The streak is over. The third-ranked Chattanooga Mocs dropped a 17-14 decision at Mercer. That ended the run of 12 straight Southern Conference wins and puts an exclamation point on next week's matchup with The Citadel.
"We played hard," coach Russ Huesman said. "Our guys fought. I am proud of the fight we gave.
We got after it, they got after us. They played a really good game.
"You can't turn the ball over four times and then not punch the ball in on the one-yard line and expect to win a game. We probably had a ton of yards out here today and just 14 points to show for it."
Big plays and turnovers haunted the Mocs at Five Star Stadium. John Russ hit Jimmie Robinson in the flat in the opening possession of the second half. He broke a tackle and sprinted down the right sideline for the 64-yard score and a 17-7 advantage.
The defense kept the Bears off the scoreboard the rest of the way, but turnovers plagued the offense. Chattanooga lost two fumbles at the Mercer 17 and at midfield, while throwing an interception that was picked at the Bears 16 in the second half.
"I felt like our offensive coordinator (Jeff Durden) set us up in perfect position," sophomore wide receiver James Stovall stated. "There were times that we were moving the ball and moving the ball, but then a turnover would hit us, and that hurt us. We weren't in bad positions on offense, it's just that our turnovers hurt us."
Jacob Huesman (112) and Derrick Craine (102) each topped the 100-yard mark on the ground as the squad posted 220 on the day. Huesman added 197 in the air on 15 of 21 passing. Stovall had a career-high six catches for 78 yards.
Tee Mitchell led the Bears with 66 rushing yards. Russ had 218 yards of total offense, running for 56 and throwing for 162. He completed nine of 19, scoring two TDs – one each with the arm and legs.
Lucas Webb tied for game-high honors with 10 tackles and an interception. It was the first pick of the year for Russ, while it was Webb's second of the season and eighth of his career. Nakevion Leslie added seven tackles with 1.5 for loss.
Tripp Patterson and Lendell Arnold paced Mercer with 10 tackles apiece. Arnold also forced a fumble. Zach Jackson added nine stops with one for loss, a fumble recovery and an interception.
Mercer got on the board first with a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Russ. Huesman answered on the next possession with a 7-yard run to tie it, before the home team responded with a 19-yard field goal after a five-plus minute drive ended up two yards shy of the end zone.
Chattanooga came back with a nearly seven-minute march to end the half. It ended with Henrique Ribeiro's 36-yard field goal attempt sailing just left to send the teams into halftime with a 10-7 Mercer advantage.
The Mocs return to the Scenic City for the home finale next Saturday at 2 p.m. It's Military Appreciation Day with all current and veterans of the military receiving free admission along with immediate family. The team tackles The Citadel in a battle for the SoCon Championship and automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs.
"We have to win the game," coach Huesman concluded. "Automatic bid and a conference championship if we win that game. There are no other thoughts about it. We have to win the game."