Payton throws for 3 TDs in Mercer's 45-14 rout of Wofford

Updated Oct. 23, 2021 9:48 p.m. ET

Associated Press

MACON, Ga. (AP) — Fred Payton passed for 357 yards, Mercer added another 210 yards on the ground, and the Bears defeated Wofford 45-14 on Saturday night.

Payton completed 19 of 27 passes with two of his three TDs going to Ty James, who had 153 yards on five receptions. Fred Davis led on the ground with 91 yards and Al Wooten II added 79 yards for the Bears (5-2, 3-1 Southern Conference), who totaled 567 yards.

Wofford (1-6, 0-4) managed just 176 yards of total offense, with Bryce Corriston completing 8 of 17 passes for 58 yards. Still, the score was tied at 14 in the second quarter after the Terriers' Joe Beckett returned a fumble 55 yards for a touchdown.

Mercer responded with a fumble recovery in the end zone by Isaac Dowling and a short field goal by Devin Folsor for a 24-14 halftime lead. In the second half, Payton threw two touchdown passes and Wooten added a 49-yard touchdown run to close out the scoring.

More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25