12 over the course of the season.
“Having experience competing for Mercer in the top seeds the past two years helps us prepare for competition and understand the pressures that come with being the top seed,” Penrod said. “Emily and I also have very similar personalities on the court, and I think that helps make us a strong pairing.”
Krogman does not have the same top-seed experience as Penrod, but she recorded the best winning percentage on the team — 14-6 — last year at the No. 4 seed as a freshman with Erin Brett.
The San Diego, California, native didn’t start playing beach volleyball tournaments until the summer before her junior year of high school. Originally, she did not want to play beach in college.
But her coach suggested she play both indoor and beach and gave Krogman a list of schools that offered beach.
“Mercer was the only school that would let me play both indoor and beach volleyball,” Krogman said. “All of the other schools I was talking to said that I had to choose one over the other. Mercer had a lot of other qualities that I was looking for in a college, and after my visit I fell in love with the campus, with the coaching staff and the rest of the volleyball team.”
But despite Krogman and Penrod’s success together, head coach Damian Elder split the pair for the first time this season in the team’s match against Florida Gulf Coast March 26. After three straight losses, the team’s record had dropped to 6-7.
Krogman said the duo was split to test different pairings.
“As a team we cannot seem to figure out a way to win the match as a whole,” she said. “Right now we are trying new partnerships and different pairings to see if that is what is going to help win the team match for Mercer.”
The Bears dropped to 6-9 on the season after losing to No. 8 Georgia State March 29, marking their fifth straight loss. Penrod and Krogman were once again split, and both lost their match in the outing.
“We are overcoming some key players being out this season and working to find our best lineup to win the Atlantic Sun,” Penrod said. “Almost all of our players are returning next year, which will be great moving forward to next season.”
(03/27/16 11:00pm)
[embed]https://soundcloud.com/user-311195856/inside-the-den-a-just-ruling[/embed]
Justin Baxley and Hayes Rule are back in this week with another Inside the Den podcast. On this week's show, Justin sits down with a very special guest to talk about Mercer Golf. The guys also talk about all the spring sports teams in action. You will not want to miss this special episode.