Payton throws 4 TD passes; Mercer cruises past VMI 55-14

Published Oct. 29, 2022 4:55 p.m. ET

Associated Press

LEXINGTON, Va. (AP) — Fred Payton threw four touchdown passes, CJ Miller had 105 yards rushing and Mercer rolled to a 55-14 victory over VMI on Saturday.

Payton finished 17-of-24 passing with a pair of scoring throws in each half. Miller had just 12 carries that included a 4-yard touchdown run. Brandon Marshall added 77 yards rushing with a 2-yard TD run. Devron Harper opened the scoring for the Bears with an 87-yard punt return for a touchdown with about five minutes left in the first quarter.

Mercer (7-2, 5-1) which entered with the top offense in the Southern Conference, put up 540 yards of offense against VMI (1-7, 0-5), which is last in the conference in scoring defense.

Korey Bridy ran in for two scores from short yardage for the Keydets.

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