With Saturday’s win, Mercer clinched the Southern Conference title and an automatic bid in the FCS playoffs. Dan Squicciarini / NurPhoto via Getty Images

For a brief, delirious moment on Saturday, fans of Mercer and Western Carolina each believed their team had won.

In a back-and-forth FCS contest between the two teams atop the Southern Conference standings, Mercer held on for a 49–47 road victory over Western Carolina. The game’s final play produced a finish less notable for any feats of athletic greatness than for the confusion that followed the final whistle.

After a field goal put Mercer ahead 49-47 with 1:30 left in the fourth quarter, Western Carolina quarterback led a drive that set up the Catamounts to answer with a potential game-winning field goal of their own. With 3 seconds left, Western Carolina kicker Marcus Trout’s 33-yard attempt drifted just right of the uprights as time expired.

For the next thirty seconds or so, hardly anyone in the stadium — not the players, fans or coaches — seemed certain whether the kick was good.

Western Carolina fans stormed the field, convinced their team had won. At the same time, a small group of Mercer supporters jumped for joy, sure the kick had missed.

Players from both sides hugged, shouted, and cheered — each believing they were the victors. One of Trout’s Catamount teammates lifted the kicker into the air to celebrate a field goal that Trout seemed to know had missed.

Drama in Cullowhee!

Western Carolina has a short field goal for the win. It’s up and….no good! Except the PA says its good and the cheerleaders, some players and students start rushing the field….until they realize it missed! Mercer wins the battle for the top of the SoCon. pic.twitter.com/2BvN2pOMGY

— TK from the Paper (@tkpipedreams) November 9, 2025

Then came the officials’ signal: no good. The Catamounts’ euphoria vanished in an instant. Across the field, Mercer’s fans erupted in delight.

It was a rare sight — two celebrations unfolding at once, one erased in a matter of seconds.

With the win, Mercer improved its record to 8-1 overall and 7-0 in the Southern Conference, while also clinching their second straight conference title and an automatic bid for the FCS playoffs.

Mercer quarterback Braden Atkinson threw for 443 yards and three touchdowns on 23-for-39 passing. Wideout Adjatay Dabbs added 147 receiving yards, and CJ Miller totaled 148 yards from scrimmage, including three rushing scores.

Going dancing…again🫨#WeOverMe pic.twitter.com/4S3KAsohMH

— Mercer Football (@MercerFootball) November 9, 2025

The win marked Mercer’s tenth straight victory over Western Carolina, which fell to 6-4 overall and 5-1 in the conference. Catamounts quarterback Taron Dicken threw for 551 yards and seven touchdowns, but his outstanding effort wasn’t quite enough to deliver West Carolina its first win over Mercer since 2015.

Nov 9, 2025

Connections: Sports Edition

Spot the pattern. Connect the terms

Find the hidden link between sports terms

Denny Alfonso is a trending news writer for The Athletic. An Emmy Award–winning New Yorker, Denny previously covered the NBA, MLB, and MLS for ESPN, where she produced and reported the Soccer in America series, earning a Telly Award. She also covered the Rio Olympics for ESPN. Before joining ESPN, Denny worked as an investigative reporter for NBC Telemundo in Los Angeles and has been a contributor to both Yahoo and The Associated Press in New York.