Mercer heads out for another Tennessee road trip
The Mercer Bears have come a long way since their initial road game two years ago at San Diego.
On that 2013 road trip, the Mercer roster was filled with players who had never encountered a road trip, and that one went all the way across the country. The Bears lost that game, but they won their first road game this season -- the season opener at Austin Peay -- and are 5-5 on the road in their two-plus seasons.
They will try to get above .500 away from home Saturday when they play at Tennessee Tech.
“We kind of figured that out on our own out in San Diego, that’s for sure,” junior tight end Grant Radakovich said with a laugh. “We figured out what do you eat, when do you eat, how much do you eat before a game. We figured out, ‘OK, you can’t eat too much, or you’re going to be slow in the game.’ We kind of spaced that out and learned the pregame routine when you go on the road and how you fit in the road locker room and find some space when they cram us in there when there are 50 people in a 10-person locker room.
“You just try to get your bearings and get the guys on the same page and make sure everyone knows the goal, and that’s go out there execute and win the game.”
The Bears have done that to perfection in their non-conference games, going 10-0 outside of conference play since the program rebooted in 2013.
Head coach Bobby Lamb’s team is 2-0 in those games this year after beating Stetson in its home opener last week. Mercer hasn’t played Tennessee Tech, which is 0-2 after losses to Houston (52-24) and Wofford (34-14).
“This is probably, as I’ve told the players, the best non-conference team we have played since I’ve been here,” said Lamb, whose team is trying to go 3-0 for the second time in three seasons. “(Tennessee Tech head coach) Watson Brown is a very knowledgeable head coach, and they do a great job of spreading you out. They’re high-tempo on offense, and they are very multiple on defense. They have seasoned players, guys who have played in the (Ohio Valley Conference). They’re going to be an opponent that we certainly have to be ready for, and it’s a different challenge for us because it’s a place we haven’t been before.”
Still, the Bears should have a lot of confidence after getting off to a fast start offensively and defensively.
Quarterback John Russ has completed 71.2 percent of his passes (33-of-46) for 512 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. Alex Lakes has rushed for 219 yards and three touchdowns, while Tee Mitchell has rushed for 172 yards and two scores.
Mitchell is tied for second on the team with Josh Jones, Jimmie Robinson and Avery Ward with four catches, and Mitchell has two touchdown catches.
“I would hate to have to game plan against us,” said junior tight end Robert Brown, who leads the team with six catches and 137 receiving yards. “We have a lot of weapons and a lot of different players who can hurt you. It’s a lot of fun playing in this offense because we have so many dangerous players, and we’re playing with a lot of confidence.”
The defense is, as well. That unit has allowed just 10.5 points and 271.5 yards per game. Only 49.5 of those yards per game have come on the ground.
Lendell Arnold leads the Bears with 12 tackles, while Lemarkus Bailey and Zach Jackson each have 10. Isaiah Buehler and Tosin Aguebor both have two sacks, and Stephen Houzah has two interceptions.
“We know what our potential is with this team and how good we can be,” junior safety Zach Jackson said. “After last year and being so close in so many games, we know what we have to do to win games. We played really well last week, and it helped that it was a home game. That added flame to the fire for us. It feels like we’re hitting on all cylinders.”
This story was originally published September 18, 2015 at 4:07 PM with the headline "Mercer heads out for another Tennessee road trip ."