Mercer led 31-0 at the half and was never seriously threatened in a 55-14 win at VMI on Saturday.
The 16th-ranked Bears (7-2, 5-1 SoCon) won despite turning the ball over five times.
Mercer outgained VMI (1-7, 0-5 SoCon) 540-134. Keydets QB Seth Morgan, back in the lineup after missing time due to injury, was 10-of-21 for 78 yards.
Mercer gained 346 yards on the ground in the win.
“The loss is on me,” said VMI coach Scott Wachenheim, whose team had earned an FCS playoff berth in the spring of 2021, and just missed making it two in a row last fall. “We didn’t execute well enough to win this ball game on multiple levels and when that happens that’s on the head coach so I will look on how to become better this week.”