Saturday, October 17
Birmingham, Ala.
6 PM
Samford University
vs
#18 Mercer
Samford Football To Host 18th-ranked Mercer Saturday Evening
10.16.26 | Football
GAME NOTES--SAMFORD VS. MERCER (PDF)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford football team will play host to the 18th-ranked Mercer Bears Saturday night at 6 p.m. at Bobby Bowden Field at Pete Hanna Stadium. The game can be seen live on ESPN+.
Samford and Mercer are meeting for the 33rd time, with Samford owning a 16-15-1 series lead. Last season, Mercer defeated Samford, 45-21 in Macon, Ga. The home team has won the last six meetings in the series.
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The 33rd meeting moves the series into fourth place on Samford's most commonly played opponents list. Since Mercer joined the Southern Conference in 2014, Samford is 7-5 against the Bears. The average score of the 12 previous meetings as Southern Conference foes has been 34-29 in favor of Samford. In the six home games in those 12 conference games, Samford has a record of 5-1. The first meeting in the all-time series came on Nov. 2, 1907, with Mercer winning, 11-6, in Macon, Ga.
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The Bulldogs enter the week with a record of 1-5 overall and 1-2 in Southern Conference play. Last week, Samford fell at Chattanooga, 19-3 in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Mercer enters the game with a record of 5-2 overall and 2-1 in Southern Conference play. Last week, Mercer earned a 17-14 win over Western Carolina at home.Â
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SAMFORD AGAINST SOCON TEAMS
Since joining the Southern Conference in 2008, Samford has posted a record of 77-69 in conference games. All-time against the current members of the SoCon, Samford has a mark of 116-109-4, including a 16-15-1 record against Mercer. Samford's all-time record against each current SoCon team is Chattanooga (12-36-3), The Citadel (10-9), ETSU (8-5), Furman (12-15), Mercer (16-15-1), Tennessee Tech (14-13), VMI (11-3), Western Carolina (17-6) and Wofford (16-7)..
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A RECORD DAY FOR IPPOLITO
Samford place-kicker Ty Ippolito had a record-setting day in Samford's game at Tennessee Tech on Sept. 12. Ippolito kicked the two longest field goals in Samford history, making kicks of 54 and 58 yards. The previous record was 52 by Cameron Yaw at Chattanooga in 2012.
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CONN HAS CAREER DAY
In last weekend's game at Chattanooga, linebacker Spencer Conn had a career day. He finished the game with a career-high 16 tackles, including nine solo stops. He also had one sack for nine yards.
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LEADING THE OFFENSE
First-year starting quarterback Gabarri Johnson has stepped in as the leader of the offense this season. Through the first six games of the season, Johnson has completed 115-of-201 passes for 1,125 yards and six touchdowns. He has also rushed for a pair of touchdowns.
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SCORING ON DEFENSE
In the games against VMI and UAB, Samford scored a defensive touchdown in back-to-back games for the first time since 2016. Against VMI, LaShon Young had a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown. In the UAB game, Jalen Nelson returned a fumble 95 yards for a score.
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MAKING AN IMPACT AT RECEIVER
Three Samford receivers have put up impressive numbers so far this season. Clemson transfer Marquise Henderson has caught 20 passes for 349 yards and three touchdowns. Preston Bird has 24 catches for 221 yards and a touchdown, while Cayden Aukerman has hauled in 19 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns.
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ON THIS DATE
Samford has an all-time record of 6-5-1 in games played on Oct. 17. The last time the Bulldogs played on that date was in 2015, with Samford falling to The Citadel, 44-25. This will be the first time Samford and Mercer have played on this date.
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Saturday's game can be seen live on ESPN+ and live stats will also be available. For links to follow all of Samford's games this season, click on the following link: 2026 SAMFORD FOOTBALL SCHEDULE.
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FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS:
For the latest news and information on Samford football, visit the official website for Samford Athletics at SamfordSports.com. Fans can also follow the Bulldogs on social media at /SamfordFootball (Facebook), @SamfordFootball (Instagram) and @SamfordFootball (Twitter).
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford football team will play host to the 18th-ranked Mercer Bears Saturday night at 6 p.m. at Bobby Bowden Field at Pete Hanna Stadium. The game can be seen live on ESPN+.
Samford and Mercer are meeting for the 33rd time, with Samford owning a 16-15-1 series lead. Last season, Mercer defeated Samford, 45-21 in Macon, Ga. The home team has won the last six meetings in the series.
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The 33rd meeting moves the series into fourth place on Samford's most commonly played opponents list. Since Mercer joined the Southern Conference in 2014, Samford is 7-5 against the Bears. The average score of the 12 previous meetings as Southern Conference foes has been 34-29 in favor of Samford. In the six home games in those 12 conference games, Samford has a record of 5-1. The first meeting in the all-time series came on Nov. 2, 1907, with Mercer winning, 11-6, in Macon, Ga.
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The Bulldogs enter the week with a record of 1-5 overall and 1-2 in Southern Conference play. Last week, Samford fell at Chattanooga, 19-3 in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Mercer enters the game with a record of 5-2 overall and 2-1 in Southern Conference play. Last week, Mercer earned a 17-14 win over Western Carolina at home.Â
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SAMFORD AGAINST SOCON TEAMS
Since joining the Southern Conference in 2008, Samford has posted a record of 77-69 in conference games. All-time against the current members of the SoCon, Samford has a mark of 116-109-4, including a 16-15-1 record against Mercer. Samford's all-time record against each current SoCon team is Chattanooga (12-36-3), The Citadel (10-9), ETSU (8-5), Furman (12-15), Mercer (16-15-1), Tennessee Tech (14-13), VMI (11-3), Western Carolina (17-6) and Wofford (16-7)..
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A RECORD DAY FOR IPPOLITO
Samford place-kicker Ty Ippolito had a record-setting day in Samford's game at Tennessee Tech on Sept. 12. Ippolito kicked the two longest field goals in Samford history, making kicks of 54 and 58 yards. The previous record was 52 by Cameron Yaw at Chattanooga in 2012.
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CONN HAS CAREER DAY
In last weekend's game at Chattanooga, linebacker Spencer Conn had a career day. He finished the game with a career-high 16 tackles, including nine solo stops. He also had one sack for nine yards.
Â
LEADING THE OFFENSE
First-year starting quarterback Gabarri Johnson has stepped in as the leader of the offense this season. Through the first six games of the season, Johnson has completed 115-of-201 passes for 1,125 yards and six touchdowns. He has also rushed for a pair of touchdowns.
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SCORING ON DEFENSE
In the games against VMI and UAB, Samford scored a defensive touchdown in back-to-back games for the first time since 2016. Against VMI, LaShon Young had a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown. In the UAB game, Jalen Nelson returned a fumble 95 yards for a score.
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MAKING AN IMPACT AT RECEIVER
Three Samford receivers have put up impressive numbers so far this season. Clemson transfer Marquise Henderson has caught 20 passes for 349 yards and three touchdowns. Preston Bird has 24 catches for 221 yards and a touchdown, while Cayden Aukerman has hauled in 19 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns.
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ON THIS DATE
Samford has an all-time record of 6-5-1 in games played on Oct. 17. The last time the Bulldogs played on that date was in 2015, with Samford falling to The Citadel, 44-25. This will be the first time Samford and Mercer have played on this date.
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Saturday's game can be seen live on ESPN+ and live stats will also be available. For links to follow all of Samford's games this season, click on the following link: 2026 SAMFORD FOOTBALL SCHEDULE.
Â
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS:
For the latest news and information on Samford football, visit the official website for Samford Athletics at SamfordSports.com. Fans can also follow the Bulldogs on social media at /SamfordFootball (Facebook), @SamfordFootball (Instagram) and @SamfordFootball (Twitter).
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Players Mentioned
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