Saturday, Oct. 23 – 3:00 p.m. – Macon, Ga.
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How to Follow
 ESPN+ / Radio - 96.7 FM 3WZ  / Live Stats 
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VMI Keydets (1-6, 0-3 SoCon)
Roster / Schedule / Last Time Out / Stats  / Notes
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Mercer Bears (5-1, 4-0 SoCon)
Roster / Schedule / Bye / Stats / Notes

LAST TIME OUT
- Owen Sweeney returns to action after missing one game, sets new career-highs in receptions (13) and yards (208)
- Sweeney became the 6th Keydet in history to record a 200-yard game, and his 13 receptions are tied for 4th-most all-time
- Collin Shannon goes 24-of-38 with career-high 419 and two touchdowns
- Aslin Shipe records career-best 66 yards on the ground, records 106 yards on four returns (26.5 yards per carry) to total 172 all-purpose yards (21-yard run is career long)
- Leo Boehling first career touchdown with 37-yard scamper (longest run of career)
- VMI misses three field goals, outgains Samford 522 to 398
- Joe Comello records career-best 10.0 tackles; Stephen Dean III totals 9.0, 0.5 sacks
- Amaje Parker has 7.0 tackles and an interception; Robert Powell, Kouri Crump each record sacks

MERCER MINUTE
- The Bears enter Saturday ranked 14^th in the Coaches Poll and 17^th in the Stats Perform FCS Poll
- Mercer is led by quarterback Braden Atkinson, who was recently named to the 2025 Jerry Rice Award Watch List that honors the Freshman of the Year at the FCS level
- Atkinson is coming off a week in which he threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns to be named SoCon Offensive Player of the Week (W, Princeton)
- Nationally, Atkinson ranks 2^nd in passing yards per game (303.0), 3^rd in completions per game (24.4) and 8^th in passing touchdowns (16)
- Defensively, Andrew Zock is a force, averaging over a sack per game to help lead a Mercer unit that is 26^th in the country in total defense (328.2) and leads the country with an average of 4.0 sacks per game
- Mercer also has the fourth-best rushing defense at the FCS level, limiting reams to 84.5 yards per game

THE SERIES
- Be the third win in Macon for the program
- The Bears have won three straight, but VMI's last win came in Macon in 2021 (45-7)

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