Mercer Outgains VMI 658 Yards to 104 in a 54-3 Rout
658 yards to 104. That is not a typo, and neither is the score: Mercer 54, VMI 3.
VMI did get on the board, sort of. Mercer opened with a 39-yard Simon Zeidan field goal, VMI tied it 3-3 with a 49-yarder from Jack Joyce with 4:15 left in the first quarter, and that was the last time the Keydets scored. Mercer then scored 51 straight points. JP Pickles hit Jackson Kostmayer from 3 yards as the first quarter ran out, Zeidan added a 36-yarder, Zahmari Palode-Gary ran 64 yards, and Jaylen King found Kel Calixte from 40 with 0:14 left in the half to make it 27-3.
The second half was more of the same. Zeidan kicked a 28-yarder, Pickles ran in from 5 yards for 37-3, Adrian Parker threw 20 yards to Kaden Hanson early in the fourth, Zeidan kicked a fourth field goal (23 yards), and Karlise Price ran 52 yards with 6:24 left to close it at 54-3. Zeidan went 4 for 4 on field goals, plus six extra points, if anyone is counting kickers.
Mercer ran 47 times for 402 yards and threw for 256 more. VMI ran 41 times for 63 yards and threw for 41, which is 104 total yards, about 1.5 yards a carry and next to nothing in the air. Mercer threw one interception and lost no fumbles. VMI had no turnovers and still lost by 51. Mercer improves to 4-1 and VMI falls to 0-5.
For fantasy, Mercer had plenty to go around. Pickles led with 20 points on only 10 touches, Palode-Gary had 19 from one long run and King added 16.6 through the air.