Mercer’s 2021 football season kicks off Thursday. Here’s what to expect this year

It’s been about 20 months since Mercer University hired Drew Cronic to helm its football team.

Coming in as a new head coach is never simple. Cronic had experience, leading Division II Lenoir-Rhyne University to a 25-3 record in his two seasons there. But he was coaching at a new level, at a new university, leading a new group of players, most of whom he didn’t recruit.

It takes time to build relationship and structure, to implement your way of doing things, to establish a culture. The Bears hadn’t been particularly good in the years leading into Cronic’s tenure: 5-6 in 2017 and 2018, 4-8 in 2019. It was clear there would be growing pains.

But then came the pandemic and virtual meetings, postponed or canceled games, limited stadium capacity, COVID-19 tests, etc. Mercer ended up playing a split schedule in 2020 and this past spring. They lost all three of their fall contests.

This spring was different, however. The Bears went 5-3, including a 4-game winning streak where they gutted out some close wins, led by freshman quarterback Carter Peevy. Cronic and his staff are hoping to build on that momentum for their first true fall season.

Cronic spoke with The Telegraph about his expectations heading into this season and some of the key players and matchups on the schedule, including a Week 2 visit to Tuscaloosa to face the defending national champions, Alabama.

Q, Justin Baxley: What was the transition like last season coming in and dealing with COVID-19?

A, Drew Cronic: It was strange. You come in and you’re brand new and you’re trying to build your culture. Three days into the spring, you get sent home due to the pandemic. You’re trying to build relationships and get guys to buy in. That lengthened that process, I would think.

Q: How did last season go?

A: We got the guys back in the fall. We played three games. We made some progress. We didn’t win any of those games. We didn’t understand how to win yet. But we got better.

We had some kids find an exit ramp. Sometimes there is addition by subtraction. This past spring I saw us start to figure it out.

The glue really started to dry. Figuring out who we want to be and what a champion does on a daily basis, not just showing up on Saturday. We learned how to win close games in the second half.

It could’ve gone in either direction. You’re going through a pandemic and the social issues that were going on last year, it was a lot for these kids to digest and for us as coaches. But it managed to make us stronger.

Q: You went undefeated at home during the spring schedule, how does that potentially play into this season?

A: We were limited in capacity because of the pandemic, but we did play well at home. I feel like people are excited about football here. I am really excited to see it this fall when the restrictions have been lifted. One thing we are challenging our guys is that we’ve got to play better on the road.

Q: First road game is against the defending national champions Alabama. What does that game mean for this program?

A: It is a great opportunity. I just want us to go play to the best of our ability and enjoy that chance. I am sure a lot of our kids want to prove that they can compete with the best. It will be a great learning experience. There is no mission impossible. We will get our game plan together and go play our guts out.

Q: Before you get to Alabama, you have a Thursday night season opener, what are you looking for in that game?

A: It will be great to play against someone in a different uniform. We will get Point’s absolute best. The bottom line for us I want us to focus on ourselves no matter who we are playing, whether it’s Point or Alabama.

We just have to go out and be the best we can be. I expect us to have a great crowd, I expect it to be a great atmosphere, I expect Point to play hard. It is time for us to play a game. It is the only way we are going to get better is to go play a game.

Q: What is the quarterback position looking like heading into the season? What are some other areas of strength on the roster?

A: Quarterback Carter Peevy played really well for us last year. He has had a really good camp this year. We’ve got Fred Payton in here who is a really good football player. And Dylan Fromm had a good camp.

Carter and Fred have really battled. Both of them are going to play. I feel really good about our quarterback position. I feel like we have improved our team speed. Defensively we are going to have everybody back. We have improved.

The bottom line for us is to be the very best we can be.

Mercer schedule:

• Sept. 2 vs Point (Thursday)
• Sept. 11 at Alabama
• Sept. 25 at Furman
• Oct. 2 vs Samford
• Oct. 9 at Western Carolina
• Oct. 16 vs VMI
• Oct. 23 vs Wofford
• Oct. 30 at The Citadel
• Nov. 13 vs Chattanooga (Homecoming)
• Nov. 20 at ETSU

For tickets to see the Mercer Bears in action, visit their website here.

This story was originally published August 30, 2021 at 10:54 AM.