WCU Game 8 - at #14 Mercer Bears

In the season's eighth game, the #24 nationally ranked Catamounts remain on the road, as they travel to Macon, Georgia to face the # 14 ranked Mercer Bears.  

The Bears finished the 2023 season tied for second place with the Chattanooga Mocs, finishing with a 9-4 overall record, and were picked to finish this season in forth place in preseason voting by the SoCon coaches. 

Prior to Week #8 games this season, the Bears were undefeated and ranked #7 nationally, but were stunned by unranked Samford, 55-35 in Homewood, AL last Saturday. 

Game 8 - at  #14 Mercer Bears

When: Saturday, October 25, 2022

Time:  3:30 pm
Where: Five Star Stadium, Macon, GA
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
   -Play-by-Play:  Gary Ayers • Daniel Hooker • Producer: Jeff Bryson

TV/video:  ESPN+ ESPN+

Live Stats:   Live Stats

Enrollment:  9,100

Nickname:  Bears

Mascot: Toby & Tot

Fan Message Board:  MU Bear Down

2-Deep Roster:   Western Carolina     -    Mercer

Game Notes:   Western Carolina   -   Mercer   -     Southern Conference 

The Series: In only the 11th meeting between the two teams, the Cats own a 2-8 overall record against the Bears, having dropped the last eight (8) games played in the series. The Cats are 1-4 against the Bears in games played in Macon.  

Last Season's Game vs. Mercer (October. 19, 2023) - Turnovers Costly in Homecoming Loss to Mercer - Cole Gonzales matched his career-high with five touchdown passes including two to tight end Ajay Belanger, but #16/10 Western Carolina was unable to overcome six turnovers including two that went for Mercer scores in suffering a 45-38 loss to the Bears on Homecoming Saturday in front of 12,154 fans at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field.

Last Season's Record (2023 Mercer): 9-4 overall, 5-1 home, 3-3 away, 1-0 neutral, 6-2 SoCon

This Season's Record (2024 Mercer): 6-1 overall, 3-0 home, 3-1 away, , 0-0 neutral, 3-1 SoCon

Head Coach: Mike Jacobs -  A 21-year collegiate coaching veteran with footprints of success throughout each stop of his storied career, Mike Jacobs was announced as the 21st head coach in the history of the Mercer football program on Jan. 18, 2024. Jacobs, who has compiled a 74-17 (.813) record across head coaching stops at both Notre Dame (Ohio) and Lenoir-Rhyne, boasts the nation’s sixth-best winning percentage among active coaches at the NCAA Divisions I and II levels. He is fresh off of a 2023 campaign that saw him lead Lenoir-Rhyne to a 13-2 clip that was accentuated with an appearance in the semifinal round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs.

Kerwin Bell's record vs. Mercer:  0 - 3

Mike Jacobs's record vs. WCU:  0 - 0

The Bears were picked to finish fourth in the standings in the 2024 pre-season poll and had 6 players selected for preseason honors.  Seniors linebacker Isaac Dowling and senior linebacker Ken Standley picked up  preseason honors when the duo were both selected with preseason all-America accolades by Stats Perform.

 

The Bears added 12 player in the offseason, as well as a pair of NCAA Division II all-Americans. Mercer found depth in six different areas including three each on the offensive line and at wide receivers, two defensive linemen and defensive backs, one running back and a punter.  The 2024 transfer class additions are Ian Hover (OL, Texas State), Lonnie Ratliff IV (QB, Holmes CC) and D.J. Smith (QB, Jones JC).

Prior to week #8, the Mercer Bears were on Cloud 9.  The 2024 edition of the Bears was the first Mercer team in the 50-plus year history of the program to begin a season with five-straight victories.  Mercer also broke a school record for consecutive wins (6) with the triumph over Princeton in Week 7.  Mercer had jumped up four spots to No. 7 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll on October 7, while crawling up three spots to No. 8 in the Stats Perform for their first appearance in the FCS Top 10. 

The Bears also possessed the NCAA FCS’s second-ranked total defense, and ranked among the nation’s top 10 teams in a dozen other defensive statistical categories as well. 

However, after the 55-35 beatdown by the Bulldogs, these rankings fail by the way side... While the mainstream marveled at their success, most of their SoCon opponents looked at their strength of schedule, and realized how weak the first half of their schedule really turned out to be, and this was shown as the Bulldogs put up 446 total yards and 55 points against they highly touted defense. 

2024 Mercer Statistics (13 games):

Rushing Offense: 1092 yards
Yards per game: 156

Yards per rush: 3.8 yards
Rushing 1st downs: 65
TDs rushing: 12
Passing Offense: 1665 yards or 237 yards per game
Avg. per pass: 12.8 yards
Passing 1st downs: 70
Passing: Att-Comp-Int: 188-130-9

TDs Passing: 12
Total Offense: 2757 yards or 394 yards per game
Fumbles-Lost: 6-5
3d Down Conversions: 33 of  91 (36%)
4th Down Conversions: 5 of 8 (63%)
Field goal attempts: 7 of 11
On-side kicks: 0-0
Red Zone Scores: 26 of 29  
Red Zone Touchdowns: 19 of 29

PAT:  30 of 30