Saturday in the Southern Conference was electric in every stadium, and there was several huge games and a clinch when it was over. Mercer Bears Football clinched at least a share of the SoCon Championship after beating VMI Saturday, and it’s on to Alabama this week before hosting Furman on the 23rd to close out the season. Speaking of Furman, the season has been a long one for Coach Clay Hendrix and his young men, they were upended by Wofford 19-13 in their final home game, as Wofford now owns a two-game streak over the Paladins.
No. 10 Mercer (9-1, 6-1) shuts out VMI 34-0 to clinch at least a share of its first Southern Conference title and the first automatic bid to the FCS playoffs.
The Bears travel to Alabama next Saturday, then wrap up their SoCon schedule against Furman on Nov. 23. pic.twitter.com/NqcZenUOZq
— FCS Football (@OptaAnalystFCS) November 9, 2024
The biggest surprise yet not a shocker was ETSU keeping the Western Carolina team from sharing a part of the SoCon title with its win at home. The Bucs pulled off a great win Saturday and sent a message to the other teams in the conference that they are on the rise in conference. Chattanooga also was able to get a win at the Citadel in the only other conference game of the day, with Samford playing and losing its contest with Tennessee Tech. Here are the scores and a few tidbits from each game as we head into the final weeks of play before the playoffs start.
—————————————————————————————————
Western Carolina 21
ETSU Bucs 24
Gino English threw two touchdown passes and East Tennessee State took advantage of a short field to get the winning score with about six minutes to go to beat Western Carolina 24-21 on Saturday.
😮💨
⚔️🏴☠️#TogetherWeWin pic.twitter.com/CC7mz0TIgB
— ETSU Football (@ETSUFootball) November 9, 2024
Mercer 34
VMI 0
Whitt Newbauer threw a touchdown pass late in the first half and early in the second to guide Mercer to a 34-0 victory over VMI on Saturday.
A shutout and SoCon win on the road! 🐻 pic.twitter.com/cVzPqiaiMG
— Mercer Football (@MercerFootball) November 9, 2024
Wofford 19
Furman 13
Ryan Ingram ran for 120 yards and his 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter gave Wofford a nine-point advantage before the Terriers held off Furman 19-13 on Saturday.
— Furman Football (@PaladinFootball) November 9, 2024
Chattanooga 31
Citadel 7
Reggie Davis ran for 115 yards, Justus Durant added 103 yards with two touchdowns, and Chattanooga breezed past The Citadel 31-7 on Saturday.
Ground 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐃. 😤#GoMocs pic.twitter.com/8HgLTiEO5m
— Chattanooga Football (@GoMocsFB) November 9, 2024
Tennessee Tech 27
Samford 7
Torin Baker returned a blocked punt for a touchdown in the middle of a three-touchdown burst in 3 1/2 minutes as Tennessee Tech beat Samford 27-7 on Saturday.
Final from Pete Hanna Stadium.#HatchAttack | #AllForSAMford pic.twitter.com/V01G1CKx5t
— Samford Football (@SamfordFootball) November 9, 2024