MACON, Ga. – In the second weekend of the 2026 season, the Presbyterian College football team visited the two-time Southern Conference champion Mercer Bears and were defeated by a 62-3 final margin on Saturday night.
The Blue Hose finished with just five fewer first downs than their opponent (who came into the game at #15 in the AFCA Coaches Poll and #19 in the Stats Perform rankings) but could not overcome 600 yards of total offense.
Mercer was able to secure a touchdown in six of their first seven drives to create some early separation, scoring 20 points in the 1
st quarter and 21 more in the next frame.
Sophomore quarterback
Landon Sharpe paced PC with 184 passing yards (17-of-29 attempts), adding 55 more yards on the ground with 13 carries.
Presbyterian will take their first BYE week of the year next Saturday before wrapping up their non-conference schedule on September 19 with a trip to Western Carolina. Kickoff in Cullowhee is tabbed for 2:30 PM.
FINAL SCORE: #15/19 Mercer, 62 – Presbyterian, 3
RECORDS: Presbyterian (1-1)…#15/19 Mercer (2-0)
LOCATION: Five Star Stadium (Macon, Ga.)
HOW IT HAPPENED – FIRST HALF
- After forcing a Blue Hose three-and-out in the game's first series, Mercer hit the end zone with a 16-yard scamper from Jaylen King. The Bears QB passed for 236 yards overall, with 132 of them coming to top target Brayden Smith.
- King found Smith for Mercer's second touchdown of the opening period, later tossing another 32-yard touchdown to Eric Rasheed at the 6:13 mark of the 1
st.
- PC recorded their longest drive of the contest near the end of the 1
st (a 12-play, 70-yard sequence) although they could not advance past the goal line on 4
th down at the 3.
- Mercer doubled their lead in quarter number two, utilizing a six-yard TD to Samuel Albee, a 12-yard rush by King, and a 14-yard score in the hands of Travion Solomon on the last snap of the half.
HOW IT HAPPENED – SECOND HALF
- The Blue Hose were shut out in the last two quarters after getting on the board just before the break (a 38-yard field goal by freshman
Kade Bailey).
- Mercer produced a single score in the 3
rd, a 26-yard rush from JP Pickles with 54 seconds on the clock. They entered the 60-point threshold in the last quarter with a 12-yard pass to Mykel Calixte and an 83-yard burst by Devon Caldwell.
- PC logged 321 yards of total offense, but were held in check on 3
rd down with a 4-of-16 conversion rate.
- Sharpe completed seven passes to senior wideout
Brice Johnson for 81 yards altogether. Presby's three quarterbacks (Sharpe,
Max Holtzclaw, and
Jayden Torres) found nine different receivers between them.
-
Luke Armstrong and
Shyne Johnson combined for 10 tackles on the defensive end (five apiece), while freshman linebacker
Chris Glover landed his first career sack which was a loss of eight.
- Junior punter
Thatcher Hutton pinned two of his four punts inside the Mercer 20, averaging 35 yards per boot.
