CULLOWHEE, N.C. (Interstat) — In a wild, record-setting offensive display, Braden Atkinson threw for 443 yards and three touchdowns and CJ Miller rushed for three more scores as Mercer outlasted Western Carolina 49-47 on a last-second missed field goal Saturday at E.J. Whitmire Stadium.

The game, which featured 1,094 yards of total offense and 10 touchdowns through the air, was decided when Western Carolina’s Marcus Trout hooked a 33-yard field goal attempt wide left as time expired, setting off a celebration for the visiting Bears.

Mercer improved to 8-1 overall, while Western Carolina fell to 6-4.

The contest was a quarterback duel of historic proportions. Mercer’s Braden Atkinson, a Rolesville, North Carolina, native, completed 23 of 39 passes for 443 yards. His primary target was Adjatay Dabbs, who hauled in four catches for 147 yards and a spectacular 81-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Kendall Harris added six receptions for 73 yards and two scores.

Not to be outdone, Western Carolina’s Taron Dickens put on a show of his own. The Miami, Florida, product was 33 of 49 for 551 yards and a staggering seven touchdown passes. His favorite target was Malik Knight, who caught five passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns, including a 54-yard score. Michael Rossin and James Tyre each added two touchdown receptions.

The game was a back-and-forth affair from the start. After trading first-quarter touchdowns, Mercer took an 18-14 lead in the second quarter on a 6-yard pass from Atkinson to Harris, but Western Carolina answered with a 25-yard scoring strike from Dickens to Rossin to go back in front 21-18.

Mercer closed the first half with a 24-yard field goal from Reice Griffith to tie the game at 21-21.

The Bears seized control in the third quarter, exploding for 21 points. Miller, a running back from Gadsden, Alabama, punched in a 5-yard touchdown run and later broke free for a 26-yard score. In between, Atkinson found Harris for a 24-yard touchdown, giving Mercer a 42-27 lead heading into the final period.

Western Carolina refused to go quietly. Dickens connected with Knight for the 54-yard touchdown early in the fourth, but Mercer answered immediately with Atkinson’s 81-yard bomb to Dabbs to restore a two-score lead at 49-34.

The Catamounts mounted a furious comeback. Dickens engineered two more scoring drives, finding Jai Boyd for a 10-yard touchdown and Tyre for a 42-yard score. Both two-point conversion attempts failed, leaving Western Carolina trailing 49-47 with 3:13 remaining.

Mercer managed to drain the clock before Griffith connected on a 37-yard field goal with 1:30 left, pushing the lead to 52-47.

Western Carolina had one final chance, driving to the Mercer 15-yard line in the closing seconds. After a loss of 4 yards on a run, the Catamounts sent Trout out for the potential game-winning kick, but his attempt sailed wide, sealing the victory for Mercer.

Miller was a workhorse for the Bears, rushing 21 times for 91 yards and adding three catches for 57 yards. For Western Carolina, Patrick Boyd Jr. was a versatile weapon, rushing 12 times for 17 yards and catching seven passes for 93 yards and a touchdown.

The combined 96 total points sailed over the pregame over/under line of 62.5, defying a projection from Interstat’s game simulator that had forecast a 42-35 Mercer victory. Western Carolina had been installed as a 6.5-point pregame favorite.