Cronic hopes rested and hungry Bears are prepared for Gardner-Webb and FCS debut

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

          The plan is kind of simple, in the eyes of Mercer head football coach Drew Cronic.

          “The things that are important to win games,‘we’ve got to prepare to do those things,” said Cronic, whose team makes its FCS playoff debut Saturday at 3 p.m. against visiting Gardner-Webb.  “We’ve got to prepare to cause turnovers, prepare not to turn the ball over. We’ve got to prepare to be great in the red zone on both sides of the ball

          “We’ve got to prepared to cover kicks and flip the field and return kicks. Just all the things we talk about and then go execute those things on Saturday. That’s what it boils down to.”

          Many tickets are still available at $20.

          Cronic said the week in waiting was solid and productive.

          “I think preparation is what makes you confident,” he said. “I think preparation, you’re able to focus on that, so you’re able to kind of balance the two. We’ve just got to do a good job of preparing.”

          Gardner-Webb head coach Tre Lamb is the nephew of former Mercer head coach Bobby Lamb,and he coached at Mercer for three seasons.

          At 34, he’s the second-youngest head coach in Division I. He is a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award – which goes to the top FCS coach – for the second straight year.

          Gardner-Webb won the Big South two years ago, and then this year in the merged Big South/Ohio Valley Conference.

          Cronic’s scouting report on the Runnin’ Bulldogs is pretty concise.

          “We’re familiar with Gardner-Webb, we’re familiar with their coaching staff, Cronic said. “We played them last year.

          “Offensively, they’re trying to score (on) every play. They’re trying to score (on) every snap. They’re very aggressive.”

          The Runnin’ Bulldogs will have some support at Five Star. Gardner-Webb has nearly three dozen players from Georgia, including redshirt sophomore defensive back Warren Coneway of Washington County and junior defensive lineman Willie Harris of Bleckley County.

          Coneway has nine tackles in eight games, Harris nine tackles in 10 games. Coneway’s brother Will played linebacker at Mercer from 2016-19.

          Ten G-W players made all conference, with five on the first team and five on the second.

          Linebacker William McRainey was one of them. He has more than 100 tackles the past two seasons, and has started all 38 game he’s played. Ty French has the school record with 30.5 sacks.

          It brings the 15th-best run defense in FCS to town.

          Mercer’s Devron Harper got the Bears going in their 45-14 win in Boiling Springs last year with a 66-yard run 15 seconds into the game., and caught a 27-yard TD pass from Fred Payton six minutes later.

          Harper is back as one of the nation’s top overall players, with a collection of honors and awards. Ty James does the same from his wideout spot, in the top 10 in receiving yards in the Southern Conference all-time.

          Cronic hopes to see a team that’s less about excited and more about expectant.

          “I told them when I came here, it wasn’t just to gets in the playoffs,” he said. “It’s to have success in the playoffs. I want them to expect to have success in the playoffs.

“I want them to show that they deserved to be in.”