Samford rallies to 47-21 win over Mercer

MACON, Ga. (AP) Denzel Williams ran for two touchdowns, Kelvin McKnight returned a punt 77 yards for a score, and Samford rallied to beat Mercer 47-21 in

MACON, Ga. (AP) Denzel Williams ran for two touchdowns, Kelvin McKnight returned a punt 77 yards for a score, and Samford rallied to beat Mercer 47-21 in Saturday's season finale for both teams.

Trailing 14-9 at halftime, Anthony Pistelli kicked his fourth field goal and Williams scored on a 1-yard run for a 19-14 lead.

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.

Devlin Hodges-who was 30 of 44 for 392 yards-hit Emmanuel Obajimi on a 94-yard scoring pass and McKnight scored on the punt return. Obajimi had seven receptions for 144 yards and Krael Hamilton caught eight for 101.

Williams scored again on a 3-yard run that was set up by James Bradberry's interception. K'rondis Larry then romped 94-yards for a touchdown on the next possession. Larry had four carries for 102 yards.

John Russ ran 7 yards for a score for Mercer (5-6, 2-5), and threw two TD passes of 15 and 29 yards to Sam Walker, who had eight catches for 100 yards.