Mercer Bears at Western Carolina Catamounts
· NCAA - Football
Atkinson leads Mercer in 49-47 win over Western Carolina, which gets 7 TD passes from Dickens
Mercer clinched the SoCon's automatic bid into the FCS playoffs.
Reice Griffith's 37-yard field goal gave the Bears their 49-47 lead with 1:30 remaining before Taron Dickens drove the Catamounts to the 15-yard line with 3 seconds left. Marcus Trout then missed a 33-yard field-goal attempt on the final play.
Dickens threw seven touchdown passes, including three in the fourth quarter when the Catamounts twice rallied from a 12-point deficit. They took a 47-46 lead on his final TD pass, a 42-yarder to James Tyre, but they failed on a 2-point attempt that would have given them a three-point lead.
Dickens completed 33 of 49 passes for 551 yards. Malik Knight had 141 yards receiving, scoring twice for the Bears (8-1, 7-0), who are tied for 10th in the FCS coaches poll.
Atkinson was 23-for-39 passing for 443 yards. Adjatay Dabbs had 147 receiving yards and Miller ran for 91 yards for the Catamounts (6-4, 5-1), 24th in the FCS poll.
Western Carolina had the edge in total yards, 599-568.
Dickens, a sophomore, had a career-high of 528 yards with six TD passes against Samford earlier this season.
How To Watch
How can I watch Mercer Bears vs. Western Carolina Catamounts?
- TV Channel: Bears at Catamounts 2021 College Football, week 11, is broadcasted on ESPN+.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Scoring Summary
 |
TD | 1st Period 11:40 | Michael Rossin 27 Yd pass from Taron Dickens (Marcus Trout Kick) |
 |
TD | 1st Period 3:31 | CJ Miller 7 Yd Run (Reice Griffith Kick) |
|
TD | 2nd Period 14:55 | Patrick Boyd Jr. 21 Yd pass from Taron Dickens (Marcus Trout Kick) |
|
SF | 2nd Period 13:06 | Team Safety |
|
TD | 2nd Period 10:18 | Kendall Harris 6 Yd pass from Braden Atkinson (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed) |
|
TD | 2nd Period 5:25 | Michael Rossin 25 Yd pass from Taron Dickens (Marcus Trout Kick) |
|
FG | 2nd Period 1:43 | Reice Griffith 24 Yd Field Goal |
|
TD | 3rd Period 12:09 | CJ Miller 5 Yd Run (Reice Griffith Kick) |
|
TD | 3rd Period 5:12 | Kendall Harris 24 Yd pass from Braden Atkinson (Reice Griffith Kick) |
|
TD | 3rd Period 2:56 | Malik Knight 32 Yd pass from Taron Dickens (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed) |
|
TD | 3rd Period 0:24 | CJ Miller 26 Yd Run (Reice Griffith Kick) |
|
TD | 4th Period 14:28 | Malik Knight 54 Yd pass from Taron Dickens (Marcus Trout Kick) |
|
TD | 4th Period 13:25 | Adjatay Dabbs 81 Yd pass from Braden Atkinson (Reice Griffith Kick) |
|
TD | 4th Period 6:13 | Jai Boyd 10 Yd pass from Taron Dickens (Marcus Trout Kick) |
|
TD | 4th Period 3:13 | James Tyre 42 Yd pass from Taron Dickens (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed) |
|
FG | 4th Period 1:30 | Reice Griffith 37 Yd Field Goal |
Statistics
 MER |
 WCU |
|
|---|---|---|
| 23 | 1st Downs | 33 |
| 7-15 | 3rd down efficiency | 10-18 |
| 0-0 | 4th down efficiency | 0-1 |
| 568 | Total Yards | 599 |
| 443 | Passing | 551 |
| 23/39 | Comp/Att | 33/49 |
| 11.4 | Yards per pass | 11.2 |
| 125 | Rushing | 48 |
| 31 | Rushing Attempts | 36 |
| 4.0 | Yards per rush | 1.3 |
| 8-72 | Penalties | 5-55 |
| 0 | Turnovers | 2 |
| 0 | Fumbles lost | 1 |
| 0 | Interceptions thrown | 1 |
| 30:32 | Possession | 29:28 |
Game Information
Location: Cullowhee, NC
Attendance: 14,510 · Capacity:
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