Hodges throws for 401 yards, Samford beats Mercer 24-19

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Devlin Hodges threw for 401 yards and three touchdowns as Samford held on to beat Mercer 24-19 on Saturday. Samford (7-3, 5-2 Southern Conference) was ahead 21-0 in the first quarter but Mercer outscored the Bulldogs 19-3 in the final three quarters. The Bears closed to 21-19 when CJ Kleckley ran for a score early in the fourth quarter and Cole Fisher booted a 20-yard field goal with 7:02 left. Samford's Reece Everett kicked a 37-yard field goal with 3:36 remaining for the winning margin. Mercer responded with a drive to the Samford 25 but ran out of downs. Hodges has thrown for 3,594 yards in his career, leaving him just 46 yards shy of the school record set by Andy Summerlin in 2013. Emmanuel Obajimi grabbed 13 passes for 183 yards for Samford. Karel Hamilton caught 15 for 108 yards. John Russ had 183 yards passing and rushed for 185 for Mercer (5-5, 3-4).