#23 WOFFORD vs. #12 Mercer
Saturday, September 28, 2024 - 1:30 PM
Gibbs Stadium (13,000)
Spartanburg, S.C.
TICKETS

THE MERCER GAME
After the bye week, Wofford is back home at Gibbs Stadium on Saturday afternoon as they host Mercer ... The Terriers are 2-1 entering the game, following road victories over Gardner-Webb (21-20) and #14 Richmond (26-19), along with a loss to #13 William & Mary ... This is the SoCon opener for the Terriers ... Wofford and Mercer have met ten times as members of the Southern Conference, with the Terriers winning seven of the ten ... The Bears have won the last three meetings, including a 31-17 victory in 2023 in Macon ... Mercer was 9-4 overall last season and 6-2 in the Southern Conference to finish second ... They  advanced to the NCAA FCS Playoffs, where they defeated Gardner-Webb before falling to South Dakota State...So far this season they are 4-0, with wins over Presbyterian, Bethune-Cookman, Chattanooga and The Citadel ... The Bears are currently ranked #12 in the Stats Perform FCS poll and #13 in the FCS Coaches poll, while Wofford is ranked #23 in the Stats Perform FCS poll and receiving votes in the coaches poll.

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 ...
    • This is the 116th season of football at Wofford, which began in 1889.
    • Wofford has won two of the first three games this season, two of which were 2023 NCAA FCS Playoff participants.
    • Four Terriers have earned SoCon Player of the Week honors so far this year, the most since eight in 2017.
    • Shawn Watson is entering his second full season as head coach of the Terriers.
    • Wofford returns 16 starters overall, including seven on offense, seven on defense and two specialists.  
    • Nine players were named to the All-Southern Conference preseason team. Five players earned spots on the first team, the most in the league, including RB Ryan Ingram, TE Jordan Davis, DL Brandon Maina, LB David Powers and DB Maximus Pulley.

ABOUT WOFFORD
Shawn Watson is entering his second full season as head coach of the Terriers. On offense, the offensive line features returning starters Quincy Hughes, Anthony Garcia and Briggs Kearse. Luke Moise and Mason Howard will be at the other two spots. The pro spread offense usually sees three receivers, one tight end and one running back in most formations. Cam Smith, Kyle Watkins and Isaiah Scott are set to start at receiver. Jordan Davis will start at tight end, while the team's top rusher from last season, Ryan Ingram, also returns. At quarterback, Amari Odom won the competition in camp for the starting role, with Bryce Corriston and Pauly Seeley V backing him up.
    The defense remains a 3-4 base, with the defensive line led by returners Brandon Maina and Anthonie Lattany. They are joined by O'marion Brown. The linebacker position has three returners from last season. David Powers led the team in tackles in 2023 with 102, while John Boyles and Jalen Marshall also started last season. Nick Morgan steps in to start at one of the outside linebacker positions. In the secondary, Amir Annoor and Isaiah Wadsworth return at cornerback. At safety, transfer C.J. Coombes joins returner Maximus Pulley.
    Bridger Jones handles placekicking once again and was 13-of-17 on field goals, along with a 62.0 average on kickoffs. Sam Spence will take over at punter, with Tommy DiLiegro back handling long snapping duties.

SOUTHERN CONFERENCE OPENERS
The Terriers have won their SoCon opener 15 times as members of the conference, including nine straight (Furman 2010, Samford 2011, Western Carolina 2012, The Citadel 2013 and 2014, Mercer 2015, ETSU 2016, Furman in 2017 and VMI in 2018) before a loss to Samford in 2019. Wofford got back in the win column against Mercer in 2020-21, but lost in 2021 to VMI, to Chattanooga in 2022 and VMI in 2023.

AFTER THE BYE
Not counting the 2021 spring season, the Terriers have won the four of the last six games played after a true bye week. This includes wins over ETSU (2022), Western Carolina (2019), Gardner-Webb (2018) and Gardner-Webb (2017), but losses in 2021 against Kennesaw State and Western Carolina (2023).

TRENDING UPWARD
After the first three games of 2024, the Terriers have already matched the win total from last season. The team has scored 68 points compared to 33 in the first three games in 2023, while also giving up 57 points as opposed to 91 last season. Big plays are a part of the success, with 18 plays of 20 or more yards so far, compared to just seven in the first three games in 2023.

SOCON PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
On September 16, Wofford defensive back CJ Coombes was named the SoCon Defensive Player of the Week.  Coombes, a second-year freshman from Bellefonte, Delaware, led the Terriers in tackles with 13 against #13 William & Mary. In the fourth quarter, he recovered a fumble that had been forced by Isaiah Wadsworth. The Terriers would convert the turnover into a touchdown to tie the game.

TORNADO OF TERRIERS
Kids are welcome to join the "Tornado of Terriers" and lead the team as they run out onto the field. Parents can bring their children to the field level by using the stairs at the bottom of section H1 or the gate on the home side of the Verandah Lot at 1:00 PM.

TERRIER WALK
There are two chances to see the team before the game. One is the Terrier Walk, which begins at 11:00 AM and begins at the horseshoe behind Old Main and continues down Evins Street to the Verandah Lot. The second chance is in the Harley Room as the team prepares to enter the field at 1:20 PM. Verandah Lot ticket holders can use the doors at the side of the building to enter.

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 2024 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
Season and single game tickets are available by calling 864-597-4091 or by visiting www.woffordterriers.com/tickets. The Box Office is located in the lobby of the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium fo sales and customer service..

DIGITAL TICKETING
All tickets at Gibbs Stadium will be digital. To optimize your game day experience, please log in to your TicketReturn account and download your tickets today. By doing so, it will allow us time to provide assistance prior to gameday, should you need help navigating TicketReturn's site.

PARKING
Reminder that all football parking lots open 4 hours prior to kickoff (9:30 AM on September 28). A parking map can be found HERE.

CLEAR BAG POLICY
Wofford began a clear bag policy in 2018. Fans will be permitted to enter with a clear bag that does not exceed 12" in height by 6" in depth by 12" in width. A simple one-gallon clear plastic bag, such as a Ziploc bag or similar, is acceptable. Fans will be allowed to carry in a small clutch bag, approximately the size of a hand or 4.5" by 6.5", with or without a handle or strap. An exception will be made for medically necessary items after proper inspection at the game.