Mercer holds on for 27-20 OT win over Furman

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) Alex Lakes rushed for 141 yards and a touchdown and John Russ threw for 88 yards and two touchdowns as Mercer held on to beat Furman

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) Alex Lakes rushed for 141 yards and a touchdown and John Russ threw for 88 yards and two touchdowns as Mercer held on to beat Furman 27-20 in overtime on Saturday.

Lakes scored from the 2 in the extra period and Zach Jackson intercepted P. J. Blazejowski's pass on Furman's first play in overtime to seal the win.

WIN $2KIN TICKETS

WIN $2KIN TICKETS

GET READY TO COMPETE

Pick your champion (you can change it later). We’ll email you when brackets open.

• Georgia
• Utah
• Alabama
• UCLA
• Notre Dame
• Texas
• Miami (FL)
• Tennessee
• Indiana
• BYU
• Kentucky
• Texas Tech

PREREGISTER TO PLAY

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See Official Rules for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

Trailing 20-14 with 43 seconds left in regulation, Furman's Kealand Dirks ran in from the 2 to tie the game. Furman was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct on the scoring play and Jon Croft Hollingsworth missed the 25-yard point after attempt to force overtime.

Tee Mitchell rushed for 112 yards and Avery Ward grabbed six passes for 60 yards and two scores for Mercer (5-5, 2-4 Southern Conference).

Reese Hannon threw for 133 yards and two touchdowns and Andrej Suttles had 8 catches for 101 yards for Furman (4-6, 2-4).