FARGO, N.D. — The Mercer Bears made their first appearance in the FCS playoffs quarterfinals on Saturday after a tremendous season.
First-year head coach Mike Jacobs brought the Bears further than they’ve ever gone before, and Mercer had a shot at carving a path to the championships.
However, the team would've had to break through FCS powerhouse North Dakota State on the road, if the path wasn't rocky enough already. While Mercer had a few good moments, it wasn’t much of a competition against the Bison.
The Bears lost 31-7 in a brutal game where North Dakota State dominated on both sides of the ball.
NDSU quarterback Cam Miller had no trouble breaking through Mercer’s defense nearly all game long. He threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns and completed 64% of his passes. He could’ve done more damage to the Bears if it weren't for his two interceptions.
The Bison picked up an extra 133 yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns, as the Bears defense couldn’t stop any facet of NDSU’s offense.
Meanwhile, the Bears’ offense looked unimpressive all game. Whitt Newbauer threw less than 90 yards, only one touchdown and completed just 44% of his passes. He also threw an interception.
Running back Dwayne McGee was also bottled up for the first time nearly all season. He only ran for 59 yards and no touchdowns. Overall, Mercer collected 109 yards on the ground but never found the endzone.
The game itself started slightly promising. After two touchdowns by the Bison, Newbauer connected with Kelin Parsons for a 38-yard touchdown to make it just a one-score game in the first quarter.
Yet North Dakota State continued its offensive success, putting up 10 more points to close out the first half.
Down 24-7, Mercer’s defense stepped up and kept the Bison off the board the entire third quarter. The Bears almost held them through the fourth quarter, but NDSU’s Barika Kpeenu punched in a 1-yard run to ice the game.
Despite the Bears’ defense stepping up in the second half, their offense failed to make any impact and consistently went three-and-out.
While this loss is crushing for the Bears and their fans, they have to be proud of how this year went. A nearly undefeated season against FCS opponents and a SoCon championship for the first time in school history.
The future appears bright for the Bears, and Jacobs seems to be the right man to keep that bright future going.