Mercer suffers third straight loss, second loss in Southern Conference play

For the second straight Southern Conference game, Mercer had a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter.

And for the second straight conference game, the Bears let that lead slip away. Mercer led by 10 points in the fourth quarter Saturday only to fall to East Tennessee State 26-23 in overtime.

The Bears, who have lost three straight games, are 1-2 in conference play. In their Southern Conference opener, Mercer had a 13-point, fourth-quarter lead over Wofford but ended up losing by one.

Mercer trailed 10-0 early to East Tennessee State but scored 20 straight points to take control going into the fourth. East Tennessee State got a field goal early in the fourth, but the Bears appeared to be ready to put the game away.

Place-kicker Cole Fisher, however, missed a 35-yard field goal after a bad snap, and East Tennessee State marched right down the field for the tying score with 4:41 to play. Fisher also missed an extra point with another bad snap.

Kaelan Riley completed 15-of-22 passes for 257 yards, while C.J. Leggett rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown as the Bears finished with 406 yards of offense.

This story was originally published September 23, 2017 at 7:17 PM with the headline "Mercer suffers third straight loss, second loss in Southern Conference play."