No. 24 Western Carolina Hosts No. 10/12 Mercer in SoCon Showdown
When: Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, 2:30 p.m. EST
Who: No. 10/12 Mercer at No. 24/24 Western Carolina (Homecoming)
Where: EJ Whitmire Stadium (13,742)/Cullowhee, N.C.
Series: Mercer leads 9-2/12th meeting all-time
How To Watch: ESPN+
Mercer Leads all-time series 9-2
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.)
2024--No. 14 Mercer 44, No. 24 Western Carolina 34 (Five Star Stadium/Macon, GA)
Overview and Background:
The 2025 season in the SoCon hasn't seemed right from the start, and if any two teams can attest to the type of adversity faced along the path to play for a championship, it's both Western Carolina (6-3, 5-0 SoCon) and Mercer (7-1, 6-0 SoCon).
For the Catamounts, they had to play their first three games of the season without starting quarterback and preseason SoCon Player of the Year Taron Dickens, while the Bears had their season opener against UC Davis to open the season labeled a "no-contest" due to a lightning storm that costs the Bears a chance at a big win over a ranked foe to open the season, in UC Davis, with the Bears driving for the go-ahead when lightning literally struck.
From that chaotic opening to the season, the SoCon was bound to have some twists and turns along the way. With a lousy performance out of conference by the league, it left the fight to win the SoCon as fierce as ever, and both the Catamounts and Bears have had their share of unique challenges.
With both teams remaining unbeaten through the first portion of league play, the two teams with similarly prolific offenses led by dynamic quarterbacks have been on a collision course to the Nov. 8, 2025 matchup.
The Bears have been the most successful team in the Southern Conference since the start of the 2020 season, posting a 30-8 record in league play since the start of that particular season. The Bears are 17-1 in their last 18 SoCon games, and enter Saturday's contest having won 11-straight league outings, dating back to a 55-35 loss at Samford last season.
In its most recent outing, the Bears easily brushed past Furman, taking down the Paladins 52-28 at Paladin Stadium this past Saturday. The Catamounts had to hold on for dear life in getting past Chattanooga, 35-28, on the road, using a late INT to seal the win. The win by WCU over Chattanooga marked its fourth-straight in the series, marking the longest winning streak in series history for WCU against the Mocs.
When Mercer and WCU meet in a 2 p.m. kickoff Saturday afternoon at EJ Whitmire Stadium, the two teams will be meeting for the 12th time on Saturday in a series which began in 2014. After the Catamounts took both the 2014 and '15 meetings, the Bears have won nine-straight games in the series, with Saturday's clash easily the most important clash in the short history of the series.
The past two meetings have seen the Bears win by seven and 10 points, respectively. The similarities between the two programs even extends to former quarterbacks, as both Cole Gonzales and Whitt Newbauer, as both quarterbacks opted to transfer to Oklahoma, with Gonzales transferring to Oklahoma initially before finding his way to Pittsburgh.
Newbauer transferred out later to Oklahoma where he remains an afterthought as a part of the Sooners' quarterback rotation behind John Mateer.
With Western Carolina in the poll now at No. 24, they will host the No. 10/12 Mercer Bears, depending on which poll you look at, in what is arguably the biggest game since the 1983 national title game, and perhaps the biggest home game in the 51 years of existence for EJ Whitmire Stadium.
All-time, the Catamounts hold a 17-90-3 record all-time vs FCS ranked teams and hold a 28-29 all-time mark as a ranked team, including a 16-12 record as a ranked team at home.
The Bears are the first ranked team the Catamounts have faced all season, while the Catamounts mark the first team the Bears have faced this season in games that have counted.
The Catamounts are off to their best start in their history as a league member, and a win Saturday would match last season's school-record six league wins.
The Long Winding Road Through To Cullowhee:
Western Carolina head coach Kerwin Bell had to navigate the first three games without starting quarterback Taron Dickens, while Mercer was in the business of trying to find a quarterback after the Bears dropped a 15-10 decision in their home opener against Presbyterian.
However, both have navigated the challenges and potential pitfalls along the way to at least arrive at this game unbeaten in league play, and the winner of Saturday's contest will go a long way in helping decide the 2025 Southern Conference football champion.
For Mike Jacobs, who is trying to lead the Bears to back-to-back titles for the first time in program history, as well as become the first repeat SoCon champion since Wofford from 2017-19, the road has to remain unbeaten has been arguably as tough in Macon as it has been in Cullowhee.
Mercer made a quarterback change just prior to the start of Southern Conference play against Wofford, as true freshman Braden Atkinson was installed as the starting quarterback and the Bears' offense has seemingly been rolling ever since.
The Catamounts have had no margin for error after losing their first three games of the season without Dickens under center, who missed each of those three games due to an academic eligibility issue. Since returning, the Catamounts have found their rhythm offensively and haven't missed a beat.
Two of the Best Quarterbacks in the Nation:
In case you haven't noticed, both Mercer and Western Carolina have two of the best quarterbacks in the subclassification, with the Bears led by Braden Atkinson and the Catamounts having been led by Taron Dickens this season.
Saturday's game will see the two Walter Payton Award candidates go head-to-head in a game that will go a long way in deciding the 2025 Southern Conference title winner. In fact, a win by the Bears would guarantee them no worse than a share of the 2025 title, with just one game remaining at home vs. Chattanooga remaining in the season. A Catamount win would require them to win one more game at East Tennessee State next week to clinch a share of what would be the program's first-ever title.
So what makes both of these elite quarterbacks so special? Both have poise to be first-year starters under center. Dickens started last season, but it was only because Gonzales broke his hip in the 44-34 loss at Five Star Stadium last season. Dickens will be making his 11th start on Saturday against Mercer, and he's gone 9-1 as the starting signal-caller for the Catamounts.
Earlier this season, Dickens connected on 46-sttaight passes in a 23-21 win at Wofford, as the Catamounts held on for a tough win at Wofford. He actually set the record at 50-straight completions, which dated back to Dickens' previous outing against Samford.
Unlike Mercer, Western Carolina hasn't breezed past the competition in league play, with games, more often than not, coming down to the wire. Four of Western's six wins this season have come by a touchdown or less. Wins at Campbell (W, 42-35), at Wofford (W, 23-21), at The Citadel (W, 45-38), and last week at Chattanooga (W, 35-28).
Only a 50-35 win over Samford and a 52-7 home win over Furman account for lopsided wins. As for Dickens, he enters Saturday's contest against the Bears currently ranking 10th in the nation in passing, having connected on 177-of-228 passes for 2,201 yards with 26 TDs and only one INT. He is also the team's third leading rusher, having rushed for 232 yards this season, accounting for 2,436 yards of total offense through the six games he's played this season.
Unlike Atkinson, Dickens has is a little more mobile and elusive on his feet, having posted 232 rushing yards on 63 rush attempts. For his career thus far, Dickens has connected on 308-of-406 passes for 3,756 yards, with 39 TDs and only four INTs in his 11 games as a starter for the Catamounts.
With three more touchdown passes this season, Dickens will set a new single-season mark for TD passes in a single-season, which was previously set by Cole Gonzales just two years ago, as he threw 28 TDs. Dickens' 177 completions through just six games sees him need just 91 completions of setting a new program mark for a single season, which he will likely threaten in his last three games this season. It's truly been a remarkable season so far for the redshirt sophomore quarterback out of Miami.
While Dickens has been outstanding, Mercer's Atkinson has been even slightly better with one more start than Dickens this season. In seven starts for the Bears, Atkinson has connected on 179-of-258 passes for 2,474 yards, with 25 touchdowns and four INTs and like Dickens this season, is undefeated (7-0) as the Bears' starting quarterback.
Not only could this game go a long way in deciding the SoCon title winner, and subsequent auto bid qualifier for the FCS Playoffs, it could also go a long way in providing one player a leg up as a favorite in the Walter Payton Award race.
Western Has Been Here Before...
*-Below are blown opportunities for Western Carolina in its SoCon history with a chance to take a strong grip on the SoCon Football race and potentially a giant step towards the program's first league title.
2024 at Mercer (Mercer 44, Western Carolina 34)
2023 vs. Furman (Furman 29, Western Carolina 17)
2014 vs. Chattanooga (Chattanooga 51, Western Carolina 0)
1993 at Appalachian State (Appalachian State 20, Western Carolina 16)
1992 at Appalachian State (Appalachian State 14, Western Carolina 12)
Record-Setting Offenses:
Both teams have a record-setting offenses, with Mercer entering the matchup ranked No. 2 nationally in total offense (512.4 YPG) and have racked up 400 or more yards of total offense in seven-straight, with all of those having come with Braden Atkinson under center. If the season ended today, the Bears' 512.4 YPG average would rank fourth nationally.
To give you an idea of how prolific the offenses have been this season, Mercer had a SoCon record 824 yards in a 62-0 win over VMI a couple of weeks ago, surpassing WCU's record of 801 yards gained against Furman last season. Meanwhile, the Catamounts put up a total of 733 yards in a SoCon win over Samford earlier this season.
The Bears lead the country in passing offense (334.5 YPG), 10th in scoring offense (38.1 PPG) and 15th in third down offense (49-of-105/46.7). The Bears also lead the nation in sacks allowed, having surrendered only two sacks the entire season (2.0 sacks allowed/.25 SPG). In last Saturday's win at Furman, the Bears were an astonishing 10-of-17 on third down conversions.
Atkinson has plenty of weapons around him, with an array of receivers at his disposal to get the ball to, with each of those targets able to make plays in space. Adjatay Dabbs (33 rec, 602 yds, 5 TDs, 18.2 YPR), Kellen Harris (24 rec, 341 yds, 1 TD, 14.2 YPR), Brayden Smith (45 rec, 477 yds, 6 TDs, 10.6 YPR), and Adonis McDaniel (34 rec, 476 yds, 5 TDs, 14.0 YPR) give Atkinson a nice cushion a bigger margin for error than most quarterbacks even though Atkison is among the most accurate quarterbacks in the country.
Dabbs is clearly the top big-play wideout in the passing game for the Bears, as he is averaging a team-best 18.2 YPR. Dabbs ranks 28th nationally in receiving yards-per-game and 40th nationally in total receiving yards. Smith is Mercer's most versatile wideout, with the ability to make the tough catches in traffic, as well as being able to join Dabbs as one of four legitimate deep threats the Bears have in their offensive arsenal.
Even running back CJ Miller (102 rush att, 632 yds, 8 TDs, 6.2 YPC/15 rec, 186 yds, 3 TDs, 12.4 YPR) is capable of making catches out of the backfield with regularity, and against Furman last week in Mercer's 52-28-win, Miller hauled in what was 18-yard pass in the second quarter against the Paladins, while also adding a six-yard scoring run in that same quarter.
Miller has also been a rugged option in the ground game for the Bears, and that has been the case ever since Charleston Southern transfer Autavius Ison went down with a season-ending injury against UC Davis in the season opener. Miller has four 100-yard rushing games this season, including in back-to-back weeks against both VMI and Furman.
Against the Paladins last week, he rushed for 111 yards and a pair of scores on 20 attempts, while also hauling in that 18-yard scoring pass from Atkinson. Converted freshman wide receiver Ty Doughty (46 rush att, 241 yds, 1 TD, 5.2 YPC) has combined with Tyrell Coard (23 rush att, 120 yds, 5.2 YPC ) and Micah Bell (34 rush att, 175 yds, 4 TDs, 5.0 YPC) as two supplemental options alongside Miller in the Bears' backfield.
The real story of the season for the Bears has been their ability to protect Atkinson, amazingly having only given up two sacks this entire season, which have come against Presbyterian and The Citadel, with the last time the Bears surrendered a sack having been against The Citadel some five weeks ago, as the Bears' offensive line has managed to keep Atkinson's jersey clean for five-straight games.
Western Carolina's offense has been good all season, and although they didn't win any of the three games without Taron Dickens in the game, it's not as if the unit was lacking at any one point in terms of moving the football this season. The Catamounts enter Saturday's contest ranking sixth nationally in total offense (474.8 YPG), second in passing offense (327.2 YPG), 14th in scoring offense (37.0 YPG), tied for 90th in sacks allowed (23.0 sacks/2.56 SPG) and 38th in third down conversion percentage (42.6%).
Like Atkinson, Dickens' numbers throwing the football have been jaw-dropping this season, and also like Atkinson, he's had a lot of support around him to thank for the gaudy numbers he's putting up this season. Dickens has n
In fact, the Catamounts have proven that if you're offense is good enough, you can put yourself in position in position to win a title in this modern era of college football. In WCU's 35-28 win over Chattanooga last week, however, the Catamounts were limited to their second-lowest total of the season, posting just 356 yards of total output in the win over the Mocs.
As far as Dickens' top targets in the passing attack, the Catamounts feature their own version of big-play options for the Catamounts' Walter Payton Award candidate to throw to this season, with Dominic Dutton (19 rec, 242 yds, 2 TDs, 12.7 YPR), James Tyre (56 rec, 614 yds, 10 TDs, 10.9 YPR), Malik Knight (37 rec, 539 yds, 4 TDs, 14.5 YPR), Michael Rossin (12 rec, 292 yds, 2 TDs, 24.3 YPR) and Painter Richards-Baker (19 rec, 258 yds, 2 TDs, 13.5 YPR) serving as the Catamounts' top five targets in the passing attack.
Tyre is having an outstanding season catching the football for the Catamounts and leads the SoCon and ranks 38th nationally in receiving yards. His 10 receiving TDs this season are tied for No. 1 in the nation with Duquesne's Joey Isabella.
Like Mercer's Miller, the Catamounts also have their own version of versatile running backs in the backfield, with Pat Boyd Jr. (75 rush att, 404 yds, 5.4 YPC, 1 TD) and Markell Townsend (54 rush att, 255 yds, 4 TDs, 4.7 YPC) able to stress an opposing defense both on the ground and through the air. Boyd Jr. has been the leading receiving option out of the backfield, having posted 25 catches for 183 yards and a touchdown this season.
Western Carolina has not been as good at protecting its quarterbacks this season, ranking tied for 90th in sacks allowed (2.56 SPG) and that is a big concern heading into Saturday's game against the Bears.
Defense Might Be the Difference for Mercer?
If there is an area where Mercer has a definable and decisive advantage entering Saturday's game, it's on the defensive side of the ball, where the Bears have the 10th ranked defense in the country and perhaps the best individual defensive player in the country, in Andrew Zock (36 tackles, 15 TFL, 10 sacks, 3 PBUs, 2 FFs), who is a player that can single-handedly change a football game with his ability as a pass-rusher.
The Catamounts' offensive line has done a pretty good job of protecting Taron Dickens this season, but they haven't faced a player like Zock so far this season. The closest to a player of Zock's type of ability as a pass-rusher was when Mercer faced Furman's Joshua Stoneking, who had one sack against the Catamounts in WCU's 52-7 win over the Paladins.
The Bears bring the 10th-ranked defense in the FCS into the clash Saturday, as the Bears currently rank 10th nationally in total defense (293.9 YPG). In last week's win over Furman, they allowed the Paladins only eight first downs the entire game, as well as limiting the Paladins to just 11 yards in the second quarter alone.
In the middle of that vaunted Bears defense resides two of the best linebackers in the SoCon, in Drew Clare and Julian Fox.
Western has relied on its offense the entire year, and outside of limiting Furman to seven points in a dominating performance, have left much to be desired this season. The Catamounts come into Saturday's showdown ranking 117th nationally out of 126 teams nationally in total defense, surrendering 448.1 YPG. Only one defense in the league ranks lower, and that is VMI, which is surrendering 483.8 YPG to rank six places lower at No. 123.
The Catamounts also rank 99th in scoring defense (32.7 PPG), 115th in passing yards allowed (267.4 YPG).
Who Wins?
It's been 49 years since Western Carolina joined the Southern and they've played a total of 48 seasons in the league. It's a long time to go without a title. While Saturday's result won't determine the outcome of the league race, it will go a long way in determining the league champion and FCS auto bid qualifier. Unfortunately, I think the SoCon is only getting one team in this year, which if that's the case, even a shared SoCon title would leave WCU out of the mix because of a head-to-head loss to Mercer. If Mercer plays well, they'll win this game by 10-14 points, despite what should be an electric homecoming atmosphere in Cullowhee. WCU has to cause some turnovers and hope the Bears offense is a step behind what they have been today to have a shot in this one. Unfortunately for the Catamounts, I think the Bears win a 10th-straight vs. WCU and gain a share of the SoCon football title.
Mercer 38, Western Carolina 24
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