The Southern Conference earned a couple of ranked wins on Saturday night to start the college football season.
Below is a roundup on what took place in the Southern Conference on Saturday night:
No. 17 Mercer 23, East Texas A&M 15
Cameron Goggins returned an interception 38 yards for a touchdown to give 17th-ranked Mercer a four-score lead heading into halftime, but visiting East Texas A&M nearly battled all the way back before succumbing to the Bears’ 23-15 Saturday night at Five Star Stadium in Macon, Ga.
It was the 21st win in the last 25 home outings for the Bears, who also moved to 10-4 all-time in season openers with the result. The win also marked the successful debut for head coach Joel Taylor, who took the job last December.
Saturday evening’s setback marked the fourth-straight season-opening loss for East Texas A&M.
Mercer wide receiver Brayden Smith matched a career high with nine catches and finished the night with 131 receiving yards to pace the Bears. Four of his receptions went for 13 or more yards.
Kicker Simon Zeidan was 3-for-4 on field goal attempts, while also converting on both of his point-after kicks, to finish the evening with 11 points for Mercer. His school-record 55-yard field goal in the first quarter was just the fifth 50+-yard field goal in program history.
Cornerback Justin Ferguson matched a team-best with six tackles, all solo, while also turning in an interception and a pass breakup to lead the Bears defense. Cameron Goggins and Mike Polke both picked off a pass as well.
No. 14 Tennessee Tech 38, No. 22 Monmouth 14
QuarterbackJax Leatherwood threw four touchdown passes and No. 14 Tennessee Tech scored 31 unanswered points over the final three quarters to defeat No. 22 Monmouth 38-14 in the 2026 season opener Saturday night at Tucker Stadium in Cookeville, Tenn.
Leatherwood completed 24 of 35 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns without an interception, leading a Tennessee Tech offense that totaled 395 yards. The Golden Eagles held Monmouth to 304 yards of total offense and controlled the clock for 37:55.
Gabe Nunez led the receiving corps with six catches for 118 yards and a touchdown, including a 56-yard reception in the third quarter that helped set up Tennessee Tech’s first score of the second half. Tre’ Holloway added 114 all-purpose yards, including 86 punt-return yards, while MJ Flowers rushed for 58 yards and a touchdown.
Qua Ashley caught two touchdown passes, including a 23-yard score in the fourth quarter, while Maury Sullivan added a 16-yard touchdown reception.
Western Carolina 45, Eastern Kentucky 21
Lex Thomas threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns, including a pair to Josh Perry, and added a fourth-quarter rushing score as Western Carolina rallied for a 45-21 season-opening victory over Eastern Kentucky on Saturday night at E.J. Whitmire Stadium.
The Catamounts rallied from seven-point deficits twice and erased a 14-10 halftime deficit, outscoring the Colonels 35-7 after intermission to secure their first season-opening victory since 2022.
Thomas, who earned the starting nod out of fall camp, connected on 10 of his first 11 passes on the night on the way to finishing 27-of-35 through the air. Despite the early completion success, the Raleigh, N.C., transfer had just 67 passing yards at the break.
He found his rhythm after halftime, completing 11-of-15 passes in the third quarter for 180 yards and three touchdowns on the way to a career-best 320-yard passing performance.
Thomas added a team-best 69 yards rushing with a score, and even recorded a reception and four receiving yards as he collected a batted ball for the completion.
Eight different receivers caught passes with three posting six receptions apiece. Michael Rossin finished with six catches for a team-best 94 yards, while AJ Colombo made his return to the turf, going for 90 yards on six touches.
Perry caught six passes, including two touchdowns, finishing with 29 receiving yards while adding 31 yards rushing. Bode Burns finished with four catches for 51 yards.
Western Carolina amassed 508 yards of total offense, including 320 through the air and 188 on the ground, while recording 28 first downs.
North Alabama 22, Samford 10
It was not a good debut for new Samford head coach John Grass, as the Bulldogs fell 22-10 to North Alabama in the season opener for both teams Saturday evening at Joe Davis Stadium in Huntsville, Ala.
In the loss, Samford quarterback Gabarri Johnson completed 19-of-33 passes for 245 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Marquise Henderson caught five passes for 151 yards and a touchdown.
Jalen Nelson led the Samford defense with 14 total tackles, including 10 solo stops and one tackle for loss. LaShon Young had eight tackles, six solo.
For North Alabama, Destin Wade completed 13-of-19 passes for 229 yards and a touchdown. Xavier Johnson hauled in five passes for 129 yards and a touchdown. Cayden Atkins and Anthony Young had five tackles each to pace the defense.
—photo courtesy of Tennessee Tech