Keeler's Corner: In-Season Update #4

Note: The following was written by Scott Keeler, who worked as a reporter at the Greenville News for more than 25 years and continues to cover the Southern Conference. “Keeler’s Corner” will appear throughout the season.

Keeler can be found on X @Scott_Keeler

Welcome to Keeler’s Corner! This final edition will recap the final three weeks of the regular season for each Southern Conference team as well as Mercer’s postseason. I’ll also give my selection for MVP of each SoCon squad. Rankings are listed with the final regular season rankings in the AFCA FCS Coaches’ Poll first and then the Stats Perform FCS Poll.

No. 9/8 MERCER (11-3 overall, 7-1 SoCon)

The longest football season in Mercer history concluded Dec. 14 when the Bears lost at North Dakota State in the FCS playoff quarterfinals. Prior to that, Mercer became the sixth different school to win the SoCon championship over the past six seasons. It marked the first ever SoCon title for the Bears and their first conference crown in football in 92 years.

After opening November with a wild 37-31 win over ETSU, Mercer got back to its dominant defensive ways the following week with a 34-0 win at VMI. The Bears allowed just 111 yards of total offense in recording their first ever SoCon road shutout and first road shutout since a 49-0 win at Stetson in 2014.

It marked the fourth time this season that Mercer went on the road and kept the home team out of the end zone. Outside of giving up 55 points at Samford in the Bears’ only league loss, Mercer allowed only eight points combined in their other four FCS road games in the regular season. Mercer’s offense piled up 518 balanced total yards with 282 passing and 236 rushing. Senior Parker Wroble caught three passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Bears.

The victory over VMI clinched at least a share of the SoCon title for Mercer. After falling at Alabama 52-7 the next week, Mercer hosted Furman to wrap up the regular season with a shot at keeping the SoCon crown all to itself. After falling behind 7-0 following an early turnover, the Bears scored a pair of touchdowns in the final minute of the first quarter to take an 11-point lead and went on to a 49-23 win.

Mercer trailed 10-7 with 42 seconds left in the first quarter when freshman quarterback Whitt Newbauer hit freshman receiver Adjatay Dabbs with a 46-yard touchdown pass. Just 20 seconds later, the Bears pushed the lead to 21-10 when linebacker Tommy Bliss picked a fumble out of mid-air and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown. With 1:19 left in the first half, Newbauer threw a seven-yard touchdown to Sawyer Burt as Mercer took a commanding 28-10 lead and never looked back.

The Bears enjoyed another 500-plus total yard day offensively. They were led by Dabbs, who finished with 181 yards on eight receptions, including the first two touchdowns of his collegiate career.

A few days later, Mercer swept the SoCon postseason awards. Dwayne McGee won offensive player of the year honors, while Brayden Manley was voted as the league’s top defensive player. Mike Jacobs was the league’s top coach, while Andrew Zock earned freshman of the year.

After receiving a bye in the opening round of the FCS playoffs thanks to earning the No. 7 seed, Mercer knocked off 10th-ranked Rhode Island, 17-10, in round two on Dec. 7. A defensive struggle fittingly began with yet another defensive touchdown by the Bears. After an 87-yard punt return for a Rhode Island touchdown was nullified by a penalty, Myles Redding made it a 14-point swing on the next snap when he returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown. It was the eighth touchdown this season scored by the Bears’ defense.

Mercer trailed 10-7 going into the fourth quarter before Newbauer found Dabbs for a four-yard touchdown. Reice Griffith’s 24-yard field goal pushed the lead to 17-10 with 6:10 remaining. The Rams drove to the Bears’ 32-yard on their ensuing possession but failed to convert on third-and-two and fourth-and-two. Mercer ran the final 2:56 off the clock to wrap up the win.

The Bears won despite being held to 239 yards of total offense. Mercer’s defense held standout running back Malik Grant to just 36 yards on 13 carries and Rhode Island had just 49 rushing yards as a team. Going into the game, Grant ranked third in the country in rushing with 1,360 yards.

The victory established a new Mercer record for wins in a season with 11 and for consecutive home wins with 10. McGee accounted for nearly half of the Bears’ offense with 114 yards rushing and he broke Alex Lakes’ single-season school record of 1,107.

Not many visitors to the Fargodome have had much success against North Dakota State, especially in the playoffs, over the years and Mercer got a similar treatment in its 31-7 loss there the next week.

The Bears fell behind 14-0 less than six minutes into the game before Newbauer connected with Kelin Parsons on a 38-yard touchdown midway through the first quarter. NDSU came back with a touchdown and a field goal in the second quarter to take a 24-7 lead into halftime and then held Mercer to 81 total yards on 22 plays in the second half.

Myles Redding had a pair of interceptions in the loss to finish with a school single-season record and FCS-best nine this season. Seniors Ken Standley and Isaac Dowling had six tackles apiece to finish first and second on the school’s career leaderboard with 388 and 386, respectively.

Player of the year: Cornerback T.J. Moore. While his teammates raked in the SoCon awards, I’m sticking with Moore here. Moore finished second in the country - and on his team - in interceptions with seven, to go along with 64 tackles and 13 pass break-ups. Moore is one of three finalists for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is annually given to the top defensive player in the FCS. He’s the first Bear to ever be one of the final three finalists for a national award.

*****

WESTERN CAROLINA (7-5, 6-2)

Entering the final three weeks of the season, Western Carolina controlled its own destiny in pursuit of its first SoCon title in school history. Those hopes faded in a three-point loss at ETSU on Nov. 9. While the Catamounts bounced back to win their final two games to finish alone in second place, they were snubbed by the FCS Playoff selection committee. Like the regular season finale at VMI in 2023, another three-point road loss in November doomed Western’s postseason hopes.

The Catamounts got off on the wrong foot - twice - in that Blue Ridge Border Battle at ETSU. They lost a fumble on the first play of the game, then lost a fumble on their second snap of the second half. That helped Western fall into a 17-7 hole that it managed to dig out of when freshman quarterback Taron Dickens ran for a pair of touchdowns late in the third quarter.

The Bucs came up with the lone score of the fourth quarter though to take a 24-21 lead with 5:55 remaining. On Western’s ensuing possession, Dickens was sacked for the eighth time in the game. That led to the Catamounts being forced to punt with 3:19 left, but they never touched the ball again. ETSU had three first downs on its next possession to help run out the clock.

A five-touchdown second quarter helped Western respond in a big way the following week. The Catamounts trailed VMI 7-6 after one quarter before the explosive second helped them roll on to a 58-28 victory.

Dickens’ four-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter gave Western the lead. After the Catamounts recovered a fumble on the kickoff at the Keydets’ 11-yard line, Jaylynn Williams scored from a yard out four plays later to push the lead to 20-7. There was actually no more scoring until 2:48 was left in the first half when Williams had another one-yard touchdown. Just 18 seconds later, Western’s Ken Moore returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown. VMI’s next drive ended on an interception by Wesley Scott near midfield with 54 seconds left. Dickens capped the quarter on another four-yard touchdown pass with six seconds remaining as the Catamounts took a 41-7 lead into halftime.

Western’s defense finished with five forced turnovers against VMI, including three interceptions for the third consecutive game.

The Catamounts had another explosive opening half a week later in the season finale at Samford, but this time had to hang on for a 47-42 win. Dickens threw a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter to stake Western took a 14-0 lead.

After the Bulldogs cut the lead to 17-14 with 4:20 left in the first half, the Catamounts came up with three touchdowns in the final three minutes for the second consecutive week. Dickey’s third touchdown pass came with 2:22 left. Samford then drove to Western’s 21 before Jordy Lowery returned an interception 92 yards for a touchdown with 13 seconds left. It was Lowery’s sixth interception this season. In those final 13 seconds, Samford gained 34 yards on two plays to get in position for a 50-yard field goal try on the final play of the half. That attempt was blocked by Caleb Fisher and scooped up by C.J. Williams, who returned it 73 yards for a touchdown and the Catamounts led 37-14 at the break.

Western withstood being outscored 21-0 in the third quarter as another one-yard score by Jaylynn Williams pushed the lead back to 44-35 early in the fourth quarter. The Catamounts recovered an onside kick with 30 seconds left to preserve their school-record sixth SoCon victory.

The second-place finish in the league is Western’s highest since another second-place finish in 1986.

Player of the year: Quarterback Taron Dickens. After going with record-setting quarterback Cole Gonzales here for most of the season, his backup earned it based on how Dickens performed after Gonzales’ season ended due to injury. Dickens completed 73.8 percent (127-of-172) of his passes for 1,428 yards with 12 touchdowns and three interceptions. The vast majority of those numbers were put up in November when Dickens started each of Western’s final four games. Dickens’ 163.1 passer rating easily led the SoCon and would rank sixth nationally, if he qualified. There are other quarterbacks listed on those FCS passer rating rankings with fewer yards and attempts than Dickens, but they played in more games.

*****

CHATTANOOGA (7-5, 5-3)

Rusty Wright became the first coach in Chattanooga history to finish with a .500 or better record over each of his first six seasons this year, but the 2024 season ended in the disappointment of the Mocs being one of the “first teams out” of the FCS playoff field. Chattanooga won seven regular season games for the third consecutive season, but a stunning home loss to Samford on Nov. 16 likely sealed its postseason fate.

The Mocs opened November with a heartbreaking four-point loss at Western Carolina to see their five-game winning streak snapped. UTC bounced back the next week with a 31-7 win at The Citadel. Playing in place of injured starter Chase Artopoeus, quarterback Luke Schomburg had a pair of second quarter touchdown passes to give the Mocs a 14-0 lead at the break. Justus Durant closed out the scoring with a pair of rushing touchdowns to seal the win. Durant rushed for 103 yards on 16 carries, while teammate Reggie Davis carried 18 times for 115 yards.

Meanwhile, Chattanooga’s defense forced three turnovers and limited Citadel to 44 yards passing.

The Mocs were ranked 19th in the FCS STATS poll entering their home game against Samford the next week. Much like the home opener - a 10-3 loss to Mercer - though, the home finale was marred by an offense that never found the end zone in a stunning 36-13 loss.

Samford held Chattanooga to 177 yards of total offense. A week after having two different backs each rush for more than 100 yards, the Mocs had 29 yards rushing as a team on 27 attempts against these Bulldogs. Chattanooga’s lone touchdown came on a 99-yard kickoff return by Javin Whatley.

The Mocs gave up 36 points after allowing just 55 combined over the other four home games this season.

After pulling off Chattanooga’s first playoff road win ever at Austin Peay in last season’s opening round, the Mocs ended this season with another win at Austin Peay. Artopoeus came on in relief of an injured Schomburg and threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in Chattanooga’s 24-17 victory. Artopoeus completed 15-of-21 passes for 161 yards.

The game was tied 10-10 with just over four minutes left in the third quarter before Artopoeus ran for a three-yard score. With 10:27 left, he threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to John McIntyre to push the lead to 24-10.

Trailing 24-17, Austin Peay’s final possession began at its own 13-yard line with 2:13 remaining. The Governors drove to the UTC 27 before the Mocs’ season-high fifth sack resulted in a six-yard loss. Austin Peay’s fourth down pass was broken up by Josh Battle with 41 seconds left and the Mocs kneeled out the clock.

The victory marked Chattanooga’s ninth win in its past 11 FCS road games. The Mocs had one interception to finish with 25 forced turnovers this year, their most in a season since forcing 26 in 2011.

Player of the year: Wide receiver Sam Phillips. No matter who was in at quarterback for Chattanooga, Phillips was a big-play target. Phillips led the SoCon in receiving with 823 yards on 50 receptions with three touchdowns. He averaged 16.5 yards per catch.

*****

ETSU (7-5, 5-3)

In Tre Lamb’s first season as head coach, ETSU seemed poised to return to the FCS playoffs after a big win over Western Carolina on Nov. 9. Wins over the two last teams in the SoCon standings over the final two weeks of the season would’ve left the Bucs with an 8-4 record. That postseason resume would’ve included three one-score losses to ranked FCS opponents and a loss to FBS member Appalachian State.

On the same day that Chattanooga was getting its postseason hopes dashed by Samford though, it was a “Black Saturday” in Tennessee as ETSU was suffering the same fate against Furman. The Bucs did win their finale but with only six Division I wins, they were never really considered for an at-large bid.

After a six-point loss at league champion Mercer to open November, ETSU bounced back the next week with eight sacks on defense in a 24-21 win over Western Carolina in the Blue Ridge Border Battle. Senior captain Zach West had 3.5 of those sacks before an ETSU record crowd of 12,109 fans at Greene Stadium.

Making his first collegiate start, quarterback Gino English threw a pair of touchdowns as the Bucs took a 17-7 lead early in the second half. After Western rallied to take a 21-17 lead, Devontae Houston ran for a 14-yard touchdown with 5:55 left in what turned out to be the winning score. After forcing a punt with 3:19 left, ETSU collected three first downs to run out the clock. Ray Coney had 17 tackles in the Bucs’ first win over a ranked team since defeating fourth-ranked Kennesaw State in the 2021 playoffs.

ETSU was ranked No. 21 going into the following week’s game against Furman. The Bucs outgained the Paladins, 425-282, but three turnovers proved costly in a stunning 24-21 loss. ETSU trailed 14-7 at the half before English scored on a one-yard run and later threw a 42-yard touchdown to give the Bucs a 21-14 lead midway through the third quarter.

Furman came back to take a 24-21 lead thanks to a fourth quarter field goal that was set up by an ETSU lost fumble. The Paladins did the same thing to the Bucs that ETSU did to Western a week earlier to win by the exact same score. After forcing the Bucs to punt with 7:18 left, Furman’s offense made sure ETSU never touched the ball again thanks to a 13-play, 46-yard drive that ran out the clock.

The Bucs closed out the season with a field goal fest the next week at VMI. In a game in which each team hit three field goals, Brandon Irby’s one-yard touchdown run in the second quarter proved to be the difference in ETSU’s 16-9 win.

For the first time since the season opener against App State, the Bucs didn’t have a sack but did hold the Keydets to 62 yards on 10-of-28 passing.

For the season, ETSU finished with 35 sacks this season, tied for the sixth-highest total in SoCon history. The defense was led by All-SoCon performer West, who finished with 8.5 sacks.

The Bucs will enter the 2025 season with a new coach for the second year in a row. Former Austin Peay and Charlotte head coach Will Healy was hired to replace Lamb, who left to take the Tulsa head coaching job on Dec. 8.

Player of the year: Center Luke Smith. Smith was honored with the Jacobs Blocking Award, which is annually presented to the SoCon’s top offensive lineman. A starter at center every game for the past two seasons, Smith anchored a line that helped ETSU lead the SoCon in rushing (2,330 yards) and fewest sacks allowed (17) in 2024. Smith earned second team All-American honors by Stats Perform FCS and the Associated Press this season.

*****

SAMFORD (4-7, 3-4)

On the rare occasions in which Samford doesn’t contend for a SoCon championship or an FCS playoff bid, the Bulldogs seem to have the role of spoilers down to a science.

Going all the way back to 2017, the Bulldogs weren’t really a “spoiler” as they finished second in the league but they did hand Wofford its only SoCon loss. In 2018, Samford finished fourth in the league despite wins over the three teams (ETSU, Furman and Wofford) who shared the SoCon title. In 2019, champion Wofford’s lone conference loss was to a Bulldogs team that went 4-4 in league play.

In 2021, Samford took league champions VMI (spring) and ETSU (fall) to overtime before falling. The Bulldogs took out everybody in 2022 as the only team to go unbeaten in SoCon play since 2016. Last year, Samford lost to league champion Furman by six and ended the regular season by beating 19th-ranked UT-Martin, 27-17. That win probably burst UT-Martin’s playoff bubble and bounced a SoCon team into the field.

The Bulldogs continued that role this season, handing Mercer its only league loss on Oct. 19. After putting up 55 points against one of the best defenses in the country that day, Samford proceeded to score just 31 points combined over a three-game losing streak. That streak ended on Nov. 13 when the Bulldogs went to Chattanooga and stunned the 19th-ranked Mocs, 36-13. That effectively ended Chattanooga’s playoff hopes.

After the Mocs kicked a field goal to cut Samford’s lead to 16-13 with 43 seconds left in the first half, the Bulldogs answered when D.J. Rias returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. In the second half, Samford’s defense blanked Chattanooga while the offense put together two long scoring drives to seal the win. Quincy Crittendon capped an 11-play, 86-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. The Bulldogs ran off nearly seven minutes of the fourth quarter with a 16-play, 98-yard drive that ended on a five-yard touchdown run by Damonta Witherspoon. Crittendon completed 34-of-50 passes for 340 yards and also rushed for 59 yards.

In the regular season finale the next week, Samford made a valiant comeback effort in the second half before falling to Western Carolina 47-42. The Bulldogs got touchdown runs of 48 and 31 yards by Crittendon in the second quarter, but trailed 37-14 at the half.

Less than two minutes into the second half, Crittendon threw for a touchdown and ran 19 yards for another score to get Samford back in it. Later in the third quarter, Micah Kelly raced 85 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 37-35. Samford trailed 47-35 before Crittendon’s fourth rushing touchdown came with 33 seconds left. The Bulldogs couldn’t recover the onside kick though as Western held on for the win.

Samford lost despite piling up 568 yards of total offense, including 365 on the ground. Crittendon finished with a career-high 209 yards rushing on 23 carries and 203 yards passing. In the final game of linebacker Noah Martin’s terrific career, he had a game-high 14 tackles including 13 solo stops. Martin finished with 114 tackles this season and ranked seventh nationally, averaging 10.4 per game. The first team All-SoCon selection also made the Stats Perform All-American second team.

Player of the year: Quarterback Quincy Crittendon. Crittendon led the SoCon in passing with 2,689 yards and in touchdown passes with 18. His 136.6 passer rating was second in the league. Crittendon also rushed for 386 yards and tied for second in the SoCon with seven rushing touchdowns.

*****

THE CITADEL (5-7, 3-5)

After snapping a 12-game losing streak in SoCon play with a win at rival VMI on Oct. 19, The Citadel turned it into a winning streak the next week with a victory over Samford. After a bye week to open November, the Bulldogs couldn’t keep the positive momentum going in a 31-7 loss to Chattanooga.

The Citadel trailed 14-0 at the half but got right back in it early in the second half thanks to sixth-year senior Cooper Wallace. In his final home game, Wallace broke free for a 50-yard touchdown run to slice the lead in half less than four minutes into the third quarter. The Bulldogs couldn’t build off that though as they suffered three turnovers on offense the rest of the way.

The next week at Wofford, The Citadel rallied from a 14-0 deficit for a 30-17 win. Ben Barnes kicked a 39-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to cut Wofford’s lead to 17-13. The Bulldogs got the ball to start the second half and shaved 7:38 off the clock before settling for another Barnes’ field goal to cut the lead to one. On The Citadel’s next possession, Cooper Wallace rumbled 54 yards for a go-ahead touchdown.

In the fourth quarter, Jonathan Bennett and Javonte Graves-Billips connected for their second touchdown of the day to help seal the win. Bennett completed 11-of-18 passes for 166 yards while rushing for 49 yards on 11 carries. Wallace finished with 84 yards rushing on nine attempts.

The Citadel wrapped up the season on Nov. 23 with a 51-14 loss at Clemson. The Bulldogs’ biggest highlight of the game came on a 66-yard touchdown pass from Bennett to Graves-Billips. Citadel’s other score was a nine-yard touchdown run by Garrison Johnson, which capped a 14-play, 75-yard drive that took 8:07 off the clock. The Bulldogs finished with 387 yards of total offense, including 288 on the ground.

Player of the year: Punter James Platte. Platte ranked second in the FCS with a school-record average of 47.3 yards per punt. Platte earned first-team All-SoCon honors and was named to several FCS All-America teams. Of his 44 punts, Platte had 18 of at least 50 yards and 17 were put inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.

*****

WOFFORD (5-7, 3-5)

An unusual trend of playing better on the road than at home this season continued into November for Wofford. The Terriers opened November with a 17-13 victory at Samford before another stellar defensive effort powered them to a 19-13 win at rival Furman on Nov. 9.

Furman marched down the field for a touchdown to open the game, but Wofford kept the Paladins out of the end zone the rest of the way. After being outgained by the Paladins 135-53 in the opening quarter, the Terriers dominated to the tune of a 332-149 advantage over the final three quarters.

Wofford snapped a 10-10 halftime tie with a Devery Cagle field goal to cap the opening drive of the second half. Later in the third quarter, Ryan Ingram scored from a yard out to push Wofford’s lead to 19-10. Furman trailed 19-13 midway through the fourth quarter when it had a second-and-one play at the Wofford 21. Isaiah Mananga’s sack on second down was followed by an Anthonie Lattany sack on third down, which forced a Furman punt. The Paladins never threatened the rest of the way as the Terriers won by the exact same score they did in a stunning upset of Furman in the 2023 regular season finale.

The 385-yard output was a season-high for Wofford’s offense, while its defense piled up 13 tackles-for-loss and held Furman to 55 yards rushing. Ingram finished with 120 yards rushing on 23 carries while Amari Odom completed 14-of-25 passes for 212 yards. Kyle Watkins had five catches for 106 yards also for the Terriers.

The following week Wofford took on The Citadel in the home finale at Gibbs Stadium. It appeared the Terriers’ home woes had ended early on. Amari Odom’s 25-yard scoring pass to J.T. Smith gave Wofford a touchdown on the opening possession of a game for the first time all season. Citadel’s opening drive ended on a blocked punt that Javario Tinch returned 34 yards for a touchdown. After taking that 14-0 lead less than seven minutes in, the Terriers were held to three points the rest of the day as the Bulldogs rallied for a 30-17 win.

Any hopes of a Wofford comeback were dashed by three fourth quarter turnovers. Ingram had 12 carries for 103 yards to lead the Terriers.

Against FCS competition, Wofford went 1-4 at home and 4-2 on the road this season. The road wins included Richmond’s lone FCS loss in the regular season.

Wofford wrapped up the season Nov. 23 with a 56-12 loss at South Carolina. Wofford led 3-0 until late in the first quarter in Columbia. With 1:48 left in the first half, Odom hit Dylan Djete on a six-yard touchdown pass to cut USC’s lead to 14-9.

The Gamecocks answered on a touchdown with 20 seconds left in the first half and then pulled away after halftime. 

After catching a 63-yard pass from Odom on the first play of the game, Kyle Watkins finished with 133 yards on six receptions to lead Wofford.

Player of the year: Wide receiver Kyle Watkins. Watkins set Wofford’s single-season receiving record with 814 yards, while his 49 catches tied for second for a single season. Watkins, the first Terriers’ receiver to earn All-SoCon honors in 16 years, was second in the conference in receiving yards and sixth in receptions.

*****

FURMAN (3-8, 2-5)

It isn’t often that a program that leads its conference in football championships gets to play the role of spoiler, but such was the case for Furman in November. After frustrating losses at VMI and to rival Wofford to begin November, the Paladins played easily their most complete game of the season in a stunning upset win at No. 21 ETSU on Nov. 16. That victory likely kept the Bucs out of the FCS playoff conversation.

A week earlier, Furman completed its home schedule in a rare way as the Paladins did not record a SoCon win in Greenville this season. After taking a 7-0 lead just 3:12 into the game on Myion Hicks’ seven-yard touchdown run, Furman was held to two field goals the rest of the way in a 19-13 loss to Wofford. The Paladins were limited to 55 yards rushing on 35 attempts in the loss.

At ETSU the next week, a Furman team that had lost too many turnovers, not forced enough and took too many sacks all season turned the tables in those categories. The Paladins won the turnover battle, 3-1, and against a Bucs team that piled up 35 sacks this season was only sacked once.

Furman led 14-7 at the half before ETSU came back to take a 21-14 lead. Late in the third quarter the Paladins tied the game on a 31-yard touchdown pass from freshman Trey Hedden to Colton Hinton. ETSU’s first two possessions ended on interceptions by Furman’s Billy Lewis and Maurice Perkins. The second of those led to Ian Williams’ go-ahead field goal with 9:08 remaining.

After forcing a three-and-out, the Bucs had all three timeouts left when they punted with 7:18 left. Furman responded with a 14-play drive, including a key fourth down conversion, that allowed the Paladins to run out the clock.

For the third time in as many games, Furman took a 7-0 lead in the season finale at Mercer. The Bears quickly showed their conference championship form though as they took a 21-10 lead after one quarter and cruised to a 49-23 win. The biggest play of the day for the Paladins occurred when Ian Williams matched his school-record long field goal of 57 yards.

Player of the year: Linebacker Evan DiMaggio. DiMaggio tied for the SoCon lead in tackles with 120 this season to earn first team All-SoCon and third team Stats Perform All-American honors. He also had 10.5 tackles-for-loss, four pass breakups, two sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception this season. In his final collegiate game at Mercer, DiMaggio had 18 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss, two forced fumbles, two pass breakups and two quarterback hurries.

*****

VMI (1-11, 1-7)

A tough year only got tougher over the final three weeks of the season for VMI. After opening November with its first win of the season over Furman, the Keydets were tasked with facing the first-, second- and third-place teams in the SoCon to close out the schedule. VMI dropped all three games to finish with its most losses since going 0-11 in 2017.

On Nov. 9, the Keydets were held to 111 yards of total offense (53 passing, 58 rushing) in a 34-0 home loss to Mercer. The Bears piled up 518 yards of offense.

VMI got its offense going a bit the following week at Western Carolina. Chandler Wilson’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Morgan McPhaul gave the Keydets a 7-6 lead after one quarter, but the Catamounts exploded for five touchdowns in the second quarter and went on to a 58-28 win. Hunter Rice ran for a pair of touchdowns, including a 59-yard scamper, while JoJo Crump threw a 40-yard touchdown to Destin Moore to account for the Keydets’ second-half scores.

VMI finished with 295 yards, but suffered five turnovers. Rice had 109 yards on 13 carries to lead the Keydets.

In a hard-fought season finale on Nov. 23, VMI fell to ETSU 16-9. The Keydets allowed just one touchdown, but the Bucs didn’t allow any.

VMI trailed 16-3 before Caden Beck drilled a pair of 48-yard field goals, the second of which cut the lead to 16-9 with 12:08 left in the game. A 54-yard run by Crump to open the Keydets’ next drive helped them advance into the ETSU red zone. On a fourth-and-two play at the Bucs’ 18, Rice was stopped for a gain of one and VMI never threatened the rest of the way.

Player of the year: Linebacker Eric Rankin. Rankin shared the league lead in tackles with 120 to earn All-SoCon honors. He had 11.5 tackles-for-loss, six sacks, two forced fumbles and 10 quarterback hurries. In the final two games of his collegiate career, Rankin had 17 tackles apiece against Western Carolina and ETSU.