Mercer and Western Carolina Square Off in Crucial Gridiron Tilt Saturday

No. 24 Western Carolina (4-3, 3-0 SoCon) at No. 14 Mercer (6-1, 3-1 SoCon)

Game Time and Venue: 3:30 EST/Five Star Stadium (10,200)/Macon, GA.

How To Watch: ESPN+

Series: Mercer leads 8-2

Game Overview:

When No. 13 Mercer hosts No. 24 Western Carolina Saturday, it won't just be a game between two teams trying to break through and win a Southern Conference title this season, if one of these two teams do manage to do that, it would manage the first time either has won a league crown.

The Bears have posted an 11-23 mark against ranked opposition all-time, while the Catamounts are 16-88-3 all-time against teams with a number to the left of their name, which includes a 5-49-2 record on the road against ranked foes. 

With its overtime win at No. 22/24 Chattanooga last season, the Catamounts snapped what had been a 47-game losing streak on the road against ranked foes, which dated all the way back to a 1984 win at Furman's Paladin Stadium.  The Catamounts are 4-2 against their past six ranked opponents.

Mercer, which broke through and made its first FCS playoff appearance last season in what was its 10th season since resurrecting its football program, has carried that momentum into the 2025 season, despite having a coaching change. In fact, Mercer didn't just make the playoffs, they won a first-round game, with a 17-7 win over Gardner-Webb.

It could be argued that the Bears were able to turn their season around in 2023 in Cullowhee almost exactly a year ago, as the Bears were able to capture what was a 45-38 win over then No. 10 Western Carolina. 

While the win marked a turning point in a positive direction for Mercer, it was a turn in the other direction for WCU. The Catamounts had risen to as high as No. 5 in the nation before dropping a 29-17 home contest to No. 3 Furman and the Catamounts would let that loss against the Paladins ultimately beat them twice last season, the Bears came to EJ Whitmire Stadium and were able to secure arguably their biggest win of the regular-season, posting what was a 45-38 win over the Bears.

In what was the 10th meeting between the two programs since Mercer joined the Southern Conference as an official member in 2014, the seven-point road win by the Bears also marked the eighth-straight for the Bears in the series.  

Following the win over the Catamounts last season, the Bears would go on to their final two games of the regular-season against Samford and The Citadel, and that would be good enough for one of the league's two at-large invites to the FCS postseason, as the Bears would join outright league champion Furman and fellow at-large invite Chattanooga in the 24-team postseason field.

The Catamounts, meanwhile, would end up finishing out the 2023 campaign winning two out of their final three games, however, a crucial slip up in the final regular-season game with a 27-24 setback against VMI saw the streak of seasons ending without making it into the playoffs extend to 40 years. 

That's right, the Catamounts have only ever made the FCS playoffs once in school history, and that was way back in 1983, which was also the season the first SoCon school broke through and made it to a national championship game. 

Since joining the Southern Conference in 1976 and playing their first gridiron slate in the SoCon in 1977, the Catamounts have never finished higher than second in the league standings, which they have done on four occasions, with the latest of No. 2 finishes in the league standings coming in 2014.

On Nov. 1, 2014, the Catamounts had a chance to put one foot squarely in the postseason and rise to the top of the league standings, as the Catamounts hosted league juggernaut and preseason favorite Chattanooga at Whitmire Stadium. 

However, on that cold, snowy early November afternoon before a sellout crowd in Cullowhee, the Mocs came to Whitmire Stadium and handed the Catamounts a 51-0 humbling defeat, and the demoralizing loss all but canceled any hopes of a trip back to the FCS playoffs, ending at the time what would have been a three-decade drought. 

In 2017, the Catamounts had a similar type of opportunity in a late-season home contest against a Furman team under then first-year head coach Clay Hendrix. Once again, it was a similar time of the season, as the No. 18/20 ranked Catamounts hosted Furman on Oct. 28, 2017 in a game that could have seen the Catamounts gain the momentum they needed to make a push at a SoCon title or at worst, an at-large invite to the postseason.

The Paladins handed the Catamounts a thorough 28-6 setback on homecoming in a deluge, and to make matters worse, WCU star quarterback Tyrie Adams went down with an injury. The following weekend, the 

The Bears didn't suffer their first hiccup on the gridiron until last Saturday after getting off to a program-best 6-0 start and rising to No. 7 in the nation only to be humbled by Samford last Saturday, with a 55-35 setback against the Bulldogs, the Bears fell seven spots in the poll to No. 14.  

Meanwhile, Western Carolina  and star quarterback Cole Gonzales were in Greenville last Saturday issuing out a measure of revenge to Furman, taking down the Paladins in emphatic fashion, as Gonzales and the Catamount offense were re-writing the Southern Conference record book in the process, taking down the Paladins, 52-20, while setting Southern Conference single-game marks for both total offense (801) and passing yards (652). 

Gonzales had a day he will never forget against the Paladins, completing 35-of-55 passes for 620 yards, with five TDs and no INTs. That was good enough to set a new Southern Conference single-game passing mark, as well as garner him the STATS Perform FCS National Player of the Week honor.  

As a result of the three-straight wins, the Catamounts found their way into the latest FCS Top 25 poll, coming in at No. 24 this week, which makes Saturday's clash at Five Star Stadium a Top 25 showdown. 

It was also the third-straight win for the Catamounts, who improved to 4-3 overall and remained perfect 3-0 in the league. That, coupled with Mercer's loss in Homewood, allowed the Catamounts to take over sole possession of first place in the league standings heading into the final weekend of October.

In addition to Saturday's game at Mercer, the Catamounts must also take on Chattanooga (Nov. 2), visit East Tennessee State (Nov. 9) and visit Samford (Nov. 23), giving the Purple and Gold what amounts to a brutal schedule down the stretch of the football season. Western Carolina will also celebrate senior day on Nov. 16 when the Catamounts host VMI at EJ Whitmire Stadium.

In addition to Saturday's clash with WCU, the Bears will also face East Tennessee State (Nov. 2), visit VMI (Nov. 9), visit Alabama (Nov. 16) and host Furman (Nov. 23) to close out the 2023 regular season, which is not exactly a simple stretch in and of itself, but it's certainly also not WCU's slate down the stretch either.

Mercer and Western Carolina will be meeting for the 11th time in series history on Saturday, with the Bears holding the commanding 8-2 all-time series edge, which includes a streak of eight-straight wins in the series. In addition to last season's 45-38 in Cullowhee for Mercer, the Bears also claimed what was a lopsided 49-6 win over Western Carolina two years ago at Five Star Stadium. 

In each of the previous two matchups between the Catamounts and Bears, Western Carolina has a combined 11 turnovers, including having thrown seven INTs, including two turnovers directly returned for scores last season. 

In last season's meeting, Western Carolina quarterback Cole Gonzales set a then personal mark by throwing five touchdown passes in one game, which he of course matched last Saturday in WCU's lopsided 52-20 win at Furman. Below are a look at the results at the 10 previous meetings between Western Carolina and Mercer.

Mercer Leads all-time series 8-2

2014--Western Carolina 35, Mercer 21 (Five Star Stadium/Macon, GA)

2015--Western Carolina 24, Mercer 21 (EJ Whitmire Stadium/Cullowhee, N.C.)

2016--Mercer 38, Western Carolina 24 (Five Star Stadium/Macon, GA)

2017--Mercer 35, Western Carolina 33 (EJ Whitmire Stadium/Cullowhee, N.C.)

2018--Mercer 59, Western Carolina 46 (Five Star Stadium/Macon, GA)

2019--Mercer 49, Western Carolina 27 (EJ Whitmire Stadium/Cullowhee, N.C.)

2020-21--Mercer 45, Western Carolina 28 (Five Star Stadium/Macon, GA)

2021--Mercer 31, Western Carolina 21 (EJ Whitmire Stadium/Cullowhee, N.C.)

2022--No. 12 Mercer 49, Western Carolina 6 (Five Star Stadium/Macon, GA)

2023--Mercer 45, No. 13 Western Carolina 38 (EJ Whitmire Stadium/Cullowhee, N.C.)

 

Previewing the Game:

Both Western Carolina and Mercer have seen very opposite narratives play out during the 2024 campaign, with the Bears having fielded one of the most dominant defenses in FCS football all season, while the Catamounts have been a record-setting offense in each of Kerwin Bell's 3.5 seasons at the helm of the Catamounts' football program.

For first-year head coach Mike Jacobs, he sees his dominating Bears defense enter its week nine clash with the Catamounts, Mercer enters ranking third nationally in total defense (250.0 YPG), fifth in scoring defense (14.4 PPG), 58th in passing yards allowed (208.7 YPG), first in rushing defense (41.3 YPG), seventh in turnover margin (+1.14), first in pass interceptions (16), first in turnovers gained (22), first in total sacks (24.0/3.43 SPG),  and first in third down conversion defense percentage (16-of-92/17.4%). 

Meanwhile, Western Carolina has again been putting up both yards and points under head coach Kerwin Bell, as the Catamounts' prolific passing attack knows no bounds. Fresh off the record-setting 801-yard total offense performance in last Saturday's 52-20 win at Furman--a record 652 yards coming through the air--the Purple and Gold currently rank 10th in the nation in total offense (452.4 YPG), 36th in scoring offense (28.4 PPG), fourth in passing offense (320.6 YPG), 82nd in rushing offense (131.9 YPG), 38th in third down conversion percentage (41.6%), and tied for 66th in sacks allowed (14/2.0 SPG).

It will be the old eternal struggle that will ultimately decide Saturday's contest. The classic really good offense vs. really good defense. Mercer's primary concern offensively will be at quarterback, where DJ Smith (90-of-123 passing, 1,244 yds, 9 TDs, 6 INTs/140 rush yds, 4 TDs), who suffered a lower leg injury in the win last month at Wofford and didn't play following the off week in the win over Princeton before returning as the starter at Samford, but then left that game. 

No word or update has been provided on his condition as of Friday, which is either to be taken as "gamesmanship" or the injury is more significant and the starter Saturday against the Catamounts could be freshman backup Whitt Neubauer (14-of-22 passing, 214 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT).  Getting experience vs. Princeton a couple of weeks ago could prove vital in Saturday's contest against the Catamounts should Smith not be able to go. 

Another viable option under center could be Hess Horne (26-of-43 passing, 207 yds, 2 TDs, 2 INTs), who has logged action in four games this season. He transferred into Mercer from Missouri State prior to the 2023 season. 

The good news is the Bears have a running back, in Dwayne McGee (121 rush att, 519 yds, 5 TDs, 4.3 YPC) that has been as good as advertised this season, and that has made the running game as a whole much improved this season in comparison to 2023. 

If Smith can't go Saturday against the Catamounts, that will put some limitations on the ground attack and will put a little more pressure on McGee, as Smith was good enough in the run game to keep opposing defenses honest and from solely focusing on stopping McGee. 

The Bears haven't missed All-American wideouts Ty James and Devron Harper as much as many of us first assumed that they might coming into the season, and that's thanks in large part to Mike Jacobs and the staff he put in place, to No. 1 pick the right signal-caller to run his offense in 2024 and No. 2 to get several guys involved in catching the football in the passing game, rather than just having a pair of stars do most of the work. In fact, it's been quite the opposite, as the Bears have a solid contingent of pass-catchers without a real recognizable star.

In a league loaded with talented wide receiving rooms, you don't get too far, though, without talking about Mercer. Leading the way catching the football this season for the Bears have been Kelin Parsons (20 rec, 344 yds, 2 TDs, 17.4 YPR) and Brayden Smith (22 rec, 331 yds, 4 TDs, 15.0 YPR), who have been the primary downfield threats for the Bears. 

A pair of sophomore tight ends--Samuel Albee (4 rec, 41 yds, 1 TD, 10.3 YPR) and Ty Everson (2 rec, 3 yds, 1.5 YPR)--highlight a strong pass-catching duo that can be overlooked by any opposing defensive unit. 

Redshirt freshman Kendall Harris (20 rec, 201 yds, 10.1 YPR) and veteran graduate senior Parker Wroble (14 rec, 179 yds, 2 TDs, 12.8 YPR) have also provided nice support in the passing attack this season, as has redshirt freshman Adjatay Dabbs (7 rec, 134 yds, 19.1 YPR), who is coming off his most productive receiving effort for the Bears in last Saturday's loss at Samford, as he hauled in a pair of passes for 39 yards. 

Mercer's offensive line has been one of the more physical units in the Southern Conference this season, as the Bears have been a mix of youthful exuberance and wily, veteran leadership up front this season. 

The offensive front is led by veteran graduate senior center Riley Adcock, while redshirt senior Israel Mukwiza continues to have an outstanding campaign at left guard. The unit is rounding out by junior EJ Johnson at right tackle, true freshman Tyler Murray at right guard, and redshirt freshman Amarii Atchison at left tackle.

Most knew coming into the season that if Mercer had a shot to win the Southern Conference title this season, it would be thanks in large part to the veteran leadership the Bears returned at all three levels of a star-studded defensive unit. 

The Bears defensive front has wreaked havoc17 on pretty much every foe it has faced this season, and on Saturday, the Bears will not only face one of the biggest offensive line units in the league, but also one of the most talented, in Western Carolina. 

Mercer is a 4-3 base on the defensive side of the football, without any frills. Much like Chattanooga is defensively, the Bears don't do anything extravagant to try and confuse opposing quarterbacks, but they will try to beat teams up physically. The Bears are really similar to Furman's dominant defensive front of a year ago, allowing next to nothing on the ground, as well as generating pressure with just their front four. 

Leading the way on the outside are a pair of talented bookends, in Brayden Manley (17 tackles, 8.0 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 5 QBHs, 1 PBU, 1 FF) and Andrew Zock (16 tackles, 8.0 TFL, 5.5 sacks, 2 QBHs, 1 FF). They easily have formed one of the top pass-rushing duos in the SoCon this season, if not the entire FCS. 

Zock is a true freshman from Citra, FL, and was a three-star recruit coming out of Hawthorne High School, according to On3 recruiting. He's looked every bit the part so far through the first seven games this season. Manley is just a sophomore out of West Craven High School in Vanceboro, N.C., giving the Bears one of the youngest defensive end duos in the league along with being among the most talented. 

Set to start at the two interior defensive tackle spots are a pair of veterans in redshirt senior Jordan Swain () and junior Arias Nash (28 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 1 PBU, 10 QBHs). Swain was a preseason second team All-SoCon selection and has gotten off to a strong start through the first seven games this season.

The Bears talent and experience can be found in two linebackers--Ken Standley (35 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 2 PBUs, 1 QBH, 1 FF) and Isaac Dowling (41 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 INT, 4 QBHs, 1 FF)--who have given their everything to the Mercer defense over the past five years. Dowling and Standley are the spine of that really talented Bears defensive unit. The duo helps comprise maybe the best linebacking unit in the Southern Conference this season. 

The back end of that Bears defense is a unit that is largely responsible for the nation-leading 16 INTs this season. Part of the reason for that success on the back end for the Bears is experience and maturity, as the unit is made up of juniors and seniors. TJ Moore's SoCon leading five INTs leads the unit, while Myles Redding () has been old reliable at free safety over the past three seasons. 

Also slated to start in the Mercer secondary for Saturday's contest are both strong safety Chris Joines (29 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 INT, 1 PBU, 1 FR) and junior cornerback Dainsus Miller (11 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 2 INTs, 4 PBUs, 1 QBHs, 1 FR, 1 blkd kick). Miller is in his second season and is having his most productive campaign after transferring in from Marshall a couple of years ago. 

Western Carolina's offense is not surprisingly led by its senior signal-caller Cole Gonzales (180-of-285 passing, 2,148 yds, 10 TDs, 7 INTs), and he was outstanding in his record-setting afternoon last week at Furman. Gonzales currently ranks third in program history in all-time passing yards (6,287) as he continues his ascent towards the top. The junior signal-caller was less than stellar against the Bears last season, and despite throwing five TDs, he was also picked off three times in the game. He finished the 45-38 loss to the Bears by connecting on 32-of-51 passes for 353 yards.

His receiving options to throw to are among the best in the league, thanks in large part to their speed and athleticism. 

At the top of the list is AJ Colombo (34 rec, 317 yds, 2 TDs, 9.3 YPR), who is the Julian Edelman of this Catamount receiving corps in that he's reliable and he is versatile is a possession receiver over the middle, however, has the speed to be a deep threat. 

Supplementing him at wide receiver will be veteran Calvin Jones (20 rec, 191 yds, 9.6 YPR), Zion Booker (15 rec, 230 yds, 2 TDs, 15.3 YPR) and De'Andre Tamarez (18 rec, 364 yds, 2 TDs, 20.2 YPR). Jake Young (17 rec, 180 yds, 1 TD, 10.6 YPR) has been among the league's best pass-catching tight ends this season, while Branson Adams (20 rec, 178 yds, 1 TD, 8.9 YPR) has provided a nice target for Gonzales to throw to out of the backfield, either as a safety valve or on wheel routes. 

Adams has not only been an effective weapon in the passing game as a receiving threat, but he's also been impressive as a ground option. Adams leads the Cats, having rushed for 445 yards and four scores on 83 attempts this season, averaging 5.4 YPC. The Catamounts don't run it a lot this season, but when they have they have been effective.

Part of the offensive success the Catamounts have undergone over the past 4.5 seasons has been the elite talent being cultivated on the offensive line during the Kerwin Bell era. Bell's first season would be spent with an interim--former Georgia Southern (1996) and Marshall (1975-78) head coach Frank Ellwood having to assume the role after the tragic passing Catamount OL coach John Peacock died just prior to the 2021 season due to complications from COVID-19. 

An 0-6 start and a strict learning curve, the Catamounts would only get better from that point forward along the OL no matter who the coach was, and after Jeremy Darveau left to join former WCU offensive coordinator Cade Bell at Pittsburgh this past spring, the Catamounts hired Jeremy King as Darveau's successor, and WCU hasn't missed a beat, despite losing some talented performers due to graduation from a year ago, with the most the notable departures being all-league standout Tyler Smith.

A strong base returned, however, with center Blake Whitmore highlighting the talented returning base, with Xavier Graham and Jordan Daniels at left guard and left tackle, respectively, providing the Catamounts strength on the left side of the OL. 

As far as the Catamount defense has been concerned, they've been much improved in some areas under first-year defensive coordinator Jerry Odom, who was hired from Tusculum to replace Chazmon Scales last spring. 

The unit still hemorrhages yards, ranking 104th nationally in total defense (431.4), but that mostly has to do with them being overly aggressive or guessing wrong on a play, and the opposition breaks it for a big gainer. Sometimes those gambles also pay off in the way of negative plays for the opposing offense. 

 The Catamounts come in ranking second in the nation in tackles-for-loss (56.0 TFL/8.0 TFL PG) on the season, while ranking tied for 43rd nationally in sacks (15.0 sacks/2.14 SPG)

Part of those two stats above and why the Catamounts have shown some progression in some key areas on the defensive side of the ball this season has been better play along the defensive front, which is highlighted by plenty of veteran leadership along the front four of the 4-2-5 alignment.  

Leading that veteran base across the defensive front this season have been a trio that have played a lot of snaps in the Catamount Purple and Gold, in defensive ends Curtis Fann Jr. (24 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 2 FFs, 2 QBHs, 1 PBU) and Caleb Fisher (23 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks, 4 QBHs, 1 PBU), as well as senior nose tackle Jaquarius Guinn (3 tackles) anchor the middle of that defensive front, and helping cause problems against the run by plugging running lanes. 

The second level of that Catamount defensive unit is highlighted by Hayward McQueen Jr. (38 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 0.5 sack, 2 PBUs, 2 QBHs, 1 FF) and Antarron Turner (38 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 2.5 sacks, 1 PBU, 1 QBH). Turner has been one of the best tacklers on the defensive side of the football for the Catamounts this season, and along with Guinn at the nose, it has made WCU incredible tough to run up the middle against this season. 

Ken Moore Jr. (20 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 1 INT, 2 PBUs, 1 FF, 1 blkd kick). Moore is one of the most athletic safeties/OLBs in the league and he's been an asset in picking up opposing receivers in pass coverage this season. He's also been effective in being a guy that the coaching staff has been able to use in a variety of different disguised blitzes off the edge. 

Fellow rover and preseason all-league selection Mateo Sudipo (38 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 2 PBUs, 1 FR, a FF) leads the team in tackles and will start at 'rover' while cornerbacks CJ Williams (24 tackles, 2 INTs, 6 PBUs, 1.0 TFL, 1 FF) and Jordy Lowery (28 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 2 INTs, 3 PBUs) have combined to pick off four of the team's eight passes this season. Williams is widely considered to be one of the, if not the best, cover corner in the SoCon this season. 

Final Prediction: --This game will either be the hump that WCU needs to get over or the stumbling block that causes the season to come apart once again this season, continuing the FCS playoff and SoCon Title curse. Since it's been easier to pick one than the other since 1983, I'll say Mercer survives a scare and rebounds from their loss last Saturday in Homewood in an epic battle at Five-Star Stadium: Mercer 38, Western Carolina 31