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Alabama football vs Mercer: Score prediction, scouting report
- Story byThe Tuscaloosa News
- Alabama football vs Mercer: Score prediction, scouting report
Kalen DeBoer knows the importance of games like Alabama football vs. Mercer .
DeBoer was a NAIA Division II National Champion as a wide receiver at Sioux Falls , later becoming the program's offensive coordinator and head coach. He was the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Southern Illinois for four seasons at the FCS level.
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"The money games, those are ones that are important to the budget," DeBoer said Wednesday on the SEC football coaches teleconference. "Not just the football program, but the whole athletic department. And those are cool opportunities. Been a couple times where you go into that game and you got really nothing to lose, and so you just go and cut it loose and enjoy that experience with the guys. And a lot of times, you end up finding a lot about yourself."
Mercer is the No. 7 FCS team in the country according to the Stats Perform FCS Top 25. The Bears ' only loss came against Samford on Oct. 19.
What is the mindset of leading the No. 9 Crimson Tide into a game against a Mercer team with "nothing to lose?"
"For us, it's taking those next steps and really making sure we don't get sloppy," DeBoer said. "That's the tricky piece, right? It's just staying the course and improving on the things that we've been doing."
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Here's our scouting report and score prediction of Mercer's upcoming meeting with Alabama football.
Mercer football players to know
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RB Dwayne McGee:The senior running back has become a mainstay in Mercer's offense. McGee, a Kissimmee, Florida, native, leads the team with 933 yards rushing and seven touchdowns, averaging 93.3 yards rushing per game. Expect the Bears to try and establish the run first with McGee at the center of the attack.
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DL Brayden Manley:Not many offensive lines have been able to contain Manley. The 6-foot-2, 245-pound defensive lineman leads Mercer in both tackles-for-loss (13.5) and sacks (7). He is one of two defensive linemen, along with Andrew Zock to have more than five sacks and more than 10 tackles-for-loss.
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P John McConnell:McConnell has been busy in his first season at Mercer. The Marshall transfer is averaging over five punts per game with 44.67 yards per kick. He's landed 22 kicks inside the 20-yard line and had 13 punts of over 50 yards.
Alabama football vs Mercer history
Alabama has four wins in four games against Mercer. The Crimson Tide had back-to-back 20-0 wins against the Bears in 1939 and 1940 before beating Mercer 56-0 in 2017.
The Crimson Tide's most recent win against Mercer came in 2021 when Alabama beat the Bears 48-14.
Alabama vs Mercer offense stats
Third down conversion percentage
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Alabama: 44.8% (No. 29 nationally)
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Mercer:33.33%
Passing offense
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Alabama: 238 passing yards per game (No. 58)
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Mercer:234.3 passing yards per game
Red zone offense
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Alabama: 83.8% (No. 76 - tied)
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Mercer:90.5%
Rushing offense
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Alabama: 192.4 rushing yards per game (No. 31)
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Mercer:177.2 rushing yards per game
Sacks allowed
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Alabama: 1.89 sacks allowed per game (No. 65 - tied)
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Mercer:2.7 sacks allowed per game
Scoring offense
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Alabama: 38.1 points per game (No. 13)
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Mercer:34.8 points per game
Total offense
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Alabama: 430.4 yards per game (No. 34)
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Mercer:411.5 yards per game
Alabama vs Mercer defense stats
Third down defense
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Alabama: 32.8% (No. 22 nationally)
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Mercer:21.3%
Passing yards allowed
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Alabama: 198.3 passing yards allowed per game (No. 38)
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Mercer:236.8 passing yards allowed per game
Red zone defense
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Alabama: 76.9% (No. 27)
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Mercer:70.4%
Rushing defense
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Alabama: 140 rushing yards allowed per game (No. 57)
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Mercer:55.9 rushing yards allowed per game
Sacks
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Alabama: 2.22 sacks per game (No. 47)
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Mercer:3.6 sacks per game
Scoring defense
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Alabama: 18 points per game (No. 14)
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Mercer:16.6 points per game
Total defense
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Alabama: 338.3 yards per game (No. 44)
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Mercer:292.7 yards per game
Alabama football spread vs Mercer
Since Alabama is facing an FCS opponent, the Crimson Tide 's meeting against Mercer does not have a spread on BetMGM.
Alabama vs Mercer score prediction
No. 9 Alabama 42, Mercer 6:Mercer is catching Alabama at the wrong time. The Crimson Tide have been clicking defensively, a unit that has forced six takeaways and one touchdown in its past two games against SEC opponents. On offense, it's a unit that really didn't need the passing game against LSU , one where Jalen Milroe shined and the Crimson Tide dominated. Alabama's final nonconference game of the season should go without a hitch, and include game film for many second- and third-string players on the Crimson Tide roster.
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Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football vs Mercer: Score prediction, scouting report
