2024 Mercer Bears football team

2024 Mercer Bears football
2024 Mercer Bears football
SoCon champion
NCAA Division I Quarterfinals, L 7–31 at North Dakota State
Conference	Southern Conference
Ranking
STATS	No. 8
FCS Coaches	No. 7
Record	11–3 (7–1 SoCon)
Head coach	Mike Jacobs (1st season);
Offensive coordinator	Anthony Soto (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Jahmal Brown (1st season)
Home stadium	Five Star Stadium
	Seasons ← 2023 2025 →

2024 Southern Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 8 Mercer $^	7	–	1	11	–	3
Western Carolina	6	–	2	7	–	5
Chattanooga	5	–	3	7	–	5
East Tennessee State	5	–	3	7	–	5
Samford	3	–	4	4	–	7
The Citadel	3	–	5	5	–	7
Wofford	3	–	5	5	–	7
Furman	2	–	5	3	–	8
VMI	1	–	7	1	–	11

$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2024 Mercer Bears football team represented Mercer University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bears were coached by first-year head coach Mike Jacobs and played at Five Star Stadium in Macon, Georgia.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 29	7:00 p.m.	Presbyterian*		Five Star Stadium Macon, GA	ESPN+	W 63–10	7,219
September 7	3:00 p.m.	at Bethune–Cookman*		Daytona Stadium Daytona Beach, FL	SWAC Digital	W 31–2	8,484
September 14	6:00 p.m.	at No. 14 Chattanooga	No. 23	Finley Stadium Chattanooga, TN	ESPN+	W 10–3	7,671
September 21	6:00 p.m.	The Citadel	No. 14	Five Star Stadium Macon, GA	ESPN+	W 38–21	10,489
September 28	1:30 p.m.	at No. 23 Wofford	No. 12	Gibbs Stadium Spartanburg, SC	ESPN+	W 22–3	1,219
October 12	3:30 p.m.	Princeton*	No. 8	Five Star Stadium Macon, GA	ESPN+	W 34–7	8,143
October 19	3:00 p.m.	at Samford	No. 7	Pete Hanna Stadium Homewood, AL	ESPN+	L 35–55	4,216
October 26	3:30 p.m.	No. 24 Western Carolina	No. 14	Five Star Stadium Macon, GA	ESPN+	W 44–34	7,389
November 2	3:00 p.m.	No. 23 East Tennessee State	No. 12	Five Star Stadium Macon, GA	ESPN+	W 37–31	8,692
November 9	1:30 p.m.	at VMI	No. 10	Alumni Memorial Field Lexington, VA	ESPN+	W 34–0	3,580
November 16	2:00 p.m.	at No. 10 (FBS) Alabama*	No. 7	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL	SECN+/ESPN+	L 7–52	100,077
November 23	3:00 p.m.	Furman	No. 8	Five Star Stadium Macon, GA	ESPN+	W 49–23	8,453
December 7	2:00 p.m.	No. 10 Rhode Island*	No. 8	Five Star Stadium Macon, GA (NCAA Division I Second Round)	ESPN+	W 17–10	8,012
December 14	3:30 p.m.	at No. 3 North Dakota State*	No. 8	Fargodome Fargo, ND (NCAA Division I Quarterfinal)	ABC	L 7–31
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[1]^[2]

Game summaries

vs. Presbyterian

Game One – Presbyterian Blue Hose (0–0) at Mercer Bears (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Blue Hose	3	0	7	0	10
Bears	14	14	14	21	63

at Five Star Stadium • Macon, GA

Date: Thursday August 29, 2024
Game time: 7:00 p.m.
Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 91 °F (33 °C) • Wind: S at 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h)
Game attendance: 7,219
Referee: Michael Farmer
TV announcers (FloSports): Pete Yanity, Jared Singleton, Dave Friedman

Game information

First quarter

(11:42) MER – Dwayne McGee 3-yard run, Reice Griffith kick (Drive: 5 plays, 64 yards, 1:45; Mercer 7–0)
(5:17) PRE – Mack Mikko 24-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 54 yards, 2:14; Mercer 7–3)
(1:08) MER – Kelin Parsons 13-yard pass from DJ Smith, Reice Griffith kick (Drive: 8 plays, 62 yards, 4:02; Mercer 14–3)

Second quarter

(8:40) MER – DJ Smith 1-yard run, Reice Griffith kick (Drive: 4 plays, 47 yards, 1:45; Mercer 21–3)
(1:16) MER – Tyrell Coard 4-yard run, Reice Griffith kick (Drive: 10 plays, 71 yards, 4:00; Mercer 28–3)

Third quarter

(13:45) MER – Brayden Smith 68-yard pass from DJ Smith, Reice Griffith kick (Drive: 3 plays, 77 yards, 1:10; Mercer 35–3)
(4:57) MER – Tyrell Coard 9-yard pass from DJ Smith, Reice Griffith kick (Drive: 13 plays, 83 yards, 7:37; Mercer 42–3)
(3:34) PRE – Cincere Gill 24-yard pass from Ty Englehart, Mack Mikko kick (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:23; Mercer 42–10)

Fourth quarter

(10:48) MER – Parker Wroble 7-yard pass from Hess Horne, Reice Griffith kick (Drive: 8 plays, 37 yards, 4:05; Mercer 49–10)
(3:58) MER – Chris Joines 0-yard fumble recovery, Reice Griffith kick (Mercer 56–10)
(1:39) MER – Brayden Smith 75-yard punt return, Reice Griffith kick (Mercer 63–10)

Statistics	PRES	MER
First downs	8	25
Total yards	137	500
Rushing yards	-7	139
Passing yards	144	361
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	10–23–2	25–30–1
Time of possession	27:47	32:13

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Presbyterian	Passing	Ty Englehart	7/19, 84 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Denim Edwards	6 carries, 15 yards
	Receiving	Nathan Levicki	1 reception, 57 yards
Mercer	Passing	DJ Smith	20/24, 331 yards, 3 TD, INT
	Rushing	Dwayne McGee	16 carries, 57 yards, TD
	Receiving	Brayden Smith	3 receptions, 83 yards, TD

at Bethune–Cookman

Game Two – Mercer Bears (1–0) at Bethune–Cookman Wildcats (0–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	0	21	7	3	31
Wildcats	0	0	2	0	2

at Daytona Stadium • Daytona Beach, FL

Date: Saturday September 7, 2024
Game time: 3:00 p.m.
Game weather: Sunny, 87 °F (31 °C)
Game attendance: 8,484
Referee: Charles Green
TV announcers (SWAC Digital): Michael Truilo, Johnny Vickers, Darryl Nattiel

Game information

First quarter

No scoring plays

Second quarter

(6:06) MER – Brayden Smith 50-yard pass from D. J. Smith, Reice Griffin kick (Drive: 8 plays, 85 yards, 4:20; Mercer 7–0)
(1:25) MER – Parker Wroble 14-yard pass from D. J. Smith, Reice Griffin kick (Drive: 6 plays, 55 yards, 2:26; Mercer 14–0)
(1:02) MER – Kelin Parsons 35-yard pass from D. J. Smith, Reice Griffin kick (Drive: 1 play, 35 yards, 0:05; Mercer 21–0)

Third quarter

(6:46) MER – Dwayne McGee 1-yard run, Reice Griffin kick (Drive: 11 plays, 94 yards, 5:52; Mercer 28–0)
(3:32) BCU – Orin Patu 0-yard safety (Mercer 28–2)

Fourth quarter

(3:35) MER – Reice Griffin 28-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 44 yards, 4:11; Mercer 31–2)

Statistics	MER	BCU
First downs	26	10
Total yards	483	166
Rushing yards	239	29
Passing yards	244	137
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	19–25–1	14–29–1
Time of possession	33:46	26:14

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mercer	Passing	D. J. Smith	17/22, 237 yards, 3 TD, INT
	Rushing	Dwayne McGee	19 carries, 102 yards, TD
	Receiving	Brayden Smith	4 receptions, 85 yards, TD
Bethune–Cookman	Passing	Cam Ransom	14/29, 137 yards, INT
	Rushing	Courtney Reese	11 carries, 20 yards
	Receiving	Kobe Stewart	1 reception, 50 yards

at No. 14 Chattanooga

Game Three – No. 23 Mercer Bears (2–0) at No. 14 Chattanooga Mocs (0–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 23 Bears	0	7	0	3	10
No. 14 Mocs	0	3	0	0	3

at Finley Stadium • Chattanooga, TN

Date: Saturday September 14, 2024
Game time: 6:00 p.m.
Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
TV announcers (ESPN+): Chris Goforth, Chris Barnett, Dave Keylon

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	MER	UTC
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mercer	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Chattanooga	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. The Citadel

Game Four – The Citadel Bulldogs (2–1) vs No. 14 Mercer Bears (3–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	0	14	7	0	21
No. 14 Bears	14	14	7	3	38

at Five Star Stadium • Macon, GA

Date: Saturday September 21, 2024
Game time: 6:00 p.m.
TV announcers (ESPN+): Frank Malloy, Phil Cox

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	CIT	MER
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
The Citadel	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Mercer	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at No. 23 Wofford

Game Five – No. 12 Mercer Bears (4–0) at No. 23 Wofford Terriers (2–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 12 Bears	3	3	2	14	22
No. 23 Terriers	3	0	0	0	3

at Gibbs Stadium • Spartanburg, SC

Date: Saturday September 28, 2024
Game time: 1:30 p.m.
Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
TV announcers (ESPN+): Jim Noble, Thom Henson, Van Hipp

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	MER	WOF
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mercer	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Wofford	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Princeton

Game Six – Princeton Tigers (1–2) at No. 8 Mercer Bears (5–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Tigers	0	7	0	0	7
No. 8 Bears	17	3	0	14	34

at Five Star Stadium, Macon, GA

Date: Saturday October 12, 2024
Game time: 3:30 p.m.
TV announcers (ESPN+): Frank Malloy, Phil Cox

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	PRIN	MER
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Princeton	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Mercer	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Samford

Game Seven – No. 7 Mercer Bears (6–0) at Samford Bulldogs (2–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 7 Bears	0	0	0	0	0
Bulldogs	0	0	0	0	0

at Pete Hanna Stadium, Homewood, AL

Date: Saturday October 19, 2024
Game time: 3:30 p.m.
TV announcers (ESPN+): Blake Gardner, Damian Mitchell, Justin Stuckey

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	MER	SAM
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mercer	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Samford	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 24 Western Carolina

Game Eight – No. 24 Western Carolina Catamounts (4–3) vs No. 14 Mercer Bears (6–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 24 Catamounts	0	0	0	0	0
No. 14 Bears	0	0	0	0	0

at Five Star Stadium, Macon, GA

Date: Saturday October 26, 2024
Game time: 3:30 PM
TV announcers (ESPN+): Frank Malloy, Phil Cox

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	WCU	MER
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Mercer	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 23 East Tennessee State

Game Nine – No. 23 East Tennessee State Buccaneers (5–3) vs No. 12 Mercer Bears (7–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 23 Buccaneers	0	0	0	0	0
No. 12 Bears	0	0	0	0	0

at Five Star Stadium • Macon, GA

Date: Saturday November 2, 2024
Game time: 3:00 p.m.
TV announcers (ESPN+): Frank Malloy, Phil Cox

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	ETSU	MERC
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
East Tennessee State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Mercer	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at VMI

Game Ten – No. 10 Mercer Bears (8–1) vs VMI Keydets (1–8) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 10 Bears	0	0	0	0	0
Keydets	0	0	0	0	0

at Alumni Memorial Field • Lexington, VA

Date: Saturday November 9, 2024
Game time: 1:30 p.m.
TV announcers (ESPN+): Wade Branner, Cal Murray

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	MER	VMI
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mercer	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
VMI	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at No. 10 (FBS) Alabama

Game Eleven – No. 7 Mercer Bears (9–1) vs No. 10 (FBS) Alabama Crimson Tide (7–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 7 Bears	0	0	0	0	0
No. 10 (FBS) Crimson Tide	0	0	0	0	0

at Bryant–Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL

Date: Saturday November 16, 2024
Game time: 2:00 p.m.
TV announcers (SECN+/ESPN+): Jay Alter (play-by-play), Rocky Boiman (analyst) and Ashley Stroehlein (sideline)

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	MER	ALA
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mercer	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Alabama	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Furman

Game Twelve – Furman Paladins (3–7) vs No. 8 Mercer Bears (9–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Paladins	0	0	0	0	0
No. 8 Bears	0	0	0	0	0

at Five Star Stadium • Macon, GA

Date: Saturday November 23, 2024
Game time: 3:00 p.m.
TV announcers (ESPN+): Frank Malloy, Jason Patterson

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	FUR	MER
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Furman	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Mercer	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 10 Rhode Island (NCAA Division I playoff–second round)

Game Thirteen – No. 10 Rhode Island Rams (11–2) at No. 8 Mercer Bears (10–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 10 Rams	-	-	-	-	0
No. 8 Bears	-	-	-	-	0

at Five Star Stadium • Macon, GA

Date: Saturday December 7, 2024
Game time: 2:00 PM EST
TV announcers (ESPN+): Michael Reghi, Forrest Conoly

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	URI	MER
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Rhode Island	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Mercer	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

^ Kelley, Kevin (December 19, 2023). "Mercer Bears 2024 football schedule". FBSchedules. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
^ Anderson, Todd (December 17, 2023). "Six Home Games, Road Trip To Alabama Highlight 2024 Football Schedule". Mercer University, Department of Athletics. Retrieved March 25, 2024.

[1] Kelley, Kevin (December 19, 2023). "Mercer Bears 2024 football schedule". FBSchedules. Retrieved March 25, 2024.

[2] Anderson, Todd (December 17, 2023). "Six Home Games, Road Trip To Alabama Highlight 2024 Football Schedule". Mercer University, Department of Athletics. Retrieved March 25, 2024.

[1]

v t e Mercer Bears football
Venues	Central City Park (1891–1920) Alumni Field (1921–1924) Centennial Stadium (1925–1941) Moye Complex (2013–present)
People	Head coaches
Seasons	1891 1892 1893 1894–1895 1896 1897 1898–1902 1903 1904–1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917–1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942–2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

v t e Southern Conference football champions
Pre-SEC	Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech & North Carolina (1922) Vanderbilt & Washington and Lee (1923) Alabama (1924) Alabama & Tulane (1925) Alabama (1926) Georgia Tech, Tennessee, & NC State (1927) Georgia Tech (1928) Tulane (1929) Alabama & Tulane (1930) Tulane (1931) Tennessee & Auburn & LSU (1932)
Pre-ACC	Duke (1933) Washington and Lee (1934) Duke (1935) Duke (1936) Maryland (1937) Duke (1938) Duke (1939) Clemson (1940) Duke (1941) William & Mary (1942) Duke (1943) Duke (1944) Duke (1945) North Carolina (1946) William & Mary (1947) Clemson (1948) North Carolina (1949) Washington and Lee (1950) Maryland & VMI (1951) Duke (1952)
Post-ACC	West Virginia (1953) West Virginia (1954) West Virginia (1955) West Virginia (1956) VMI (1957) West Virginia (1958) VMI (1959) VMI (1960) The Citadel (1961) VMI (1962) Virginia Tech (1963) West Virginia (1964) West Virginia (1965) East Carolina & William & Mary (1966) West Virginia (1967) Richmond (1968) Davidson & Richmond (1969) William & Mary (1970) Richmond (1971) East Carolina (1972) East Carolina (1973) VMI (1974) Richmond (1975) East Carolina (1976) Chattanooga & VMI (1977) Chattanooga & Furman (1978) Chattanooga (1979) Furman (1980) Furman (1981)
I-AA/FCS	Furman (1982) Furman (1983) Chattanooga (1984) Furman (1985) Appalachian State (1986) Appalachian State (1987) Furman & Marshall (1988) Furman (1989) Furman (1990) Appalachian State (1991) The Citadel (1992) Georgia Southern (1993) Marshall (1994) Appalachian State (1995) Marshall (1996) Georgia Southern (1997) Georgia Southern (1998) Appalachian State, Furman, & Georgia Southern (1999) Georgia Southern (2000) Furman & Georgia Southern (2001) Georgia Southern (2002) Wofford (2003) Furman & Georgia Southern (2004) Appalachian State (2005) Appalachian State (2006) Appalachian State & Wofford (2007) Appalachian State (2008) Appalachian State (2009) Appalachian State & Wofford (2010) Georgia Southern (2011) Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, & Wofford (2012) Chattanooga, Furman, & Samford (2013) Chattanooga (2014) Chattanooga & The Citadel (2015) The Citadel (2016) Wofford (2017) East Tennessee State, Furman, & Wofford (2018) Wofford (2019) VMI (2020) East Tennessee State (2021) Samford (2022) Furman (2023) Mercer (2024)
National championships in bold