The 1st few minutes of the game Saturday looked good for Furman, but after that things went off the rails. The Paladins got on the board first, after a 5 minute drive ended with a 46 yard Timmy Bleekrode field goal.
Furman turned it over four times in the game, as Hamp Sisson and Jace Wilson combined to throw four interceptions. The turnovers changed the completion of the game, as the total yardage was a difference of 99 yards in favor of Mercer.
Mercer took the lead in the 1st quarter and did not look back. The Bears got a 35 yard TD pass from QB Fred Payton to Ty James to go up 7-3. That capped off a 75 yard drive that went 9 plays in four minutes ad 25 seconds. Mercer would score twice in the 2nd quarter. One score came with 8;17 left in the 2nd quarter and the other came right before the half. Mercer would take a 21-3 lead into the halftime locker room.
The only scoring in the 2nd half was a FG from Devin Folser to give Mercer a 24-3 lead. The Bears run game was a factor outgaining Furman 223 to 91 on the ground. The Bears were also plus three in turnover margin. Mercer RB Fred Davis had 94 carries on 18 carries and caught three passes for 31 yards. The Bears also got 66 yards and two TD's on 12 carries from Brandon Marshall.
Mercer moves to 2-1 and 1-0 in SoCon play, they host Samford this weekend. Furman falls to 2-2 and 0-1 in conference. The Paladins are off this week before they travel to take on Wofford October 9th. You can hear every Furman game on ESPN Upstate.
