Mercer Hosts Stetson Saturday on Brink of NCAA History

MACON, Ga. (MERCER RELEASE) – Looking to set the mark as the best start-up program in NCAA Division I history, the Mercer University football team has its eyes set on win No. 10 Saturday afternoon and a perfect home record when the Bears welcome Stetson to town for Homecoming and Senior Day at Anderson Field.

Boasting a 9-2 record through 11 games, Mercer is on the brink of etching its name into the NCAA record books when the Bears look to become the first start-up program in NCAA Division I history to post double-digit wins.

Robert Morris set the pace with a 7-1-1 record in 1994, before Old Dominion’s 9-2 record in 1999 has been the benchmark for first-year football programs over the last 14 years.

A win Saturday would give Mercer an unprecedented 10-2 overall record and a perfect 8-0 record at home.

In comparison, Mercer is one of 12 start-up football programs in 2013 and one of only two teams with a winning record. Berry College, Southwestern University, Warner University and Stetson have all combined for a 3-29 mark in 2013.

Standing room only tickets and berm seating are still available for the contest by clicking here.

Gameday Lineup

Date: Sat. Nov. 23 | 4 p.m. EST
Teams: Mercer (9-2, 5-2 PFL) vs. Stetson (2-8, 1-6 PFL)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Mercer University Stadium (10,200)
TV: n/a
Radio: New Country 96.5 | iHeartRadio
Radio Talent: Rick Cameron (play-by-play), Roger Jackson (Analyst), Craig Lawson (Sideline)
Live Stats: MercerBears.com
Twitter: @MercerFootball | #BearTrax | #BeatStetson

Tracking the Stetson Hatters

Stetson enters its final game of the 2013 season with a 2-8 record and 1-6 mark in league play. The Hatters earned their only conference win of the year two weeks ago with a 26-13 victory over Davidson.

Stetson ranks last in the PFL in total offense, recording just 306.3 yards per game. The Hatter defense ranks ninth in the league in rushing defense, but tops the conference in pass efficiency defense, allowing just 117.7 pass yards per contest.

The defensive unit for Stetson is led by Donald Payne who was named the PFL Defensive Player of the Week after each of the Hatters’ first three games. He also earned National Freshmen of the Week honors by the Sports Network as he leads all players in the conference with 10.4 tackles per game.

With six common opponents in 2013, Mercer has a +38 scoring margin and 4-2 record, while Stetson has a -67 scoring margin and a 2-4 record.

Story Lines

Saturday’s match-up with Stetson features the only team on Mercer’s 2013 slate it played prior to disbanding the program in 1941. The Bears are 7-1 all-time against the Hatters, including six-straight wins, with the final victory coming in 1934. Stetson discontinued its program 16 years after Mercer and both programs were brought to life again in 2013.

Mercer is one of three NCAA Division I FCS or FBS programs in the country with a 7-0 record at home. The Bears share the perfection with Auburn and Sam Houston State. With Sam Houston State on the road for its final game, Mercer can claim the best home record in the country with a win over Stetson and an Auburn loss to Alabama.

After being picked to finish 10th out of 11 teams in the Pioneer Football League, Mercer can claim sole possession of third place in the PFL with a win Saturday. A victory over Stetson would give the Bears a 6-2 conference record and put Mercer only behind co-champions Butler and Marist.

Quarterback John Russ was deservingly added to the Jerry Rice Award watch list on Nov. 7, an honor given to the top freshman in the country. The redshirt freshman is No. 1 in the nation among all freshmen in pass efficiency and his 11 rushing touchdowns are the most of any first-year player in the country.

With another forced fumble Saturday at Marist, Tosin Aguebor is tied for the national lead with four forced fumbles and ranks third in the PFL with 10 total sacks.

Despite scoring just seven points at Marist, Mercer ranks in the top six teams in the country in five different categories. The Bears are No. 3 in rush yards per carry, No. 5 in rush yards per game, No. 5 in red zone offense, and No. 6 in pass yards per catch and fourth down conversion percentage.

Mercer is one of four PFL teams with a positive turnover margin at +5, sitting only behind Marist (+9) and Butler (+11), ironically enough the current order in the league standings.

The Bears will honor Josh Shutter before kickoff, the lone senior on the squad in 2013. His signature moment came in the season-opener when he drilled a 31-yard field goal to give Mercer a 40-37 victory over Reinhardt.

Saturday’s match-up with Stetson features the only team on Mercer’s 2013 slate it played prior to disbanding the program in 1941. The Bears are 7-1 all-time against the Hatters, including six-straight wins, with the final victory coming in 1934. Stetson discontinued its program 16 years after Mercer and both programs were brought to life again in 2013.

After being picked to finish 10th out of 11 teams in the Pioneer Football League, Mercer can claim sole possession of third place in the PFL with a win Saturday. A victory over Stetson would give the Bears a 6-2 conference record and put Mercer only behind co-champions Butler and Marist.

Quarterback John Russ was deservingly added to the Jerry Rice Award watch list on Nov. 7, an honor given to the top freshman in the country. The redshirt freshman is No. 1 in the nation among all freshmen in pass efficiency and his 11 rushing touchdowns are the most of any first-year player in the country.

With another forced fumble Saturday at Marist, Tosin Aguebor is tied for the national lead with four forced fumbles and ranks third in the PFL with 10 total sacks.

Despite scoring just seven points at Marist, Mercer ranks in the top six teams in the country in five different categories. The Bears are No. 3 in rush yards per carry, No. 5 in rush yards per game, No. 5 in red zone offense, and No. 6 in pass yards per catch and fourth down conversion percentage.

Mercer is one of four PFL teams with a positive turnover margin at +5, sitting only behind Marist (+9) and Butler (+11), ironically enough the current order in the league standings.

The Bears will honor Josh Shutter before kickoff, the lone senior on the squad in 2013. His signature moment came in the season-opener when he drilled a 31-yard field goal to give Mercer a 40-37 victory over Reinhardt.

Straight from the Lamb – Head Coach Bobby Lamb’s Game Week Quotes

Looking back at Marist…

“It just didn’t go our way. I told you guys last week they were a senior laden team and in pregame warm up they had a ceremony where they pranced out 28 seniors. They were very strong and physical up front and we did not execute. Obviously the result of the game was because of the turnovers we had on offense which has not plagued us all year.”

On moving ahead to the Stetson game…

“Well we didn’t even watch the film of the players this week, we are moving ahead to Stetson right now, kind of sweeping the loss under the rug and do what we’ve been doing and hopefully we can get enough momentum going into this weekend.”

On creating a tradition with Stetson…

“When we started this process the Stetson game fell right in the middle of the season and we agreed with Stetson to move it to the end and make it a rivalry game as we go through this PFL deal. Obviously things have changed with us getting in the Southern Conference.”

On the homecoming festivities…

Talk about a big day on our campus, our men’s basketball team plays at noon, we play at 4 p.m., and the women play on Sunday. So it’s just a big homecoming weekend and we hope all the people in Macon come out and support us, because we’re going to have a lot of alumni in town as well.”

On the chance to set the record for wins by a first-year program…

“Of the recent startup programs in the last 10-15 years the best record in a first year has been Old Dominion and they won nine games. So obviously 10 is just a number you get to, you feel good about, and it would just give us so much momentum going into recruiting. Hey come play for us, we’re 10-2 in our first year and the sky’s the limit. So it’s a great opportunity to get a 10 win season in year number one and really help us in our recruiting efforts.”

On the importance of staying unbeaten at home…

“Yeah you want to defend your turf and we’ve done a great job of that, and goodness gracious this will be our eighth home game. Our administration has done a great job, our fans have done a great job and we need the same kind of support when we played Jacksonville two weeks ago in the blackout. Fill that stadium and everybody get jacked up because it’s a great way to send these young men out. These guys have sacrificed for two years, going through a practice year and then finally getting to play. And what a way to send them out, with 10 wins.”