Mercer Bears Make History, Stay Perfect in SoCon With 62-0 Rout of VMI

Freshman QB Braeden Atkinson sets school passing record as Mercer climbs to No. 13 in FCS Coaches Poll ahead of Furman clash

MACON, Georgia – (41NBC/WMGT) – The Mercer Bears are making history this fall. For the first time in program history, Mercer sits atop the Southern Conference standings at 5-0 after a dominant 62-0 victory over VMI at Five Star Stadium on Saturday.

Coming off a bye week, the Bears showed no signs of rust, earning their ninth straight conference win in record-setting fashion. Freshman quarterback Braeden Atkinson put on a performance for the ages, throwing for 533 yards, a new school record, and earning Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Week and Stats Perform Freshman of the Week honors.

A large portion of that production went to Brayden Smith, a Tattnall Square Academy graduate, who racked up 150 receiving yards. Smith now ranks second on the team in receiving yards and leads in receiving touchdowns.

The historic day didn’t stop there. Junior kicker Reice Griffith set the Mercer career record for field goals, connecting on his 36th make to etch his name in the program’s record books.

Now ranked No. 13 in the FCS Coaches Poll, Mercer will look to keep its undefeated conference road record intact this week when it travels to Greenville to face rival Furman. The Bears topped the Paladins by three scores last season, but head coach Mike Jacobs said this year’s Furman squad is a more mature and battle-tested team.

Jacobs emphasized the importance of preparation and consistency as Mercer aims to stay perfect.

“Listen, I’ve talked about it a bunch this year – I really, truly believe that it seems so simple that the team that shows up ready to play most often wins,” Jacobs said. “It’s not always the best team. It takes a lot to be mentally and physically at the point where you can play well, where you’re locked in, where you play with physicality and carry yourself with a certain expectation of excellence. I was just excited about how we handled that, and I expect to play well when I know we’ve practiced well.”

Mercer (7-1, 5-0 SoCon) will face Furman on Saturday in a key conference matchup that could have major implications in the race for the SoCon title and FCS playoff positioning. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.