Brief

Mercer Bears dominate VMI 54-3 with 658 yards of offense

The Bears outgained VMI 658‑102 and will host Western Carolina next.

By Felo News Desk · Published Sun, 04 Oct 2026 05:08:44 GMT

Mercer defeated winless VMI 54-3 on Saturday, amassing 658 yards of total offense, the Associated Press reported.

Quarterbacks Jaylen King, JP Pickles and Adrian Parker each threw a touchdown pass. King completed 14 of 23 passes for 202 yards, while Pickles added 66 rushing yards and a score. Zahmari Palode‑Gary rushed for 130 yards on 10 carries with a touchdown, and Karlise Price also scored in a 402‑yard ground attack.

Mercer (4‑2, 1‑1 Southern Conference) outgained the Keydets (0‑6, 0‑2) 658‑102. The Bears, ranked No. 23 in the Stats Perform poll, have now beaten VMI for the fifth straight time. Next up, Mercer hosts Western Carolina on Saturday, while VMI travels to Wofford on Oct. 17.

Key facts

• Mercer beat VMI 54-3 (winnipegfreepress.com)
• Mercer accumulated 658 yards of offense to VMI's 102 (winnipegfreepress.com)
• Quarterbacks King, Pickles and Parker each threw a TD pass (winnipegfreepress.com)
• Zahmari Palode‑Gary rushed for 130 yards and a TD (winnipegfreepress.com)
• Mercer improves to 4‑2 overall, 1‑1 in the Southern Conference (winnipegfreepress.com)

Sources

• [1] winnipegfreepress.com — originally reported as “Mercer rolls up 658 yards offense on way to 54-3 victory over winless VMI”