Mercer football made history Saturday with the school’s first-ever Southern Conference title after defeating Furman University, 49-23. The win at home improved their record to 10-2 on the season, and they remained undefeated at home to finish the regular season. It was also the teams ninth straight win at home, a streak that stretches back to last season.
In his first season with the Bears, Head Coach Mike Jacobs brought Mercer back to the FCS Playoffs, and he brought the team to new heights, this being their first-ever 10-win regular season.
Against Furman, quarterback Whitt Newbauer ‘28 was 18-for-28 with 257 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Running back Dwayne McGee ‘25 led the team in rushing yards with 15 carries totaling 75 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Adajtay Dabbs ‘28 had a breakout game on Saturday, flashing big-play potential that will be crucial to the team’s success in seasons to come. The redshirt freshman led the team in receiving yards with eight receptions and 181 yards, adding two touchdowns.
After a McGee fumble on Mercer’s opening drive, Furman scored on a 30-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Gavin Hall to wide receiver Colton Hinton. On the ensuing drive, the Bears leveled the score on a 3-yard run from McGee after 23- and 31-yard receptions from Parker Wroble ‘25 and Tyrell Coard ‘27, respectively.
Furman reclaimed the lead one more time in the game with a 22-yard field goal from Ian Williams late in the first quarter, but the Bears would cement their lead with two quick touchdowns to make the score 21-10 going into the second quarter. The first was a 46-yard connection between Newbauer and Dabbs for Dabbs’ first touchdown of the game and his first touchdown of the season.
On the second play of the Paladins’ next drive, Andrew Zock ‘28 forced a fumble, and safety Tommy Bliss ‘27 returned the ball 35 yards for his first career touchdown. On Monday, Zock was listed as a candidate for the Jerry Rice Award, an honor given to the freshman FCS Player of the Year.
During the second quarter, both teams added to their score late as Mercer scored a touchdown on a 7-yard pass from Newbauer to tight end Sawyer Burt ‘27. The 46-yard drive took four minutes off the clock, but Furman was able to move down the field with the remaining 1:19 to get another Williams field goal from 32 yards out. Going into the half, the Bears led 28-13.
After forcing a three-and-out from Mercer to start the second half, Furman was unable to get much going offensively starting at Mercer’s 41-yard line, finding themselves in what is typically “punt territory.” However, Furman ran their kicker onto the field for a 57-yard attempt, which he nailed to narrow the Bears’ lead to 28-16.
The two-score game would not last, however, as Mercer averaged 12 yards a play on their next drive, ending with a 16-yard McGee rushing touchdown. Furman’s next drive was stopped short by TJ Moore ‘25, who intercepted his seventh pass of the season. Two plays later, Dabbs was in the end zone making a diving catch on a 31-yard pass from Newbauer, finding the ball between two Paladin defenders.
Later in the third quarter, Newbauer threw just his fourth interception of the season. Williams, Furman’s kicker and punter, hit a muffed punt to the Furman 36-yard line. A 28-yard rush by Coard set the Bears up in the red zone, but a tipped pass fell into the hands of a Furman defender.
In the final quarter, the teams traded a short drive each, but with 12 minutes left in the game, DJ Smith ‘26 took over the quarterback role and running back Billy Martin ‘28 was given the rest of the snaps from the backfield. On third-and-nine, Smith launched the ball to Dabbs for a 34-yard reception to cap off Dabbs career night. The catch set Mercer up at the 6-yard line, and on his second-career carry, Martin scored his first-career touchdown.
The home sideline erupted as Martin jogged back from the end zone, congratulatory headbutts and high-fives poured down on Martin, the true freshman rusher who saw his first collegiate action that night.
Furman scored their second and final touchdown of the game soon after on a 47-yard reception. With the ball back in their hands, Martin ran the ball 10 times in their next drive, milking nearly eight minutes off the clock. A fumble on his tenth rush of the drive gave the ball back to the Paladins with a little more than a minute left on the clock.
The Bears play again on Dec. 7 at home in their first game of the 2024 FCS Playoffs.
