Mercer football (7-1, 6-0 Southern Conference) takes on Western Carolina University (6-3, 5-0 SoCon) on Saturday in a battle for the sole lead of the conference. The matchup is also a contest between the only two teams left undefeated in SoCon play, with the No. 12 Bears traveling up to Cullowhee, N.C. to take on the No. 24 Catamounts. Saturday’s winner will likely claim the conference title, too, though WCU has two SoCon games left in their schedule after this week while Mercer has just one.
“But, you can’t be overemotional about it. I was always told by a coach of mine, ‘Play on the verge of rage,” Head Coach Mike Jacobs said Monday of the weight of Saturday’s game on the SoCon title race. “If you cross that line, then you’re out of sorts and that’s when you make mental mistakes.”
The Catamounts’ offense has been high-powered all season, failing to score less than 30 points just once this year – a 42-10 loss to FBS team Wake Forest University – while the SoCon Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, Taron Dickens, leads the conference with 26 touchdown passes in six games. Dickens was unavailable, Jacobs said, the first three games of the season, and the Catamounts have not lost since he took over the starting job in week four.
The redshirt sophomore quarterback also leads the conference in completion percentage, connecting on nearly 78 percent of his passes this season. His top target, James Tyre, has surpassed 100 yards three times this season, most recently with a 112-yard performance against The Citadel on Oct. 18. The redshirt sophomore also has seven touchdowns in the Catmounts’ last four games, and his ten receiving scores this season lead the conference.
Tyre is complemented by Malik Knight, whose 6’2” frame and speed helped him get named to the Preseason All-Conference team this year. His 539 yards this season are seventh in the SoCon.
On defense, WCU is led by linebacker Jordan Thompson, who transferred from FBS team Middle Tennessee University this year. Thompson has solidified a Catamount linebacker room that lost one of key playmakers, Antarron Turner, to the transfer portal after last season. Elsewhere, Sean Morris anchors the defensive line with 4.5 sacks this season while defensive backs Hasaan Sykes and Ken Moore Jr. have combined for six interceptions.
Recent history would suggest that the Bears are prepared for this road test: Mercer is riding a nine-game winning streak against the WCU, dating back to 2015. Defenses have always been tested between these two teams, though. In all but one game against each other, both teams registered at least 21 points. Last year, Mercer bested the North Carolina team 44-34, but this year, WCU is coming into the game on a six-game win streak.
“I like playing in those kinds of atmospheres. We’re not gonna be rattled by it, I can promise you that,” Jacobs said. “These guys have played in Bryant-Denny and some other places, but we’re going to be excited to play in that kind of college atmosphere with a bunch on the line.”
Gabriel Kopp
Gabriel Kopp ’26 is double majoring in Journalism and Law and Public Policy at Mercer University. He has written for The Cluster since he started at Mercer, and currently works as Editor-in-Chief. When he isn’t working on a Washington Post crossword, he enjoys going for runs around Macon and reading The New York Times or the AJC while sipping coffee.
