Mercer 26, Furman 14
Freshman quarterback Carter Peevy passed for a school-record 406 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while rushing for another, as Mercer out-gained No. 17/21 Furman 507-243 in total offense en route to a 26-14 Southern Conference win Saturday afternoon at Five Star Stadium.
With the win, Mercer kept its faint hopes alive for a Southern Conference title this spring, as the Bears improved to 4-5 in the 2020-21 season, including a 4-2 mark in SoCon play. It was Mercer's third-straight win, including its second over a ranked foe in as many weeks.
Furman saw its faint hopes of a Southern Conference spring title, as well as its FCS playoff hopes come to an end in Saturday's loss, as the Paladins fell to 3-3 overall and in league play in the 2020-21 campaign.
Points were not easy to come by in the opening half of play, however, it was the Bears who got on the board first, putting together one of their most impressive drives of the entire spring, as Peevy capped off a 13-play, 89-yard drive with a 1-yard scoring plunge with 7:15 remaining in the opening quarter.
Furman responded late in the opening quarter, as All-SoCon running back Devin Wynn evened the score on a 1-yard plunge of his own, capping what was a 12-play, 83-yard drive by the Paladins.
The second quarter saw both defenses bend, but neither broke, as the two teams went into the locker room tied, 7-7. Travis Blackshear's first interception of the spring, and first of two by the Paladin defense on the day helped thwart a late Mercer potential scoring drive.
Furman's second interception of the afternoon, which came via linebacker Nicky Kuzemka, set up the Paladin offense in good stead with an opportunity to take its first lead of the day. Kuzemka's pick came on just the third play of the second half, setting up the Paladin offense in Mercer territory, eventually leading to the Paladins' only points of the second half.
Hamp Sisson tossed his 11th scoring pass of the spring, and fifth to Ryan Miller, as his 30-yard pass down the far sidelines found his reliable tight end in stride to make it a 14-7 Furman lead following Timmy Bleekrode's PAT with 13:19 remaining in the third quarter.
From that point forward, Furman would be smothered by the Bears defense, which held the Paladins scoreless the rest of the way, as the Paladins could muster only 26 yards on its next five possessions, and totaled just 103 total yards in the second half.
Mercer was able to slowly, but surely whittle way Furman's seven-point lead with a pair of Caleb Dowden field goals from 23 and 31 yards, cutting the Paladin lead to 14-13 heading into the fourth quarter.
Peevy's favorite receiver in the win over the Paladins was freshman Ty James, who proved pivotal in the win in the second half, as he hauled in passes of 34 and 47 yards, respectively, setting up both of Dowden's third-quarter field goals. In the fourth quarter, it was James, who hauled in a Peevy pass, spun to elude a Paladin defender, and then raced 15 yards to the end zone to give the Bears a 19-14 lead following a failed two-point conversion attempt with 7:37 remaining. All told, James finished the big day for the Mercer passing attack by hauling in eight passes for 179 yards and a touchdown.
On Furman's next possession and needing points, the Mercer defense stood strong, as Bears defensive back Michael Campbell stopped Sisson for no gain and then broke up a pass intended for Paladin wideout Noah Henderson, forcing a three-and-out and getting the ball back to Peevy and the red hot Bears offense.
Following a 53-yard connection from Peevy-to-Ethan Dirrim, which got the Bears all the way down to the Furman 26, the Bears were in the end zone once again three plays later, as Peevy found Dirrim on a 24-yard pass to make it a 26-14 game following another failed two-point play with 3:50 remaining.
Furman would drive inside Mercer territory late in the contest, however, on a 4th-and-10 play at the Mercer 27, Sisson's pass intended for Miller fell incomplete with 1:31 remaining, and the Paladins were forced to turn the ball over on downs. Mercer's offense would run off the remainder of the clock, snapping what had been a three-game losing streak to Furman in the series.
All told, Peevy finished the afternoon connecting on 21-of-36 passes, with two touchdowns and two interceptions, finishing off his school-record 406-yard passing performance. Sisson finished the contest completing 16-of-30 throws for 177 yards and a touchdown, while getting sacked four times.
Mercer's defense held the Paladins to just 66 yards on the ground, out-gaining the Paladins on the ground, 101-66. Wynn was held well under his rushing average for the second game in a row, as he finished the contest with just 55 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries. With his 55 yards on the ground, Wynn moved onto Furman's top 10 career rushing chart, surpassing Hank McCloud's (2011-14) 2,395-career yards, as the native of Greensboro, GA, now has 2,437 career ground yards during his sterling four-year Paladin career.
The Paladins head on the road for the final time in the spring, as they will renew the most-played rivalry in the Southern Conference next Saturday in Charleston against The Citadel. Kickoff for that contest is slated for 1 p.m. EST. Mercer returns to action with a 6 p.m. contest against East Tennessee State at Five Star Stadium.
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