Key turnover sparks Bears to opening win

The Mercer Bears got a big play from their defense when they needed it Saturday in their season opener, and then they made that play pay off.

Lee Bennett picked off an Austin Peay pass deep in its own territory in the fourth quarter to maintain a 14-7 lead. Then the offense came up with two Tee Mitchell scores -- a 42-yard pass from John Russ and a 1-yard run -- to put the game away.

The Bears finished with 437 total yards with Mitchell (101 yards) and Alex Lakes both rushing for more than 100 yards. Lakes had 159 yards and two touchdowns on 159 carries.

Russ completed 17-of-27 passes for 176 yards.

Mercer returns for its home opener at 6 p.m. on Saturday against Stetson.

KEEPING THE MOMENTUM GOING

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets started their season in strong fashion Thursday with a 69-6 win over Alcorn State on Thursday.

The Yellow Jackets host Tulane on Saturday before things get a lot more difficult in the weeks to come.

After Saturday’s game, the Yellow Jackets travel to Notre Dame and Duke to close out the first month of the season.

In the season opener, Georgia Tech finished with 553 yards of total offense, including 76 on the ground.

BOUNCING BACK AT HOME

The Georgia Southern Eagles struggled in their season opener, dropping a 44-0 decision to West Virginia, while allowing 544 yards of total offense, including 359 passing.

The Eagles finished with just 224 yards and had only 29 yards passing.

They look to rebound Saturday in their home opener when they face Western Michigan.

This story was originally published September 6, 2015 at 3:45 PM with the headline "Key turnover sparks Bears to opening win ."