Atkinson leads Mercer in 49-47 win over Western Carolina, which gets 7 TD passes from Dickens

CULLOWHEE, N.C. -- , Braden Atkinson threw three touchdown passes, CJ Miller ran for three scores, and Mercer defeated Western Carolina 49-47 on Saturday in a shootout to win the Southern Conference title. Mercer clinched the SoCon's automatic bid into the FCS playoffs. Reice Griffith 's 37-yard field goal gave the Bears their 49-47 lead with 1:30 remaining before Taron Dickens drove the Catamounts to the 15-yard line with 3 seconds left. Marcus Trout then missed a 33-yard field-goal attempt on the final play. Dickens threw seven touchdown passes, including three in the fourth quarter when the Catamounts twice rallied from a 12-point deficit. They took a 47-46 lead on his final TD pass, a 42-yarder to James Tyre , but they failed on a 2-point attempt that would have given them a three-point lead. Dickens completed 33 of 49 passes for 551 yards.