Football is back at Five Star Stadium! The No. 11-ranked Mercer Bears will open the season at home on Saturday, Aug. 30, when they face the Presbyterian College Blue Hose. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. Here are three things to know before you go.
The Bears are looking for their first win
It’s the first home game of the season, and the Bears are still looking for their first win after lightning and heavy rain ended their Aug. 23 contest against U.C. Davis midway through the fourth quarter. The matchup, played in Montgomery, Alabama, was declared “no contest,” and all statistics from it have been voided. Mercer is coming off a record-breaking season, in which the Bears were crowned Southern Conference champs and made it all the way to the Football Championship Series quarterfinals.
There’s fun for all on Black Field
Pre-game festivities return to Black Field this weekend, with all the activities you’ve come to expect from a Mercer game day. Gates open at 11 a.m., followed by the opening of the Fall Line beer garden at noon. The beer garden offers all your favorite Fall Line beverages, including Ol’ Toby Easy Ale, which has a new can design this year.
Dr Pepper Fansville, featuring inflatables for kids, also will open at noon. The Ford Football Concert Series kicks off at 2 p.m. with country music singer-songwriter Cody Lohden. Music will break at 3:30 p.m. for the Bear Walk and kick back up at 3:45 p.m. with headliner Ole 60, self-described as “not your father’s country band.” Gates to Five Star Stadium open at 5 p.m.
Mercer football is a community event
Mercer is celebrating area teachers and the community this week by offering tickets starting at $4.78 as a nod to the Middle Georgia area code. In addition, complimentary tickets will be offered to educators and can be claimed by completing this form. The first 100 teachers through the gates of Five Star Stadium on Saturday will receive commemorative T-shirts, and all educators will have the opportunity to be recognized during the game and register for prizes.
Mercer vs. Presbyterian
When: 6 p.m. Aug. 30
Where: Five Star Stadium
Tickets: $4.78-$30, buy online at mercerbears.tixr.com
On TV: ESPN+
On Radio: Mercer Sports Network — 100.9 The Creek FM or sportsmic.com
Feature photo by Christopher Ian Smith
