Mercer Opens Up Its SoCon Membership Thursday Night Against Reinhardt

Mercer Sophomore QB John Russ vs. Reinhardt in 2014/Photo Courtesy Mercer Athletics

SoCon Previews Week1 (Mercer-Reinhardt)

2014 Week 1 Introduction:

Southern Conference football is here and it’s going to be a different season, without three of the teams most are used to seeing compete in the league, with two of those in particular being Appalachian State and Georgia Southern. However, the SoCon race will once again likely shape up to be an outstanding race once again this fall.

The favorite to win the league title for the second year in a row is Chattanooga, who returns 15 starters, as the Mocs will be in action on the opening Thursday night of the college football season, taking on MAC member Central Michigan to open the campaign.

The Mocs come into the season off their first Southern Conference title season since 1984, however, despite tying with Samford and Furman for the 2013 league crown, the Mocs missed out on the postseason altogether, finishing with an 8-4 record overall and a 6-2 record in Southern Conference play ultimately kept the Mocs out of the FCS playoffs, which have alluded since that ‘84 season, which yielded the fourth Southern Conference title for the Mocs.

The Mocs are joined as title favorites by the two teams which joined the Mocs last season in the title hunt, in both Furman and Samford. Samford claimed its first conference title since making a move to Division I football back in the early 1990s, while Furman won its league standard 13th Southern Conference crown in 2013. Furman finished with an 8-6 record and a 6-2 record in Southern Conference play, as the Paladins picked up the SoCon’s automatic bid to the FCS postseason, winning their opening round FCS playoff game, 30-20, over SC State, which marked the Paladins’ first FCS playoff win since 2006.

Meanwhile, Samford was back in the FCS postseason for the first time since 1992, and after finishing the regular season with an 8-4 record and 6-2 conference mark, the Bulldogs would qualify for the postseason by virtue of their 17-14 win in overtime over Chattanooga.

The Bulldogs would have the unfortunate pleasure of taking on a red hot Jacksonville State team, while the Bulldogs were barely a shell of themselves with so many injury issues by the time they reached the FCS postseason. Samford got blitzed, 54-14, in a second round clash, and their playoff exit would be swift.

As a result of Furman having to play the opening week of the postseason, the Paladins got the unfortunate draw of getting to travel to North Dakota State in the second round of the playoffs. The Paladins would hang around in the opening half of play before dropping a 38-7 decision to the eventual national title winners.

Furman will open their 2014 season against Gardner-Webb on Aug. 30, with kickoff for that contest set for 7 p.m., while the Bulldogs will be in Big 12 country, when they go toe-to-toe with Gary Patterson’s TCU Horned Frogs at the same time on Aug. 30.

Like Chattanooga, SoCon newcomer Mercer will be in action on the opening Thursday night of the season, when the Bears take on Reinhardt in a 7 p.m. contest in Macon. VMI, who is the other new-old member in the Southern Conference, re-joining the league for the first time since 2002, will be on the road in an Aug. 30 opener, also taking the field under the lights for a 7 p.m. battle with Bucknell. East Tennessee won’t begin SoCon play until 2015.

Saturday sees Wofford open the proceedings with a trip to Atlanta, GA, facing Georgia Tech in a matchup between one-time Southern Conference rival head coaches, in Wofford’s Mike Ayers and Georgia Tech’s Paul Johnson.

The Terriers and Yellow Jackets marks the lone Southern Conference afternoon game, and it will be an intriguing matchup between two of the nation’s most explosive triple-option offenses at their respective classifications.

One of the more intriguing night games will see the VMI Keydets play their first Southern Conference game under the league umbrella since leaving at the conclusion of the 2002 season for the Big South Conference. The Keydets will be on the road in New York, as Sparky Woods’ Keydets will take on the Bucknell Bison in a kickoff slated for 6 p.m. It will mark just the third meeting between the two schools, with the series tied, 1-1.

The fourth FBS-FCS meeting for the Southern Conference slated for the opening weekend will take place down in Tampa, as Western Carolina faces South Florida in a kickoff set for 7 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium. The matchup will feature a pair of teams that finished 2-10 last, but are supposed to be much improved entering the 2014 campaign.

Maybe the most intriguing matchup of the weekend is the coastal battle between Charleston and Myrtle Beach otherwise known as the clash between The Citadel and Coastal Carolina. The SoCon didn’t exactly knock the ball out of the ballpark against the Big South last season, and in fact four of the six clashes between the two leagues. Coastal heads to Charleston as the No. 7 ranked team in FCS football. Kickoff for the inaugural meeting between the two programs is set for 7 p.m. Saturday night.

Mercer-Reinhardt Preview:

Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014

Mercer University Football Stadium (10,000), 7 p.m.

ESPN3

GAME OVERVIEW: Mercer opens its first season as a Southern Conference member on Thursday night, when head coach Bobby Lamb’s Bears square off against the Reinhardt Eagles, marking the second time the two teams have met in as many seasons. Last season, the Bears were able to edge out the Eagles, posting a 40-37 win over the Eagles on Aug. 31, 2013, marking the first game for the Bears football program in 72 years. It would be the beginning of what would turn out to be a 10-win season for the Bears, who played as a member of the non-scholarship Pioneer League last season, finishing off what was a near-flawless return to the gridiron. Reinhardt heads into the matchup with the Bears coming off a solid 2013 season of its own, as the Eagles posted a 6-4 record, including a 4-1 conference mark, which saw Reinhardt finish tied for first in the Mid-South Conference. Interestingly, last season’s clash was between two first-year programs.

THE COACHES: Both the Mercer and Reinhardt staffs plenty of familiarity with each other, with offensive coordinator and coach-in-waiting Drew Cronic having served as the wide receivers coach/recruiting coordinator during his nine seasons at Furman, serving under head coach now Mercer head coach Bobby Lamb in Greenville. Cronic’s father, Dr. Danny Cronic, serves as the head coach for the Eagles, and was a good friend o Bobby Lamb’s father, Ray Lamb, while serving on Vince Dooley’s staff at Georgia during the mid 1990s. Lamb has been one of the most successful coaches at the FCS level during his 10 seasons as a head coach, posting a 77-42 record, which includes three seasons in which he has helped lead a program to 10 or more wins, including a Southern Conference title in 2004, which led to a subsequent Southern Conference Coach of the Year accolade. During his time at Furman, Lamb also led the Paladins to the brink of the FCS title game, losing to eventual national champion Appalachian State, 29-23, in 2005. All told, Lamb led the Paladins to four FCS playoff appearances, and helped the Paladins claim winning seasons in eight of his nine campaigns at the helm of his alma mater. In his first season at Mercer, Lamb garnered Pioneer Football League Coach of the Year honors, as well as being named FCS National Coach of the Year en route to leading Mercer to its most wins in school history.

Dr. Danny Cronic has been a highly-successful coach at the prep level, having posted a 222-114-1 record as a high school head coach, having enjoyed successful stints at LaGrange, East Coweta, Forsyth County and Cherokee high schools.

THE OFFENSES: Mercer brings in what proved to be a high-octane offense from a year ago, utilizing the Pistol formation made famous by former Nevada head coach and legend Chris Ault during the Wolfpack’s membership as a Division I-AA program. Lamb was an assistant on a pair of Furman teams that faced Ault’s Wolfpack in 1985 and ‘90, but it was a loss to Nevada in triple overtime in ‘90 that probably stands out the most to Lamb, who saw the Wolfpack, utilizing what at the time was an unorthodox offensive alignment, to come back from a 28-13 third-quarter deficit to force overtime and doing so with a backup signal-caller by the name of Chris Vargas. By the time the dust had settled at Mackey Stadium in Reno, the Wolfpack had rolled up 611 yards of total offense, including 496 through the air, en route to a 42-35 come-from-behind win in overtime. The 611 yards gained by the Wolfpack were the most given up by a Paladin defense until 2007, when The Citadel eclipsed that total with 642 yards in a 54-51 overtime win in Charleston. Last season, Lamb’s offensive mind played a large part in the success of the, as the Bears ranked second nationally in rush offense (277.9 YPG), while also ranking 13th in scoring offense (38.3 PPG) and 19th in total offense (449.6 YPG). The Bears not only one of the best rushing seasons in school history, amassing a total of 3,335 rushing yards last fall. The 3,335 rush yards compiled by the Bears in 2013 were impressive to say the least. Putting that stat in perspective, in Lamb’s 29-year career at Furman as a player, assistant and head coach, only twice did Furman eclipse that mark on the ground.In 2000, Furman rushed for 3,382 yards, with one player, Louis Ivory, who won the Walter Payton Award by accounting for 2,079 of those yards to become the first player in Southern Conference history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a regular season…In 2005, Furman rushed for 3,457 yards–the most in school history–to rank 10th nationally, averaging 246.8 YPG in 14 games. The three-headed monster of a ground game, which includes All-SoCon candidate quarterback John Russ and running backs Peyton Usher and Je’Tarri Donald combined to amass 2,553 rushing yards last season, with each one of the aforementioned trio having rushed for at least 750 yards for the season. Russ led the way, rushing for 903 yards and 12 TDs on 160 rush attempts, while Donald was second on the Bears’ roster in rushing yards last fall, having compiled 874 yards and seven scores on 149 attempts, averaging 5.9 YPC. Usher was third on the rushing ledger for Mercer last fall, completing the campaign with 776 yards and 2 TDs on 114 attempts (6.8 YPC). As a passer, Russ connected on 121-of-233 passes for 1,916 yards, with 21 TDs and seven INTs. Russ’ top target in the passing attack for the Bears last season was JT Palmer, who hauled in 30 passes for 521 yards and a team-leading seven scores. He averaged an impressive 17.4 YPR in 2013. The Mercer offensive line, which returns intact, is still young, but it was a unit that maximized its potential in the Bears’ first gridiron season since 1942. Left guard Wilson Heres is one to watch at left guard for the Bears, as is Kirby Southard at center.

Reinhardt brings an explosive offensive of its own into Thursday night’s clash at MU Stadium, ranking among the best in NAIA, averaging 35.8 PPG to go along with 464 yards of total offense per game, while posting an impressive 263 yards-per-game on the ground. One of the game-breakers in that Eagle offense last season was running back L.J. Stegall, who completed the campaign with 656 rush yards and 10 scores, averaging an outstanding 7.8 YPC. Ryan Thompson, who split time under center last season with Jonathon Chamblee last season, has been named the starter coming out of fall camp. Last season, Thompson put up some impressive numbers as a freshman, connecting on 91-of-152 passes for 1,452 yards, with nine TDs and only three INTs. Sophomore Aaron Kennedy returns as the top receiving option for the Eagles, completing the 2013 campaign by hauling in 40 passes for 660 yards and three scores, averaging 16.5 YPR. Kennedy’s explosiveness is well documented, and he was on the other end of the longest pass play of the season for Reinhardt last season, hauling in a 79-yard pass from Thompson, which he turned into six points in a game against Campbellsville last season. Up front, the Eagles, like Mercer, will be in just their second season of adjustment to blocking schemes, however, like Mercer, will likely be much more wily in terms of experience and overall knowledge of blocking schemes and the offense. The Eagles will run a Wing-T offense, similar to some of the old offenses once utilized by the legendary Tubby Raymond during his days as the head coach at Division I-AA power Delaware.

THE DEFENSES: The Mercer defense, unlike its offensive counterparts, saw more first-year struggles. The Bears, who return all 11 starters on the defensive side of the football for the 2014 season, and the Bears will utilize an odd front on defense, utilizing the 3-4 scheme this fall. The Bears are coming off a 2013 season, which saw them yield 361.1 YPG and 23.9 PPG, which are some pretty decent totals for the campaign, all things considered, however, Lamb and company knows there’s much room for improvement this fall. Obviously, the second-year program returns all 11 starters from last season, and it will all start up front with the three down linemen. One of the biggest onus’ on the defensive side of the ball will be defensive end Tunde Ayinla. Ayinla comes off a 2013 season which saw him rack up 32 tackles, 7.5 TFL and three sacks last season. Ayinla is now able to fully utilize his athleticism on the perimeter this season after playing as an undersized nose tackle last season. Ayinla could see his numbers improve, especially his pass-rush stats, along the Bears’ defensive front this fall. In the linebacking corps, the Bears will be highlighted by a pair of All-SoCon candidates, in middle linebacker Ty Ward. Ward was the Bears’ leading tackler last season, racking up 101 tackles, 10.5 TFL, 3.0 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery last season. Ward, a native of Macon, will patrol the middle of that Mercer defense this fall after starting all 12 games in the middle of that Mercer defense a year ago. Unfortunately for Lamb and Mercer, All-Pioneer League linebacker honoree Tosin Aguebor was lost to a broken leg during camp, likely sidelining the talented LB for the entire season. Stepping into the fold to try and fill the role of a player that led the Bears in sacks (10.0) and tackles-for-loss (13.0) last season will be redshirt freshman Kyle Williams. The Bears also have some playmakers returning in the secondary heading into the 2014 season. Boundary cornerback Alex Avant will anchor the unit and heads into the 2014 campaign as a potential All-SoCon candidate. Avant had one of the more sensational INT returns for a score in the country last season, which garnered him ESPN National Play of the Week accolades after he returned an INT 34 yards for a score on a play in which Avant probably covered about 75 yards, as he zig-zagged his way to a score in the league opener. All told, Avant completed the campaign with 48 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 8 PBUs, 1 FF and a pair of INTs last fall. The Bears should be solid at safety, adding TCU transfer Zach Johnson at free safety and sophomore Mike Gray slated to return to his starting role at strong safety. Gray completed what was a solid rookie season for the Bears in 2013 by completing the season with a team-leading three INTs in 2013. In addition to those three picks, Gray added 58 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 4 PBU and a sack.

Reinhardt counters on the defensive side of the football by coming off a 2013 season which saw the Eagles surrender 439.2 YPG and 31.5 PPG in their inaugural season as a program. Obviously, the defensive side of the ball was even more of a struggle for Dr. Cronic’s unit last season, as it seemingly had to adjust to some of the speed and tempo of the offenses it faced in its first season as a program in 2013. The Eagles will utilize a unique 3-3-5 defensive scheme, which is sometimes referred to as a diamond defensive scheme, which has been utilized by Montana State at the FCS level over the years, and West Virginia at the FBS level in recent years. Leading the Eagles’ defense up front by Phillip Leconte, who comes off what was an outstanding inaugural season. Leconte comes off a 2013 season, which saw him lead the club with six sacks, while ranking second on the club with 8.5 TFL. The top player on the Reinhardt defense from a year ago is linebacker Jarrod Johnson, who paced the Eagles with 83 tackles last season to go along with 3.5 TFL and three pass breakups in his rookie season.

BRIEFLY REVIEWING THE 2013 MEETING: Mercer was able to claim a 40-37 overtime win over Reinhardt last season in a matchup between a pair of first-year programs. The Bears were led by Peyton Usher, who rushed for 115 yards and senior kicker Josh Shutter nailed a 31-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to lead the Bears to the opening season win, marking the first win as a program for the Bears in 72 years.

Mercer nearly saw a win slip through its grasp last fall, as the two schools battled through eight lead changes before a winner was finally decided. But Shutter would come through to connect on a pair of field goals in the final 3:17, allowing the Bears to pick up the important season-opening win.

Mercer almost saw its first game in 72 years be much more depressing than it was, as the Eagles were able to take advantage of three turnovers, with two of those miscues leading to pair of Eagle touchdowns and a 37-34 deficit with 11:24 remaining.

But Mercer’s offense would shine in the final portion of the fourth quarter, grinding out a 13-play drive, 65-yard drive, using the first of Shutter’s field goals to tie the game, 37-37, with 8:02 remaining.

Mercer’s defense would also come up big in the late-going after struggling much of the evening, as the Bears forced the Eagles to turn the football over on downs with just 30 seconds to play. It would set up the biggest play of the night, as on the second play of the drive, Bears quarterback John Russ would connect with wideout Jordan Palmer on a 46-yard pass play, setting up Shutter’s game-winning 31-yarder. The Bears edged Reinhardt, 410-406 in total yards.
FINAL PREDICTION: Two programs that met in a memorable inaugural game last season would both go on to have successful campaigns. Head coach Bobby Lamb has admitted it will be a learning process, and certainly the Thursday night opener against the Eagles will give the veteran head coach, who heads into his 11th year in that role, a good gauge of just how far his program has come before jumping right into Southern Conference next Saturday against one of the trio of reigning champions. Mercer likely took great strides as the season progressed, which will show up in a big way in the 2014 home opener.

Mercer 42, Reinhardt 31

Please check out Saturday Blitz’s preview of all the remaining Southern Conference games slated for this weekend, including the other Thursday night clash in the league, which pits reigning Southern Conference champion and preseason favorite Chattanooga against MAC member Central Michigan.