Mercer football was crowned Southern Conference champions on Saturday night after their 49-23 win against Furman University. The game brought to end a regular season run during which the No. 8 Bears went 10-2 overall, and 7-1 against SoCon opponents. Mercer went undefeated at home this season for the first time since 2013.
This is the program’s first championship since it joined the SoCon in 2014, one year after the program was reinstated at Mercer. It is the program’s best record to end the year since 2013, when it went 10-2 in the regular season, but the 2024 team’s conference record is a game better than that of the 2013 team in the Pioneer Football League.
Against ranked FCS opponents, the Bears were 4-0, their lone loss being at Samford University in a stadium they have not come away from with a win since 2018.
How did they get there?
The team was led by former Division II quarterback DJ Smith ‘26 to start the year with an offense that averaged 35.5 points through its first four games of the season. The transfer quarterback was the team’s leading passer in the eight games in which he played, throwing for 1,315 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging a 164.38 passer rating. While he is not eligible to be on SoCon’s “passing leaderboard,” Smith’s rating is higher than any other quarterback’s listed on SoCon’s statistics page.
After Smith picked up an ankle injury against Wofford College, Bears had to find their next starting quarterback. Eventually, they landed on Whitt Newbauer '28. In his first collegiate start, Newbauer beat then-No. 24 Western Carolina University in an offensive shootout. Since taking over the starting role, the true freshman lost just one game - last week’s drubbing in Tuscaloosa, Ala. - and logged nearly as many passing yards as did Smith before Smith's injury. While his completion percentage was not up to the same level as Smith, Newbauer threw just three interceptions in 141 passing attempts and led the team in passing touchdowns with 10.
On the ground, the Bears were led by Dwayne McGee ‘25, the program’s first 1,000-yard rusher in five years. McGee, like Smith, transferred to Mercer from a Division II team before this season to pick up where former Bears running back Al Wooten II left off. McGee averaged nearly 85 yards a game and punched in eight touchdowns coming out of the backfield on 195 rushing attempts. McGee joins the likes of Alex Lakes ‘14 and Tyray Devezin ‘19, both of whom are in the 1,000-yard club for Mercer.
CJ Miller ‘27 and Micah Bell ‘27 split carries behind McGee this season, combining for 535 yards and three touchdowns this season. Both flashed potential when they carried the ball as Miller had a strong play against the University of Alabama, switching direction and shaking a tackle for a 19-yard gain midway through the game. Against VMI, Bell had 12 carries for 69 yards, both season highs for him this season.
Kelin Parsons ‘25 led the team in receptions with 38 in 12 games, as well as receiving yards, of which he had 600. As the team's top three receivers, Parsons, Brayden Smith ‘27 and Adjatay Dabbs ‘28 combined for 11 touchdowns and averaged more than 120 yards a game. Among receivers with 10 or more receptions, Dabbs led the team in yards-per-catch with 17.55.
The Bears’ defense, which was the best unit in the SoCon this season, led the conference with 40 sacks through all games. Arias Nash ‘26, Brayden Manley ‘27 and Andrew Zock ‘28 are in the top-four among SoCon defensive linemen with sacks, combining for 22 total. The line was the best in the FCS when it came to stopping the run, allowing their opponents just 2.22 yards per carry and less than 70 yards a game.
The secondary leads the FCS in interceptions caught, as well, with 22 through 12 games. Going into Saturday’s game against Furman, the team’s turnover margin was tied for sixth in the FCS with a +11 differential. They also lead the FCS in defensive touchdowns scored with seven, breaking their tie with San Diego against Furman when Tommy Bliss ‘27 intercepted a Paladin pass and ran it 35 yards into the end zone late in the first quarter.
Last year’s defense was anchored by a strong secondary led by seniors, who have since graduated, but the story of this season is the Bears’ overwhelming defensive line that is led by young first- and second-year talent. Behind that line, however, is a pair of senior linebackers who have been in a race for the program’s all-time tackling record.
Ken Standley ‘25 and Isaac Dowling Jr. ‘25 each entered the season nearly equal in tackles from their time at Mercer, and it will come down to the last few games to determine which linebacker will come out on top. Currently, Standley leads Dowling Jr. by seven this season, but Dowling Jr. has a small lead in career-tackles, 342-333.
The Mercer Cluster will publish an in-depth analysis of Saturday’s win against Furman, their first victory over the Paladins since 2021, in the coming days.
What’s to come?
The team clinched a berth in the NCAA FCS Playoffs with their win against the Virginia Military Institute two weeks ago, but with their championship seeding, they may have an easier schedule than they did last year. In 2023, the team’s first game of the playoffs was a win against the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs, but their second game of the playoffs was a loss to the eventual FCS champions, the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits.
As SoCon champions, they may have an automatic bye in the first round of the playoffs, setting them up to play again on Dec. 7, the Saturday before finals week for Mercer students.
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.
