MACON, Ga. — It's safe to say that head coach Mike Jacobs' first season as Mercer's head coach has been a tremendous success.
Jacobs and the Bears recently made history by winning a SoCon Championship for the first time in school history. In the process, the Bears also locked up a first-round bye in the FCS playoffs.
One year ago, Mercer defeated Gardner-Webb in its first appearance in the playoffs but lost handily to South Dakota State 41-0. Now, since joining the FCS, the Bears will have a chance to make history and advance even further in the postseason.
However, what has made this Mercer team so special? If you're heading to the game, who should you keep an eye on? Who may be the key to victory? We have broken down the Bears to showcase everything you need to know about the key players in this game, where to watch and, if attending in person, how to arrive on time.
The Bears' bulldozing offense
Mercer's offense is easily led by its powerful rushing attack. Senior running back Dwayne McGee leads the way for all the backs with 1,082 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. He's also gotten the most carries with 195, which easily beats out backup CJ Miller. Miller has 280 rushing yards for three touchdowns on 62 total carries.
McGee, a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, has been a focal point for Jacobs' offense, as he transferred over from Lenoir-Rhyne with Jacobs. The Bears have wanted to get him involved early and often, which was key in netting double-digit wins this season.
Mercer is no slouch on the passing side either, however. The Bears have relied primarily on two quarterbacks this season, but one has taken over full-time as the starter. starter DJ While Smith started at the beginning of the season he missed some time with injury, which forced Newbauer into the limelight.
He threw for a team-high 10 touchdown passes alongside 1,251 passing yards and only three interceptions. He did, however, only complete 59% of his passes. Newbauer also ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns.
One of his best throws of the season came in a Mercer loss. In a blowout road loss to Alabama, Newbauer dropped back and, while facing pressure, fired a pass 31 yards down the field to redshirt freshman wide receiver Kendall Harris. Harris went up and made a miraculous one-handed grab to give the Bears their only points in a 52-7 loss.
While Smith didn't throw as many touchdown passes as Newbauer, he did throw more passing yards. He passed for 1,315 yards and nine touchdowns and has a 73% completion rating. He was also more productive on the ground, as he is fourth on the team in rushing yards with 247 and second on the team in rushing touchdowns with four. Smith did throw six interceptions but provided a more dynamic threat on the ground.
Wide receiver Kelin Parsons, like his long-time teammate McGee, also transferred from Lenoir-Rhyne and led the team in a specific stat. Parsons led the Bears in receiving with 600 yards and four touchdowns. He also has a team-high 38 catches.
Brayden Smith, a Central Georgia native and former Tattnall Square Academy football player, is second on the team in receiving yards with 416 and led the team in touchdowns with five. He might've had even more if not for missing three regular season games.
The group as a whole scored over 40 points three times this season and scored at least 30 points in every game, but three. The
Mercer's monstrous defense
Mercer's offense was certainly high-powered, but it was its defense that carried the team, especially early in the season.
The group shut out VMI on the road in early November, kept a once No. 14 Chattanooga and No. 23 Wofford to only three points and held Bethune-Cookman's offense scoreless.
While the group had a rough stretch during the regular season, including three straight games where the Bears allowed opposing offenses to score 30 or more points — including a 55-35 loss against Samford in October — they appeared to bounce back down the stretch against conference opponents.
The group is led by leading tackler and graduate linebacker Ken Standley. He leads the team with 82 total tackles and also has eight tackles for loss. Pass rushers Brayden Manley and Arias Nash, alongside defensive lineman Andrew Zock, were devastating behind the line of scrimmage all season long.
Manley leads all three with 14.5 tackles for a loss and eight sacks. He also picked up a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
Nash had seven and a half sacks, which is currently second on the team, and had 10 tackles for a loss, which is third on the team. He also had a forced fumble and is second for the most quarterback hits ahead of Manley. Zock had six and a half sacks, which was third on the team, 13.5 tackles for a loss, which was second on the team, and two forced fumbles and 15 quarterback hits, which are both first on the team.
Behind players like Manley and Standley, TJ Moore, Myles Redding and Dainsus Miller led the way for the secondary. Moore, a finalist for the Beck Buchanan Award, led the team in interceptions with seven, as the senior was dominant in the secondary. He also had 11 pass breakups. Redding had six interceptions and four pass breakups but also picked up three tackles for a loss as well. Miller had four interceptions and five breakups, alongside one tackle for a loss.
This unit will be key for shutting down Rhode Island, and helping the Bears make a deep run in the postseason.
Details on going to, or watching Mercer's upcoming game
With Mercer hosting a home playoff game, no doubt many people will want to be up close and personal to see the Bears possibly make history by advancing to the third round.
The game will kick off at 2 p.m. and for those wanting to still buy tickets, you can buy them for $20 on Mercer Athletics' website or at this link here. The gates will open at 1 p.m.
Not able to make it? No worries, the game will be streaming on ESPN+, which you can watch on any Apple, Roku or Amazon Fire TV device.
If you are planning on going, prepare to dress warm. The temperature will start around 58 degrees at the start of the game and will decrease over time. It will be sunny, however, so bring a pair of sunglasses or a hat to shade yourself from the sun.