2019 NCAA Division I College Football Team Previews: Mercer Bears
Mercer Bears
Location: Macon, GA
Coach: Bobby Lamb (37-31), 7th Season at Mercer
Stadium: Five Star Stadium (Capacity 10,200)
CSJ Projections:
7th: SoCon
6th: Georgia
52nd: FCS
176th: Division I
2018 In A Sentence: Outside of an upset win over a struggling Samford team, Mercer won the games they were favored in and lost the games where they were an underdog. That added up to a 5-6 record with a 4-4 Southern Conference mark.
Biggest Shoes to Fill: WR Marquise Irvin was the Bears top receiver in 2018 and will be missed in the passing game in 2019, especially without a clear cut starting quarterback.
Key Player: Mercer returns its leading rusher from 2018, RB Tyray Devezin. Last year, Devezin ran for 926 yards with 5.6 yards per carry. Only a Junior, Devezin should sail past 1000 yards this season in support of his offense. He can move the chains for the Bears to keep the offense on the field.
Fearless Prediction: There seems to be a clear line between the top and bottom of the Southern Conference. Mercer is one of those teams looking to climb in to the top half and fight for a playoff berth, but this year they will remain in the bottom half.
Jamie is a proud 2002 graduate of James Madison University. He’s witnessed the growth of the program from no one in the stands in 1998, to the hiring of Mickey Matthews, to the 2004 National Championship, to the 2008 team, to the struggles in the early 2010s, and finally the rebuild under Mike Houston. He also allegedly really enjoys Washington, DC-based Stanley Cup winners.
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