Neither rain, nor lightning, nor wind, nor a one and a half hour-long weather delay could cloud Mercer’s season-opening football game in front of a crowd of more than 7,000 fans. The Bears took on the Presbyterian College Blue Hose for the first time since 2019, beating the South Carolina team, 63-10.
It was the first game in the Mike Jacobs era, who took over the program after former head coach Drew Cronic left for the offensive coordinator position with the Navy Midshipmen. Jacobs, who was the former head coach at Lenoir-Rhyne, said about the game.
With a full student section and active Mercer Maniacs, the student body witnessed the largest margin of victory since the 2021 season opener against Point University. Mercer tallied 500 yards of total offense in the game while the special teams added two touchdowns to the board.
Brayden Smith ‘27 had the biggest game of his career with the Orange and Black as he eclipsed 200 total yards on his way to a 2-touchdown night. His second score, a 75-yard punt return, was the longest play from scrimmage in the game and brought memories of last year’s lead returner, Devron Harper, who signed briefly with the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL in April.
The team’s starting lineup on both sides of the ball has changed significantly from last year’s team that reached the second round of the FCS Playoffs. Most notably, it has had to replace its starting quarterback and running back, two top receivers and key members of its secondary after the players graduated or left the school through the transfer portal.
On its first drive of the game, Mercer went 64 yards in five plays on the backs of two transfer students, quarterback DJ Smith ‘26 and running back Dwayne McGee ‘25. A former Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year, Smith passed for 320 yards and ran for 46 in his first game for the Bears after he transferred from Jones College. McGee, who came to Mercer from Lenoir-Rhyne, carried the ball 16 times in the game, 10 more than any other Bear.
“The things that you want your quarterback to do are to protect the football, make great decisions and other than the one he underthrew, he made some unbelievable plays with both his feet and his arm,” Jacobs said of Smith. “He may be new to Mercer but he is not new to playing or winning.”
The defense, for its part, picked up where it left off last year, holding Presbyterian’s offense to 185 yards in the game. Carson Griffin ‘25 disrupted the Blue Hose’s quarterback play with 1.5 sacks and three tackles on the defensive line while Isaac Dowling ‘25 and Myles Redding ‘25 each had an interception and combined for eight tackles.
While Presbyterian broke out a trick play in the first quarter that gave them a lifeline, they were unable to capitalize fully on the 57-yard play. Despite finding themselves first-and-goal at Mercer’s six-yard line, Presbyterian had to settle for a field goal after the Bears’ defense allowed just one net yard on three rushing attempts.
The Bears are set to travel for their next two games of the season, first to Daytona Beach, to face off against Bethune-Cookman University Sept. 7. Their first Southern Conference test of the season will come on Sept. 14 against the Chattanooga Mocs before returning to Five Star Stadium to face off against The Citadel.
Gabriel Kopp '26 is majoring in Journalism and Law and Public Policy at Mercer University. He has written for The Cluster since he started at Mercer, and currently works as co-Editor-in-Chief. When he isn't studying, he enjoys going for runs and reading The New York Times or the AJC while sipping coffee.
