College Football · FCS · Week 7 · Recap
Mercer Beat Samford 31-21 Behind Devon Caldwell's 134-Yard Day
The Mercer Bears beat the Samford Bulldogs 31-21 at Seibert Stadium in Birmingham, AL on Saturday, October 17, 2026 in FCS college football Week 7 action.
Mercer led 28-11 at halftime. The first quarter swung it: Mercer outscored its opponent 21-8.
Mercer moves to 6-2, while Samford falls to 1-6.
Top performers
JP Pickles (MER, QB): 16/22, 108 YDS
Devon Caldwell (MER, RB): 13 CAR, 134 YDS
Travion Solomon (MER, WR): 5 REC, 37 YDS
Charlie Gilliam (SAM, QB): 14/23, 123 YDS, 1 INT
Ken Cherry (SAM, RB): 13 CAR, 108 YDS
Marquise Henderson (SAM, WR): 3 REC, 54 YDS
Scoring summary
- Q1 11:55MERJP Pickles 6 Yd Run7-0
- Q1 11:08MERJyarius Carter 32 Yd Interception Return14-0
- Q1 8:03MERJP Pickles 22 Yd Run21-0
- Q1 5:22SAMPreston Bird 12 Yd pass from Gabarri Johnson21-8
- Q2 10:07MERJP Pickles 3 Yd Run28-8
- Q2 0:00SAMTy Ippolito 53 Yd Field Goal28-11
- Q3 10:21SAMTy Ippolito 30 Yd Field Goal28-14
- Q4 14:57MERSimon Zeidan 29 Yd Field Goal31-14
- Q4 0:25SAMCoulter Cleland 10 Yd Run31-21
Team stats
| MER | SAM | |
|---|---|---|
| Total yards | 384 | 350 |
| First downs | 16 | 19 |
| Third down | 4-13 | 5-17 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| Possession | 32:22 | 27:38 |