CULLOWHEE – Mercer needed a 37-yard field goal from Reice Griffith with 90 seconds remaining to survive a record-breaking performance from Western Carolina quarterback Taron Dickens and claim at least a share of the Southern Conference championship with a 49-47 victory Saturday at E.J. Whitmire Stadium.
Dickens threw for a SoCon single-game record seven touchdown passes to five different receivers, finishing 33-of-49 for 551 yards in a back-and-forth shootout that saw the lead change hands multiple times in the fourth quarter. But Griffith's late field goal and a missed 33-yard attempt by Western Carolina's Marcus Trout as time expired allowed the Bears (8-1, 7-0 SoCon) to escape with the victory and secure the league's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs.
The Bears trailed 47-46 with 3:13 remaining after Western Carolina's James Tyre caught a 42-yard touchdown pass from Dickens. Mercer responded with a six-play, 45-yard drive that consumed 1:43 before Griffith connected on his second field goal of the game to put the Bears ahead for good.
Western Carolina (6-4, 5-1 SoCon) had one more chance. Dickens completed passes of 14 yards to Patrick Boyd Jr., 19 yards to Tyre and 20 yards to Malik Knight to move the Catamounts to the Mercer 15-yard line. After three running plays netted just four yards, Western Carolina elected to attempt the field goal rather than try for the first down. Following a Mercer timeout, Trout's kick missed wide right as time expired.
The two teams combined for 1,167 yards of total offense, including 994 through the air, with 10 combined passing touchdowns. Dickens connected with 11 different receivers, while freshman Mercer quarterback Braden Atkinson completed 23 of 39 passes for 443 yards and three touchdowns.
Mercer scored on its opening possession of the second half to take a 25-21 lead on a five-yard touchdown run by CJ Miller, who finished with 91 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries. The Bears extended their advantage to 32-21 with 5:12 left in the third quarter when Atkinson found Kendall Harris for a 24-yard touchdown pass, Harris' second scoring catch of the game.
Western Carolina answered immediately. Knight caught a 23-yard pass to start the ensuing drive, and three plays later hauled in a 32-yard touchdown reception to cut the deficit to 32-27. But Miller responded with his third rushing touchdown, a 26-yard run with 24 seconds left in the third quarter, to push Mercer's lead back to 39-27.
The fourth quarter belonged to the Catamounts' passing attack. Knight opened the scoring with a 54-yard touchdown reception just 49 seconds into the period, pulling Western Carolina within 39-34. Mercer answered on its next possession when Atkinson connected with Adjatay Dabbs for an 81-yard touchdown that extended the lead to 46-34 with 13:25 remaining.
Western Carolina needed just three plays to respond. After an incompletion and a two-yard loss, Dickens found Jai Boyd for a 10-yard touchdown pass with 6:13 left, cutting Mercer's advantage to 46-41. The Catamounts forced a three-and-out, then needed just three plays to take the lead. Boyd Jr. gained one yard on first down before Dickens hit Tyre for the go-ahead 42-yard touchdown with 3:13 remaining.
Mercer faced second-and-22 from the Western Carolina 28 after a pass interference penalty wiped out what would have been a go-ahead touchdown pass to Harris. Atkinson completed passes of 10 and negative-two yards to Miller before Griffith's field goal attempt.
The game began as a defensive struggle by comparison to its eventual outcome. Western Carolina took the opening kickoff and needed nine plays to cover 65 yards, with Dickens finding Michael Rossin for a 27-yard touchdown pass with 11:40 left in the first quarter. Mercer answered with a five-play, 68-yard drive capped by Miller's seven-yard touchdown run.
Western Carolina regained the lead early in the second quarter when Dickens threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Boyd Jr., making it 14-7. But Mercer scored the next nine points, including a safety when Jordan Swain sacked Dickens in the end zone, followed by a six-yard touchdown pass from Atkinson to Harris that gave the Bears a 15-14 lead.
Dickens responded with his third touchdown pass of the half, a 25-yard strike to Rossin that capped an 11-play, 79-yard drive and gave Western Carolina a 21-15 lead with 5:25 left in the second quarter. Mercer drove to the Western Carolina seven but settled for Griffith's 24-yard field goal with 1:43 remaining in the half, leaving the Catamounts ahead 21-18 at halftime.
The teams traded punts to open the second half before Mercer took over at its own 25 following a touchback. The Bears needed just five plays to score, with Miller capping the 75-yard drive with his second touchdown run. After Western Carolina punted, Mercer recovered a fumble at the Catamounts' 35-yard line. Four plays later, Atkinson hit Harris for the 24-yard touchdown that extended the lead to 32-21.
Knight finished with five receptions for a career-high 141 yards and two touchdowns for Western Carolina. Boyd Jr. caught seven passes for a career-best 93 yards and a score, while Rossin had three catches for 65 yards and two touchdowns. Tyre finished with three receptions for 78 yards and his 11th touchdown catch of the season, the most in the SoCon.
For Mercer, Dabbs led all receivers with four catches for 147 yards and a touchdown. Harris caught six passes for 73 yards and two scores, while Miller added three receptions for 57 yards to go with his rushing total, giving him 148 yards of total offense.
Samaurie Dukes led Western Carolina with a career-high 13 tackles, while Hasaan Sykes added 10 stops. Micah Nelson, Ken Moore Jr. and Caleb Fisher each recorded a tackle for loss. The Catamounts registered eight quarterback hurries, including two each by Jordan Thompson and Justin Wallace.
Julian Fox paced Mercer's defense with 13 tackles, and Drew Clare added 10 stops plus a fumble recovery. The Bears recorded four sacks from four different players, with Swain's safety coming on his sack in the second quarter. Kaleb Hutchinson recorded Mercer's only interception, picking off Dickens at the goal line as time expired in the first half.
The victory gives Mercer at least a share of the 2025 SoCon regular-season championship with one game remaining. The Bears clinched the league's automatic qualifier to the NCAA FCS playoffs by securing the tiebreaker over Western Carolina, the only team that can match their conference record. Mercer hosts Chattanooga next Saturday.
Western Carolina hosts East Tennessee State next Saturday in its regular-season finale on Senior Day.
Top Performers
- Taron Dickens, WCU: 33-of-49 passing, 551 yards, 7 TDs, 1 INT (SoCon single-game record for TD passes)
- Braden Atkinson, Mercer: 23-of-39 passing, 443 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT
- Malik Knight, WCU: 5 receptions, 141 yards, 2 TDs
- CJ Miller, Mercer: 21 rushes for 91 yards and 3 TDs; 3 receptions for 57 yards
- Adjatay Dabbs, Mercer: 4 receptions, 147 yards, 1 TD
- Kendall Harris, Mercer: 6 receptions, 73 yards, 2 TDs
- Patrick Boyd Jr., WCU: 7 receptions, 93 yards, 1 TD
- Samaurie Dukes, WCU: 13 tackles
- Julian Fox, Mercer: 13 tackles
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