Braden Atkinson rallies Mercer to 22-21 victory over Wofford

MACON, Ga. (AP) — Braden Atkinson passed for 316 yards and connected with CJ Miller for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter as Mercer survived an upset bid from Wofford with a 22-21 victory in a Southern Conference opener Saturday night.

Atkinson completed 26 of 37 passes with two interceptions for the Bears (1-1) — ranked 22nd in the FCS coaches poll. Miller also rushed for 74 yards on 16 carries and his 3-yard touchdown run gave Mercer a 10-0 lead after one quarter.

Ethan Drumm fired an 80-yard scoring strike to Ivory Aikens to get the Terriers (0-3) on the scoreboard, but Reice Griffith kicked his second field goal — a 40-yarder — as time expired for a 13-7 lead at the half.

Drumm hit Isaiah Scott for a 51-yard touchdown and then tossed a 7-yard score to C.J. Adams on back-to-back third-quarter drives to put Wofford on top 21-13.

Griffith kicked a 44-yard field goal to cut it to 21-16 midway through the third quarter and Atkinson’s go-ahead score came 57 seconds into the fourth. Kendall Harris topped Mercer with six catches for 101 yards.

Drumm had 168 yards on 6 of 16 passing.

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