Avery Ward returns to Mercer lineup in style against Wofford

Avery Ward hadn’t played a football game in 322 days.

But he picked up right where he left off in Saturday’s 28-27 loss to Wofford. Ward finished the game with seven receptions for 113 yards and a score, becoming the first Mercer receiver this season to reach the century mark in an outing.

“We got (Ward) in a lot of one-on-one situations,” Mercer head coach Bobby Lamb said. “We threw some short balls to him; we threw some out routes to him. Then we threw a deep post. He’s a quality receiver, and we feel like if we can get him a one-on-one, we can make plays.”

Ward wasted no time making his presence felt. He was quarterback Kaelan Riley’s go-to receiver early in the first quarter, grabbing four passes for 54 yards and the team’s second score — all within the game’s first nine minutes.

His performance was a microcosm of Mercer’s blistering start. The Bears jumped on Wofford — the No. 10 ranked team in the FCS — 14-0 midway through the first quarter.

“It’s been a long time since I was able to play in a game, so just to start off hot, it felt good in the first half,” Ward said.

The senior missed the previous five Mercer games — the opener this season against Jacksonville and the final four games of last season. He missed those conference outings against Wofford, East Tennessee State, Samford and Furman because of a hand injury.

The team held Ward out against Jacksonville for precautionary reasons due to a lower body injury. Ward said the injury didn’t affect him on the field Saturday.

“It felt great (Saturday),” Ward said. “I’m glad I’m back with my team.”

Despite missing four games in 2016, Ward caught the third most passes on the team (30) and finished with 416 yards and two touchdowns. In 11 games in 2015, Ward posted 40 receptions for 481 yards and six touchdowns.

But all those games were with John Russ. Saturday was the first time Ward played a game with Riley.

“We put in a lot of work this summer, and I think that showed (Saturday),” Ward said. “We just have to be more consistent and be smarter down the stretch.”

It wasn’t a flawless game for Ward. He dropped a pass from Riley that would’ve resulted in a 42-yard touchdown. Then, with more than five minutes remaining in the game, Ward fumbled.

The ball was recovered by Wofford on Mercer’s 28-yard line and led to the eventual game-winning score by the Terriers.

Mercer boasts weapons in Ward, Chandler Curtis, Marquise Irvin and Sam Walker through the air, as well as Tee Mitchell, Alex Lakes and C.J. Leggett on the ground. Lamb said the team only has one football for all those weapons, but Ward said he thinks the offense trusts him.

“I got a lot of balls,” Ward said. “Hopefully, next week we’ll be moving on with that.”

This story was originally published September 9, 2017 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Avery Ward returns to Mercer lineup in style against Wofford."