When Bobby Lamb walked onto the Mercer football field for the first regular-season game last year, he was fully prepared to see his team finish with no more than five, maybe six wins in the 12-game season.
But with a little enthusiasm, optimism and a lot of hard work and momentum, Lamb’s team proved him wrong.
Mercer powered through a successful inaugural season, and it started with that Aug. 31 game. The Bears had rallied and were tied with Reinhardt at 37-37 in the final few moments. Then, a 31-yard field goal by senior Josh Shutter sealed the deal in Lamb’s first win as head coach of the Bears.
The seasoned coach had 96 freshmen and six sophomores behind him — all of whom agreed to play for an NCAA Division I non-scholarship program in the Pioneer Football League.
“It was not a practice year for us,” quarterback John Russ said. “We wanted to win every game.”
It was this mentality that led the Bears to a 10-2 record, 6-2 in the Pioneer League. The Bears set an NCAA Division I record for victories by a first-year program, and Mercer finished undefeated at home.
This year, Mercer faces another challenge as it moves from the Pioneer League to the Southern Conference, traditionally a strong FCS conference. Because of the switch, Mercer is the only private university in Georgia that competes in Division I in all sports.
Lamb, a former head coach in the Southern Conference, at Furman, is familiar with the elevated level of play that his young players will be seeing for the first time this season. Even with a winning season under their belts, Lamb said his Bears are not old enough to say they have heavy experience.
“I think the biggest difference between the two leagues is going to be the speed of the game at every position,” Lamb said.
Russ ended last season as the Pioneer Football League Offensive Freshman of the Year. He started all 12 games and scored 21 touchdowns, averaging 159.7 yards passing and 75.2 yards rushing.
Russ said he wants to see his team increase its percentage of pass completions, and he wants to become a more vocal leader/quarterback.
“I don’t think I was very vocal last year,” the sophomore said.
He added that he feels more prepared for this season, in part because of work in the weight room. Russ, who played at 192 pounds last season, now weighs about 200.
“Being in the weight room another year … has been imperative for us,” Lamb said.
Lamb said the team has 25 athletes on full scholarships, with many others receiving partial or academic scholarships.
“We’ll take the core of our team from last year and provide partial football scholarships, but they’ll also keep adacemic scholarships,” Lamb said. “That’s a bonus for them because they came here thinking there were no scholarships.”
Russ (a core team member who now receives a partial football scholarship) said this summer’s workout as far as technique was the same as last year’s. But instead of having about 15 guys show up to the gym every day, the Bears an average of 40 players participated in summer workouts.
The fan base Mercer established by winning all of its home games is eager to see if the Bears can repeat their success. Season tickets for home games sold out only nine days after they were released in mid-May. Single game tickets are still available.
Russ said he and most of his teammates are looking forward to the first game, but even more to Mercer’s second game, which comes Sept. 6 at home against Lamb’s alma mater, Furman.
“We would love to beat Furman for coach Lamb,” Russ said.
Lamb also said he was eager for his team to play Furman.
“It’ll be an exciting game down here in Macon,” Lamb said. “I have a lot of feelings going into the game.”
Lamb said the 2013 season was the most fun he’s had in his 25 years of coaching. Like last season, Lamb and his team had realistic expectations, which they surpassed. This year he’s preaching more of the same humility.
“We’re bigger, and we’re stronger,” Lamb said. “That’ll at least give us a fighting chance.”
About the Author
