The No. 12-ranked Mercer Bears will come roaring into Five Star Stadium on Saturday as they take on the No. 23-ranked East Tennessee State Buccaneers during Homecoming. The Southern Conference football match-up kicks off at 3 p.m. Here are three things to know before you go.
Bears move up in the polls
Mercer’s 44-33 comeback win last week over Western Carolina at home moved the Bears up in both the Stats Perform Football Championship Series Top 25 and American Football Coaches Association Football Championship Series Coaches Poll. Mercer jumped up two spots to No. 12 in the Stats Perform ranking and one spot to No. 16 in the coaches poll. ETSU is ranked No. 23 by Stats Perform and is unranked in the coaches poll.
Black Field is tailgating central
The Mercer football game day experience starts when gates open at 10 a.m. on Black Field. At 11 a.m., the Fall Line Beer Garden opens, followed by Dr Pepper Fansville and inflatables at noon. Many colleges and schools will be holding alumni tailgates for Homecoming. Find yours at homecoming.mercer.edu/schedule. At 12:30 p.m., fans can watch the Bears — led by Toby and Tot, the Mercer University Marching Band and cheerleaders — make their way toward Five Star Stadium as part of the Bear Walk. The Ford Football Concert Series starts at 12:45 p.m. with Yacht Rock Schooner playing the smooth sounds of the late ’70s and early ’80s. At 2 p.m., the gates open at Five Star Stadium. (Pro tip: Take advantage of our Halloween flash sale! Buy your football tickets by the end of Oct. 31 and get $10 off using the code FLASH at checkout.)
Two Bears are players to watch
After playing pivotal roles in Mercer’s win over Western Carolina last week, running back Dwayne McGee and defensive lineman Brayden Manley were crowned with Southern Conference weekly awards. McGee was named the league’s offensive player of the week after totaling 245 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, including a Mercer-best 223 rushing yards on 18 carries. He scored on runs of 64 and 59 yards in the pivotal victory, while also recording three other rushes of 20 or more yards. McGee also became the first Mercer player in more than a decade to amass 100 rushing yards by the halftime break. Meanwhile, Manley hit career bests with eight tackles and 2 ½ sacks in a defensive effort that allowed just 10 points over the game’s final 40 minutes. Manley’s sacks resulted in a loss of 11 yards, but he also registered three other stops that went for no gain. Five of his eight stops in the contest came amid a dominant second-half performance.
Mercer vs. ETSU
When: 3 p.m. Nov. 2
Where: Five Star Stadium
Tickets: $10-$25, buy online at mercerbears.tixr.com
On TV: ESPN+
On Radio: Mercer Sports Network — 100.9 The Creek FM or sportsmic.com
Todd Anderson, assistant athletic director for media relations at Mercer, contributed to this report.
Feature photo: Fans cheer as Mercer takes on Princeton on Oct. 12, 2024, at Five Star Stadium in Macon. Photo by Christopher Ian Smith
