WOFFORD at Mercer
Saturday, October 21, 2023 - 4:00 PM
Five Star Stadium (10,200)
Macon, Georgia

THE MERCER GAME
Wofford remains on the road for a Saturday afternoon visit to Mercer ... The Terriers are coming off an opening weekend 45-7 loss at Pittsburgh, a 23-6 loss to #4 William & Mary,  a 23-20 home loss to Presbyterian, a 17-14 loss at VMI,  a 23-13 loss to #22 Chattanooga, a 31-10 loss to Samford and a 41-10 loss at ETSU to move to 0-7 overall and 0-4 in the SoCon ... Mercer is 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the Southern Conference with wins over VMI and ETSU, along with losses to Furman and Chattanooga ... This will be the 16th meeting between the two teams in a series that dates back to 1915 ... Last season Mercer was ranked 13th in the nation when they came to Spartanburg and left with a 42-7 win ... Wofford won the first seven meetings as members of the SoCon, but the Bears have won the last games ... Mercer is first in the SoCon and 25th in the nation in total defense (328.4) and fifth in the SoCon and 77th in the nation in total offense (331.0).

GAME INFORMATION
Radio - Wofford Digital Network (Jim Noble, Thom Henson and Van Hipp)
TV - ESPN+
Stats - LINK
Wofford Game Notes - LINK
Wofford Football Media Guide - LINK
Wofford Football Yearbook  - LINK
Southern Conference Information - LINK

TERRIER TOP NOTES
Here are the top notes of interest heading into the game against Mercer ...
    • The Terriers are 0-7 to begin the season. The last time Wofford was 0-7 to begin a season was in 1946.
    • Wofford opened with three of the first four games on the road for the second straight season.
    • The Wofford defense has six interceptions this season - second in the SoCon - one more than last season.
    • Shawn Watson was named head coach on December 1, 2022 after the Terriers posted a 3-3 record with Watson as interim head coach.
    • Wofford returns 14 starters overall, including five on offense, seven on defense and two specialists.  
    • Two players were named to the All-Southern Conference preseason second team - DL Chuck Smith and OL Jason Swann.    
    • In the national rankings, the Terriers are 79th in total defense (390.7) and 118th in total offense (237.0) this season.

ABOUT WOFFORD
In the first full season under head coach Shawn Watson, the Terriers continue to search for their first win of the year. On offense, the offensive line has seen eight different players start games. Center Anthony Garcia the lone player to play all seven games at the same position. The pro spread offense usually sees three receivers, one tight end and one running back in most formations. Alec Holt leads the receivers with 16 catches, followed by Kyle Pinnix  and Rickie Shaw with 10 catches each. Jordan Davis has six catches for 63 yards to lead the tight ends. Ryan Ingram has 86 carries for 431 yards and four touchdowns at running back, while Kyle Parsons has 22 carries for 84 yards. Bryce Corriston started the first three games at quarterback and is 26-of-47 for 218 yards and a touchdown. Pauly Seeley has started the last four contests and is 65-of-125 for 637 yards.
    The defense remains a 3-4 base, with the defensive line led by usual starters C.J. Tillman, Brandon Maina and Chuck Smith. Smith leads the team with 5.0 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. The linebackers feature David Powers, who has a team-high 63 tackles, along with Eli Purcell with 45 tackles and three sacks. In the secondary, Damien Curtis has three interceptions and Maximus Pulley has two, with Amir Annoor leading the team with six pass break-ups.
    Bridger Jones handles placekicking and is 8-of-10 on field goals, along with a 62.9 average on kickoffs. Atkins Roberts (39.9 yards per punt) and Devry Cagle handle punting, with Tommy DiLiegro and Blake Shirley sharing long snapping duties.

A CHANGE AT THE TOP
Shawn Watson, the Terriers assistant head coach and offensive coordinator, served as interim head coach beginning on Thursday, October 6, 2022. Watson has over 35 years of coaching experience, including a stint as head coach at Southern Illinois (1994-96). It marks the first time in school history that the football team has had an interim head coach. Watson was announced as the permanent head coach on December 1, 2022.

HITTING THE ROAD EARLY
Wofford was on the road for three of the first four games of the season, which were also the three longest road trips in 2023. These round trips totaled 2,444 miles with Pittsburgh (1026), William & Mary (808), and  VMI (610). The remaining three road trips are just 1,094 miles total to ETSU (254), Mercer (436)and The Citadel (404).

INSIDE WOFFORD FOOTBALL WITH COACH SHAWN WATSON
Wofford Sports Properties, the multimedia rights partner for Wofford College Athletics, has announced the return of "Inside Wofford Football with Coach Shawn Watson." The show is part of an expanded selection of coaches shows that began last season. The shows, sponsored by Yokohama, are hosted by the voice of the Terriers, Jim Noble. "Inside Wofford Football" begins in September and will debut every Monday during the football season. Fans can listen to the "Inside Wofford Football" podcast in a variety of ways, including on the iTunes, Amazon, Google and Spotify podcast platforms, along with www.woffordterriers.com/podcast. A video version can be found on YouTube.

GOAL LINE CLUB
Help carry the ball for the Terriers and sign up to be a 2023 Goal Line Club member. Pledge as little as $1 to contribute to an athletic endowed scholarship. Established in 2012, the Goal Line Club has proven hugely successful in helping raise scholarship dollars for the Wofford College Athletics Endowment. Goal Line Club members have donated a combined total of more than $368,538 for the Goal Line Club Endowed Scholarship Fund since the inception of this initiative. Click HERE to donate!

WOFFORD APP
Be sure to download the new Wofford Terriers mobile app. Featuring real-time news alerts, schedules, exclusive multimedia content, gameday details and more, the new Wofford app is free and compatible with both iOS and Android devices.Through the app, Wofford fans will enjoy a personalized mobile experience with the ability to manage tickets, and receive breaking news and score notifications for the teams they follow.

TICKETS
Single game tickets are available by calling 864-597-4090 or by visiting www.woffordterriers.com/tickets