2023 Mercer Bears football team

2023 Mercer Bears football
NCAA Division I Second Round, L 0–41 at South Dakota State
Conference	Southern Conference
Ranking
STATS	No. 17
FCS Coaches	No. 20
Record	9–4 (6–2 SoCon)
Head coach	Drew Cronic (4th season)
Offensive coordinator	Bob Bodine (4th season)
Defensive coordinator	Joel Taylor (4th season)
Home stadium	Moye Complex
Seasons ←  2022 2024  →

2023 Southern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 7 Furman $^		7	–	1					10	–	3
No. 14 Chattanooga ^		6	–	2					8	–	5
No. 17 Mercer ^		6	–	2					9	–	4
No. 23 Western Carolina		5	–	3					7	–	4
Samford		4	–	4					6	–	5
VMI		4	–	4					5	–	6
East Tennessee State		2	–	6					3	–	8
Wofford		2	–	6					2	–	9
The Citadel		0	–	8					0	–	11
$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2023 Mercer Bears football team represented Mercer University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bears were led by fourth-year head coach Drew Cronic and played home games at Moye Complex in Macon, Georgia.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 26	3:30 p.m.	vs. North Alabama *	No. 20	Cramton Bowl Montgomery, AL (FCS Kickoff)	ESPN	W 17–7	5,566
September 2	2:00 p.m.	at No. 22 (FBS) Ole Miss *	No. 20	Vaught–Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS	SECN+/ESPN+	L 7–73	60,097
September 9	7:00 p.m.	Morehead State *	No. 20	Five Star Stadium Macon, GA	ESPN+	W 48–22	10,722
September 23	1:00 p.m.	at No. 8 Furman	No. 21	Paladin Stadium Greenville, SC	ESPN+	L 14–38	9,387
September 30	4:00 p.m.	VMI		Five Star Stadium Macon, GA	ESPN+	W 38–3	10,769
October 7	3:30 p.m.	at East Tennessee State		William B. Greene Jr. Stadium Johnson City, TN	ESPN+	W 24–6	9,756
October 14	4:00 p.m.	No. 25 Chattanooga		Five Star Stadium Macon, GA	ESPN+	L 10–22	8,729
October 21	4:00 p.m.	Wofford		Five Star Stadium Macon, GA	ESPN+	W 31–17	8,711
October 28	2:30 p.m.	at No. 10 Western Carolina		Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC	ESPN+	W 45–38	12,154
November 4	2:00 p.m.	at The Citadel	No. 25	Johnson Hagood Stadium Charleston, SC	ESPN+	W 38–16	11,721
November 11	3:00 p.m.	Samford	No. 23	Five Star Stadium Macon, GA	ESPN+	W 28–21	9,772
November 25	3:00 p.m.	Gardner–Webb *	No. 17	Five Star Stadium Macon, GA (NCAA Division I First Round)	ESPN+	W 17–7	4,500
December 2	2:00 p.m.	at No. 1 South Dakota State *	No. 17	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium Brookings, SD (NCAA Division I Second Round)	ESPN+	L 0–41	10,171
*Non-conference game Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^{[1] [2]}

Game summaries

vs. North Alabama

See also: 2023 North Alabama Lions football team

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
North Alabama	7	0	0	0	7
•Mercer	7	3	0	7	17

• Date: August 26
• Location: Cramton Bowl
• Game start: 3:36 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 5,566
• Game weather: 102, Sunny, Wind S @ 7 mph
• Referee: Brian Holland
• TV announcers (ESPN): Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (color), and Taylor McGregor (sideline)

• Sources: ^[3]

Statistics	Mercer	UNA
First downs	21	12
Total yards	286	248
Rushing yards	170	156
Passing yards	92	115
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	32:35	27:25

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mercer	Passing	Carter Peevy	12/17, 115 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Micah Bell	20 carries, 73 yards
	Receiving	Ty James	4 receptions, 57 yards, 1 TD
UNA	Passing	Noah Walters	10/17, 65 yards
	Rushing	Jalyn Daniels	3 carries, 49 yards
	Receiving	Kobe Warren	6 receptions, 37 yards

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP North Alabama #20 Mercer 1st 10:06 9 49 4:54 MER Ty James 14-yard touchdown reception from Carter Peevy, Reice Griffith kick good 0 7 1st 1:44 6 51 3:18 UNA TJ Smith 3-yard touchdown run, Sam Contorno kick good 7 7 2nd 4:40 11 59 3:19 MER 24-yard field goal by Riece Griffith 7 10 4th 11:45 8 41 3:44 MER Micah Bell 3-yard touchdown run, Riece Griffith kick good 7 17 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 7 17

at No. 22 (FBS) Ole Miss

See also: 2023 Ole Miss Rebels football team

Uniform Combination
Helmet	Jersey	Pants

No. 20 Mercer Bears (1–0) at No. 22 (FBS) Ole Miss Rebels (0–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 20 Bears	7	0	0	0	7
No. 22 (FBS) Rebels	28	10	28	7	73

at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, MS

• Date: Saturday, September 2, 2023
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 81 °F (27 °C)
• Game attendance: 60,097
• Referee: Ted Pitts
• TV announcers (ESPN+/SECN+):
  Justin Kutcher (play-by-play)
  Dave Steckel (color)
• Pregame line: Ole Miss –35.5 • O/U: 58.5

Game information

First Quarter (14:05) Ole Miss – Tre Harris 38 Yd pass from Jaxson Dart (Caden Davis Kick) Ole Miss 7–0; 3 plays, 72 yards, 0:51 (13:53) Mercer – Carter Peevy 75 Yd Run (Reice Griffith Kick) Tied 7–7; 1 play, 75 yards, 0:12 (12:26) Ole Miss – Tre Harris 28 Yd pass from Jaxson Dart (Caden Costa Kick) Ole Miss 14–7; 5 plays, 69 yards, 1:21 (11:45) Ole Miss – Tre Harris 20 Yd pass from Jaxson Dart (Caden Davis Kick) Ole Miss 21–7; 2 plays, 20 yards, 0:34 (5:45) Ole Miss – Quinshon Judkins 1 Yd Run (Caden Costa Kick) Ole Miss 28–7; 7 plays, 77 yards, 0:51 Second Quarter (6:25) Ole Miss – Caden Davis 31 Yd Field Goal Ole Miss 31–7; 9 plays, 20 yards, 2:51 (0:32) Ole Miss – Quinshon Judkins 3 Yd Run (Caden Davis Kick) Ole Miss 38–7; 10 plays, 84 yards, 2:33 Third Quarter (13:07) Ole Miss – Jordan Watkins 70 Yd Punt Return (Caden Costa Kick) Ole Miss 45–7 (9:45) Ole Miss – Tre Harris 16 Yd pass from Jaxson Dart (Caden Davis Kick) Ole Miss 52–7; 3 plays, 27 yards, 1:15 (5:27) Ole Miss – Ulysses Bentley IV 6 Yd pass from Spencer Sanders (Caden Costa Kick) Ole Miss 59–7; 10 plays, 76 yards, 2:41 (3:09) Ole Miss – Cayden Lee 34 Yd pass from Spencer Sanders (Caden Davis Kick) Ole Miss 66–7; 6 plays, 66 yards, 1:25 Fourth Quarter (3:21) Ole Miss – Matt Jones 1 Yd Run (Caden Costa Kick) Ole Miss 73–7; 12 plays, 65 yards, 5:25

Statistics	MER	MISS
First downs	15	32
Total yards	235	667
Passing yards	142	524
Rushes/yards	37/93	33/143
Penalties/yards	7/50	7/65
Turnovers	3	1
Time of possession	35:10	24:50

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mercer	Passing	Carter Peevy	16/29, 138 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Carter Peevy	7 carries, 49 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Devron Harper	4 receptions, 47 yards
Ole Miss	Passing	Jaxson Dart	18/23, 334 yards, 4 TD
	Rushing	Quinshon Judkins	13 carries, 60 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Tre Harris	6 receptions, 133 yards, 4 TD

Morehead State

See also: 2023 Morehead State Eagles football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	3	12	7	0	22
Bears	14	7	9	18	48

at No. 8 Furman

See also: 2023 Furman Paladins football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	0	7	7	0	14
No. 8 Paladins	0	17	7	14	38

VMI

See also: 2023 VMI Keydets football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Keydets	0	0	3	0	3
Bears	7	14	14	3	38

at East Tennessee State

See also: 2023 East Tennessee State Buccaneers football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	0	17	0	7	24
Buccaneers	0	0	6	0	6

No. 25 Chattanooga

See also: 2023 Chattanooga Mocs football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 25 Mocs'	6	6	7	3	22
Bears	0	0	10	0	10

Wofford

See also: 2023 Wofford Terriers football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Terriers	0	7	0	10	17
Bears	7	3	0	21	31

at No. 10 Western Carolina

See also: 2023 Western Carolina Catamounts football team

Game Nine – No. 10 Western Carolina Catamounts (5–2) vs Mercer Bears (5–3)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Mercer	21	7	7	10	45
No. 10 Western Carolina	7	7	7	17	38

at E.J. Whitmire Stadium • Cullowhee, North Carolina

• Date: Saturday, October 28, 2023
• Game time: 2:30 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 75 °F (24 °C) • Wind: S 2 mph
• Game attendance: 12,154
• Referee: Jeff Page
• TV: ESPN+

Game information

First quarter (13:21) MER – Carter Peevy 2-yard run, Reice Griffith kick (Drive: 4 plays, 28 yards, 1:29; Mercer 7–0) (10:00) WCU – David White 18-yard pass from Cole Gonzales, Richard McCollum kick (Drive: 2 plays, 18 yards, 0:13; Tied 7–7) (8:04) MER – Ty James 18-yard pass from Carter Peevy, Reice Griffith kick (Drive: 5 plays, 65 yards, 1:56; Mercer 14–7) (7:51) MER – Mic Wasson 24-yard fumble recovery, Reice Griffith kick (Mercer 21–7) Second quarter (14:50) MER – Carter Peevy 4-yard run, Reice Griffith kick (Drive: 13 plays, 76 yards, 6:35; Mercer 28–7) (2:40) WCU – Branson Adams 12-yard pass from Cole Gonzales, Richard McCollum kick (Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 3:15; Mercer 28–14) Third quarter (9:04) MER – Lance Wise 9-yard interception, Reice Griffith kick (Mercer 35–14) (2:58) WCU – Ajay Belanger 4-yard pass from Cole Gonzales, Richard McCollum kick (Drive: 13 plays, 92 yards, 5:57; Mercer 35–21) Fourth quarter (14:52) WCU – Ajay Belanger 7-yard pass from Cole Gonzales, Richard McCollum kick (Drive: 4 plays, 51 yards, 1:20; Mercer 35–28) (12:02) MER – Reice Griffith 44-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 48 yards, 2:50; Mercer 38–28) (8:08) WCU – Calvin Jones 20-yard pass from Cole Gonzales, Richard McCollum kick (Drive: 10 plays, 54 yards, 3:43; Mercer 38–35) (6:29) MER – Al Wooten II 17-yard run, Reice Griffith kick (Drive: 4 plays, 55 yards, 1:28; Mercer 45–35) (0:07) WCU – Richard McCollum 27-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 60 yards, 1:28; Mercer 45–38)

Statistics	MER	WCU
First downs	26	24
Plays–yards	76–422	71–474
Rushes–yards	48–210	19–86
Passing yards	212	388
Passing: comp–att–int	18–28–1	32–52–3
Time of possession	33:35	26:25

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mercer	Passing	Carter Peevy	18/28, 212 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Al Wooten II	15 carries, 68 yards, TD
	Receiving	Ty James	6 receptions, 115 yards, TD
Western Carolina	Passing	Cole Gonzales	32/51, 388 yards, 5 TD, 3 INT
	Rushing	Branson Adams	9 carries, 46 yards
	Receiving	David White	5 receptions, 113 yards, TD

at The Citadel

See also: 2023 The Citadel Bulldogs football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	7	7	10	14	38
Bulldogs	3	7	0	6	16

Samford

See also: 2023 Samford Bulldogs football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	0	7	7	7	21
Bears	6	0	15	7	28

FCS Playoffs

Gardner–Webb – First Round

See also: 2023 Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Runnin' Bulldogs	0	7	0	0	7
Bears	0	14	0	3	17

at No. 1 South Dakota State – Second Round

See also: 2023 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team

No. 17 Mercer at No. 1 South Dakota State
NCAA Division I Second Round

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 17 Bears	0	0	0	0	0
•No. 1 Jackrabbits	3	21	7	10	41

• Date: December 2
• Location:
  Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium
  Brookings, SD
• Game start: 2:02 p.m. EST
• Elapsed time: 2:39
• Game attendance: 10,171
• Game weather: 37 °F (3 °C), Sunny, Wind S 20 mph (32 km/h)
• Referee: Gary Leeper
• Television network: ESPN+

• Source: Box Score

^[4]

Statistics	MER	SDSU
First downs	6	24
Total yards	151	571
Rushing yards	76	346
Passing yards	75	225
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	24:34	35:26

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mercer	Passing	Carter Peevy	14/22, 75 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Chris Hill	1 carry, 24 yards
	Receiving	Ty James	2 receptions, 28 yards
South Dakota State	Passing	Mark Gronowski	11/16, 158 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Isaiah Davis	16 carries, 117 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Jaxon Janke	7 receptions, 106 yards, TD

References

1. "2023 Mercer Football Schedule". FBSchedules. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
2. "2023 Football Schedule". Mercer Bears. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
3. "Football vs North Alabama on 8/26/2023 - Box Score". Mercer University Athletics. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
4. "No. 17 Football Has Historic Season Ended At No. 1 South Dakota State". Mercer University Athletics. December 2, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2025.