Saturday, October 4
SAMFORD
2 p.m. (CT)
Samford University
3-2 , 2-1
21
vs
18
Mercer (Family Weekend)
4-2 , 1-2
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer | 3 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 18 |
| Samford | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
Michael Eubank passed for a career-high 262 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's win over Mercer.
Football Earns SoCon Win Over Mercer, 21-18
10.4.14 | Football
VIDEO RECAP
PHOTO GALLERY
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford football team earned a 21-18 Southern Conference win over the Mercer Bears Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium.
With the win, Samford improves to 3-2 overall and 2-1 in Southern Conference play. The victory was Samford's seventh-straight home win, dating back to the 2013 season. Mercer drops to 4-2 overall and 1-2 in league play. The game was played in front of a crowd of 8,713 fans.
"Every win is tough to get in this business," Samford associate head coach/defensive coordinator Bill D'Ottavio said. "I think our guys really came out to play. You have to give Mercer credit, that's a pretty good football team. We got the victory today and now we'll move on to the next one."
Samford junior quarterback Michael Eubank completed 24-of-40 passes for a career-high 262 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Karel Hamilton caught 10 passes for 101 yards, while running back Denzel Williams rushed 18 times for 66 yards and two touchdowns.
On defense for Samford, senior safety Jaquiski Tartt had eight tackles, all solo, and an interception. Senior cornerback Brandon Nettles also had an interception in the win. Senior punter Greg Peranich had eight punts for an average of 42.4 yards, placing three kicks inside the 20-yard line.
Mercer was led by quarterback John Russ, completing 11-of-23 passes for 148 yards and two interceptions. Running back Alex Lakes rushed 16 times for 56 yards for the Bears
Samford struck first on its second offensive possession of the game. Williams scored on a two-yard run with 8:54 left in the first quarter to give Samford a 7-0 lead. The score capped a five-play, 65-yard drive that took 58 seconds off the clock.
Mercer put its first points on the scoreboard when Jagger Lieb kicked a 37-yard field goal with 2:34 left in the first quarter to cut the Samford lead to 7-3. The drive was set up when Mercer's Lee Bennett recovered a Samford fumble at the Mercer 32-yard line.
Samford added to its lead when Williams scored on a three-yard run with 5:57 to go in the second quarter. The score pushed Samford's lead to 14-3. Mercer's John Russ scored on a one-yard run with 1:18 left in the second quarter to send the teams to halftime with Samford holding a 14-10 advantage.
In the third quarter, Eubank hit Gavin Sinclair for a 24-yard touchdown with 8:32 left in the quarter. The score pushed Samford's lead to 21-10.
The score stayed 21-10 until late in the fourth quarter. Mercer's Chandler Curtis returned a Samford punt 99 yards for a touchdown with 54 seconds left in the game. Russ then scored on the two-point conversion to cut the Samford lead to 21-18.
After the touchdown, Mercer attempted an on-side kick, but Samford's Jeremiaha Gates recovered for the Bulldogs, sealing the Samford win.
As a team, Samford finished with 365 yards of total offense, compared to 262 for Mercer. Each team committed two turnovers in the contest.
Samford will take the next week off from competition. The Bulldogs will return to action on Oct. 18, when Samford hosts Wofford at Seibert Stadium.
PHOTO GALLERY
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford football team earned a 21-18 Southern Conference win over the Mercer Bears Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium.
With the win, Samford improves to 3-2 overall and 2-1 in Southern Conference play. The victory was Samford's seventh-straight home win, dating back to the 2013 season. Mercer drops to 4-2 overall and 1-2 in league play. The game was played in front of a crowd of 8,713 fans.
"Every win is tough to get in this business," Samford associate head coach/defensive coordinator Bill D'Ottavio said. "I think our guys really came out to play. You have to give Mercer credit, that's a pretty good football team. We got the victory today and now we'll move on to the next one."
Samford junior quarterback Michael Eubank completed 24-of-40 passes for a career-high 262 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Karel Hamilton caught 10 passes for 101 yards, while running back Denzel Williams rushed 18 times for 66 yards and two touchdowns.
On defense for Samford, senior safety Jaquiski Tartt had eight tackles, all solo, and an interception. Senior cornerback Brandon Nettles also had an interception in the win. Senior punter Greg Peranich had eight punts for an average of 42.4 yards, placing three kicks inside the 20-yard line.
Mercer was led by quarterback John Russ, completing 11-of-23 passes for 148 yards and two interceptions. Running back Alex Lakes rushed 16 times for 56 yards for the Bears
Samford struck first on its second offensive possession of the game. Williams scored on a two-yard run with 8:54 left in the first quarter to give Samford a 7-0 lead. The score capped a five-play, 65-yard drive that took 58 seconds off the clock.
Mercer put its first points on the scoreboard when Jagger Lieb kicked a 37-yard field goal with 2:34 left in the first quarter to cut the Samford lead to 7-3. The drive was set up when Mercer's Lee Bennett recovered a Samford fumble at the Mercer 32-yard line.
Samford added to its lead when Williams scored on a three-yard run with 5:57 to go in the second quarter. The score pushed Samford's lead to 14-3. Mercer's John Russ scored on a one-yard run with 1:18 left in the second quarter to send the teams to halftime with Samford holding a 14-10 advantage.
In the third quarter, Eubank hit Gavin Sinclair for a 24-yard touchdown with 8:32 left in the quarter. The score pushed Samford's lead to 21-10.
The score stayed 21-10 until late in the fourth quarter. Mercer's Chandler Curtis returned a Samford punt 99 yards for a touchdown with 54 seconds left in the game. Russ then scored on the two-point conversion to cut the Samford lead to 21-18.
After the touchdown, Mercer attempted an on-side kick, but Samford's Jeremiaha Gates recovered for the Bulldogs, sealing the Samford win.
As a team, Samford finished with 365 yards of total offense, compared to 262 for Mercer. Each team committed two turnovers in the contest.
Samford will take the next week off from competition. The Bulldogs will return to action on Oct. 18, when Samford hosts Wofford at Seibert Stadium.
Players Mentioned
QB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DB
/ Football
P
/ Football
WR
/ Football
FS
/ Football
RB
/ FootballTeam Stats
MER
SAM
Total Yards
262
365
Pass Yards
148
262
Rushing Yards
114
103
Penalty Yards
61
97
1st Downs
11
17
3rd Downs
2
5
4th Downs
0
0
TOP
31:19
28:41
1st Quarter
MER 0, SAM 7
SAM - Denzel Williams 2 yd run (W. Handrahan kick), 5 plays, 65 yards, TOP 0:58
MER 3, SAM 7
MER - Jagger Lieb 37 yd field goal 9 plays, 49 yards, TOP 3:43
2nd Quarter
MER 3, SAM 14
SAM - Denzel Williams 3 yd run (W. Handrahan kick), 7 plays, 50 yards, TOP 1:40
MER 10, SAM 14
MER - John Russ 1 yd run (Jagger Lieb kick), 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:39
3rd Quarter
MER 10, SAM 21
SAM - Gavin Sinclair 24 yd pass from Michael Eubank (W. Handrahan kick) 9 plays, 61 yards, TOP 4:21
4th Quarter
MER 18, SAM 21
MER - Chandler Curtis 99 yd punt return (John Russ rush)
Game Leaders
CMP
24
TD
1
YDS
262
INT
0
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