Saturday's Peach State College Football scoreboard: Two outta three’s OK
Lenoir-Rhyne 30, FVSU 22
Fort Valley State was hanging tough with a quality team, on homecoming, and forged ahead in the third quarter on Lorenzo Smothers 63-yard touchdown catch on Demontay Jones’ passes.
And that lead lasted 14 seconds.
The Bears returned the kickoff 90 yards for a score, to start a 17-point run in just less than a full quarter.
Mercer 59, Western Carolina 46
Kaelan Riley passed for 294 yards and three touchdowns while Tee Mitchell rushed for 157 and a score as Mercer won a Southern Conference shootout at Five Star Stadium.
Tyray Devezin scored twice on eight carries en route to 94 yards. Sam Walker and Marquise Irvin each had four catches, Walker for 80 yards and a touchdown.
WCU led 7-0, and then trailed 28-27 at halftime. The Bears gained a measure of control with a 17-6 third quarter and maintained from then on.
The Catamounts’ Tyre Adams had him a day, going 30 for 45 for 360 yards and two touchdowns, and rushing 22 times for 185 yards and two more scores. Nate Mullen caught 10 passes for 90 yards.
It was the second-most points scored by Mercer since the reinstatement, just short of the 6 1-0 win over x Warner in the program’s second game, in 2013. Warner, a small school in Florida, was in its first season as well.
Georgia Southern 48, New Mexico State 31
On another long road trip, Georgia Southern got off to a slow start, but overcame that soon enough to take control for a solid win and become bowl eligible.
The Eagles were down 14-3 and forced a punt. They scored on their next six possessions.
QB Shane Werts wasn’t 100 percent, but he was perfect on four passes for 77 yards, and ran six times for 70 yards and a touchdown, leading the Eagles to a 404-yard night on the ground.
Logan Wright had 136 yards and two scores, Wesley Kennedy 97 yards and two touchdowns.
NMSU passed for 295 yards and ran for 148 against the Eagles, who return to Sun Belt play against Appalachian State on Thursday (ESPNU) at Paulson Stadium.