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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.