Mercer understands East Tennessee State's process
Bobby Lamb has been right where Carl Torbush is this season with the East Tennessee Buccaneers.
East Tennessee State is playing its first season of its program's reboot, while Lamb and the Mercer program had their first season in 2013.
The two teams meet Saturday at Five Star Stadium. ETSU is 0-5, while Mercer is 2-3, riding a three-game losing streak.
"They're like we were, a lot of freshmen playing, a lot of redshirt freshmen playing," Lamb said. "So we're not really familiar with their personnel because we don't recruit against them a lot. They have gotten off to a rough start, obviously, and they're hungry for a win."
The Bears are also hungry for a win. After starting the season 2-0, Mercer has lost three straight games by a combined 11 points.
"We've lost out last three, and they see us reeling a little bit, so they're going to think it's a good time to come down here and get a win," Lamb said. "It will be a good test for us because we are in a little bit of a tailspin, and we need to put the ship in the right direction."
Torbush is a former North Carolina head coach, while ETSU offensive coordinator Mike O'Cain is a former N.C. State head coach.
Lamb was an assistant coach at Furman when the Paladins beat Torbush's North Carolina team, and Lamb also said he is quite familiar with O'Cain and ETSU defensive coordinator Billy Taylor.
Torbush said he has leaned on Lamb in getting the Buccaneers' program off the ground. ETSU officially joins the Southern Conference next year.
"This week will be another good test for our program," Torbush said. "Mercer was like us three years ago as they restarted football, and now they are in the Southern Conference. It gives us a chance to see the caliber of teams we will face week in and week out in conference play next season.
"I definitely talked to Coach Lamb during our process of starting the program. They were like us three years ago. Scheduling was a key part of our conversations, and their new stadium was also a big plus for them. They were in the Pioneer League their first year and moved into the SoCon from there. Mercer brings a lot to the SoCon. They are in a recruiting-rich area being in (Middle) Georgia and near Atlanta."
The Bears are averaging 32.2 points and 468.8 yards per game, while allowing 21.6 points and 334.4 yards. The Buccaneers are averaging 15.4 points and 305.2 yards, while allowing 43.2 points and 399.2 yards.
Mercer is 11-1 in non-conference games, including 10-0 at home.
"They're a good team; they're really well-coached," Mercer quarterback John Russ said. "They have a good coaching staff. They're not going to get beat over the top, and they're going to make us work hard for everything we get. Their defense is sound; they just have some freshmen, and they're going to make a few mistakes because of that.
"But it's going to be a tough challenge for us, and we have to bring our 'A' game to make sure we win the way we want to win."
This story was originally published October 16, 2015 at 2:11 PM with the headline "Mercer understands East Tennessee State's process ."