East Texas A&M Lions at Mercer Bears
· FCS Kickoff
Mercer uses all phases and holds off East Texas A&m 23-15
The Bears enter the season ranked 21st in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 poll.
Simon Zeidan opened the scoring with a 55-yard field goal to put Mercer up 3-0.
Before the end of the first, King threw a 12-yard touchdown to Jackson Kostmayer for a 10-0 lead. Zeidan added field goals of 21 and 33 yards to extend the lead to 16-0 with 30 seconds before halftime.
Fifteen seconds later, Eric Rodriguez threw a 38-yard pick-6 to Goggins for a 23-point lead.
The Lions got on the scoreboard when Rodriguez threw a 48-yard touchdown to Micah Simpson with 2:01 left in the third. They closed to within 23-15 when Quay Middlebrooks ended an 80-yard drive running into the end zone from the 9. Rodriguez ran it in for the two-point conversion.
East Texas A&M turned it over on downs with 35 seconds, when on 4th-and-goal at the Mercer 9, Rodriguez threw high over the head of wide open Jake Whitehead and the Bears killed the clock.
Simpson caught nine passes for 165 yards and a touchdown for the Lions.
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How To Watch
How can I watch East Texas A&M Lions vs. Mercer Bears?
- TV Channel: Lions at Bears 2021 College Football, week 1, is broadcasted on ESPN.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Scoring Summary
 |
FG | 1st Period 6:45 | Simon Zeidan 55 Yd Field Goal |
|
TD | 1st Period 3:04 | Jackson Kostmayer 12 Yd pass from Jaylen King (Simon Zeidan Kick) |
|
FG | 2nd Period 5:20 | Simon Zeidan 21 Yd Field Goal |
|
FG | 2nd Period 0:30 | Simon Zeidan 33 Yd Field Goal |
|
TD | 2nd Period 0:15 | Cameron Goggins 38 Yd Interception Return (Simon Zeidan Kick) |
 |
TD | 3rd Period 6:47 | Micah Simpson 48 Yd pass from Eric Rodriguez (Ozlo Rigby Kick) |
|
TD | 4th Period 11:10 | Quay Middlebrooks 1 Yd Run (Eric Rodriguez Run for Two-Point Conversion) |
Statistics
 ETAM |
 MER |
|
|---|---|---|
| 15 | 1st Downs | 16 |
| 5-17 | 3rd down efficiency | 3-15 |
| 1-3 | 4th down efficiency | 1-1 |
| 383 | Total Yards | 352 |
| 232 | Passing | 177 |
| 15/31 | Comp/Att | 15/28 |
| 7.5 | Yards per pass | 6.3 |
| 151 | Rushing | 175 |
| 39 | Rushing Attempts | 36 |
| 3.9 | Yards per rush | 4.9 |
| 7-45 | Penalties | 5-29 |
| 3 | Turnovers | 0 |
| 0 | Fumbles lost | 0 |
| 3 | Interceptions thrown | 0 |
| 30:14 | Possession | 29:46 |
Game Information
Location: Macon, GA
Attendance: 8,378 · Capacity:
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