Mercer (0-1) left last weekend in Montgomery with a sour taste in its mouth after that game got called off due to lightning. That sour taste was supposed to be erased as the Bears came back home on Saturday for their on-paper season opener. Coming in as a heavy favorite against visiting Presbyterian (1-0), it was seen by many as a tune-up game in the hopeful run to another SoCon title. The Blue Hose, though, had other plans. Behind a shockingly good defensive performance, Presbyterian… who did not beat
any DI opponents outside of the Pioneer League last year… stunned Mercer in front of its own crowd.
The contest got off to a slow start for both teams. For the Blue Hose it was expected but for the Bears it was not. Mercer was forced to punt on its first two possessions before it finally made a big play defensively. Presbyterian QB Collin Hurst was picked off by cornerback Myles Weston deep in Mercer territory. The turnover opened the door for a 10-play, 80-yard drive that ended in a touchdown pass from D.J. Smith to Adonis McDaniel. Little did the Bears fans know, that would be their team’s only TD of the night.
From that point, the Blue Hose defense locked down what is supposed to be a prolific offense. The second quarter began with their own offense answering Mercer’s score. Hurst completed five passes on the drive, the final of which was a nice 29-yarder to tight end Nathan Levicki. Levicki’s score, though, would not put the visitors on top as the PAT was missed.
Just three snaps into the next series, though, Smith would have a throw intercepted, killing any sort of momentum that his team was trying to get back. Even with their defense making big plays like stopping the Presbyterian offense on fourth down, the offense was able to do nothing. The next Bears drive would end in a punt in spite of running nine plays and, when halftime came around, Mercer would cling onto an uncomfortable 7-6 lead.
The unease in Five Star Stadium only grew in the third quarter. After suffering through another punt, the Bears did tack on three more with a field goal but once again the Blue Hose had the answer. Kicker Jett Jackson nailed a 29-yard kick to keep it a one-point contest. When the fourth quarter began, Mike Jacobs’ squad led it 10-9 but found itself in a dogfight it didn’t expect.
The Presbyterian defense was playing the epitome of bend-but-don’t-break, not allowing any Mercer points despite long, sustained drives. The fourth frame started with another one as the Bears offense took 11 snaps but only moved 36 yards and again had to boot it away. With under seven minutes to play, Hurst and company would proceed to string together their most impressive series of the night.
Eating almost the rest of the time off the clock, the Blue Hose methodically but deliberately kept the chains moving for 80 yards. Hurst completed pass after pass and running back Justin Montgomery churned out hard-fought runs. Then, with just 56 seconds left, fellow back Zach Switzer rumbled in for a 16-yard touchdown that put Presbyterian on top for the first time all night. The crowd fell silent as the Blue Hose players sprinted to their sideline in celebration.
With their last-gasp attempt, the Bears did get the ball back well into Presbyterian territory but Smith’s Hail Mary attempt fluttered incomplete much to the dismay of their fans. Against all odds, the Blue Hose came out of Georgia with a victory that could change the trajectory of two seasons.
Hurst was on fire, completing 25 passes for 303 yards and a touchdown in what was Presbyterian’s first season-opening win in four years. A non-scholarship program, the visitors from Clinton, SC don’t often win these sorts of games, especially against teams that are… or were… FCS playoff caliber.
Now it is unclear what Mercer is actually capable of in 2025 because this loss is bad and they looked bad during it. No Bear running back had more than 32 yards and on the whole the team rushed for just 87. They went 4-of-13 on third down and came nowhere close to controlling the time of possession battle. As of right now, Mercer looks like a far cry from the team that won its league and reached the quarterfinals last year. They need a bounce back in the worst way after their bye week when they see Wofford in the SoCon opener,
Conversely, the Blue Hose are suddenly at least in the conversation as far as contenders in the Pioneer League goes. They have never won the league that they joined in 2021 and have also never qualified for the postseason. They’ll get another crack at a SoCon opponent next Saturday as they have a date with Furman.
