College Football · FCS · Week 5 · Recap
Mercer Beat VMI 54-3 Behind Zahmari Palode-Gary's 130-Yard Day
The Mercer Bears routed the VMI Keydets 54-3 at Foster Stadium in Lexington, VA on Saturday, October 3, 2026 in FCS college football Week 5 action.
Mercer led 27-3 at halftime. The second quarter swung it: Mercer outscored its opponent 17-0.
Mercer moves to 4-2, while VMI falls to 0-6.
Top performers
Jaylen King (MER, QB): 14/23, 202 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT
Zahmari Palode-Gary (MER, RB): 10 CAR, 130 YDS, 1 TD
Brayden Smith (MER, WR): 3 REC, 58 YDS
Ian Reynolds (VMI, QB): 3/10, 33 YDS
Aslin Shipe (VMI, RB): 7 CAR, 37 YDS
Cade Cox (VMI, TE): 2 REC, 20 YDS
Scoring summary
- Q1 13:12MERSimon Zeidan 39 Yd Field Goal3-0
- Q1 4:15VMIJack Joyce 49 Yd Field Goal3-3
- Q1 0:00MERJackson Kostmayer 3 Yd pass from JP Pickles10-3
- Q2 3:55MERSimon Zeidan 36 Yd Field Goal13-3
- Q2 1:48MERZahmari Palode-Gary 64 Yd Run20-3
- Q2 0:14MERKel Calixte 40 Yd pass from Jaylen King27-3
- Q3 9:59MERSimon Zeidan 28 Yd Field Goal30-3
- Q3 6:42MERJP Pickles 5 Yd Run37-3
- Q4 14:48MERKaden Hanson 20 Yd pass from Adrian Parker44-3
- Q4 8:45MERSimon Zeidan 23 Yd Field Goal47-3
- Q4 6:24MERKarlise Price 52 Yd Run54-3
Team stats
| MER | VMI | |
|---|---|---|
| Total yards | 658 | 102 |
| First downs | 28 | 8 |
| Third down | 6-15 | 3-15 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Possession | 31:45 | 28:15 |