LEXINGTON, Va. ? Presbyterian College emphatically began its time in the Big South Conference with a 45-21 victory over the Virginia Military Institute on Saturday afternoon before 6,433 fans at Foster Stadium.
PC ends the victory over the .500 mark for the first time as a NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision institution and in the midst of a three-game winning streak, which ties last year's season high.
The Keydets of VMI are now 2-4 on the year.
The Blue Hose are not officially eligible to be included in the Big South Conference standings in 2007, but the Blue Hose are now 1-0 against their future league foes. PC will play four of the five current Big South teams in 2007.
PC now holds an all-time series advantage of 1-0 in its series with VMI as Saturday's game was the first ever meeting between the two schools.
The nation's number one passing team entering the game, the Blue Hose used a balanced attack to down the Keydets. PC finished with 553 yards of total offense with 273 of those coming through the air and a season-high 280 coming from the ground.
S.J. Worrell (Madison, Ga.) led all PC players offensively in the win, finishing with a team-high 167 all-purpose yards. Worrell picked up 93 yards and two touchdowns rushing and 74 yards on three catches receiving.
Worrell was one of nine Blue Hose receivers to haul in a pass in the victory, marking the third time in 2007 that the Blue Hose finished a game with eight or more receivers making a grab in a single game.
Tyler Robbins (Homewood, Ala.) had his best game in a Blue Hose uniform against VMI, returning kicks for 102 yards in the game. The freshman also had one of the best blocks of the year in the fourth quarter.
Antwan Thomas (Hawkinsville, Ga.) led the PC defensive attack, concluding the game with a career-high and PC season team-high 15 total tackles. Thomas made six solo stops in the contest and had nine assists.
Ryan Anderson (Forest, Va.), who started his college career at VMI, made it a happy homecoming for himself as he ended the game with 10 total tackles, including a half a sack.
Howard Abegesah led the Keydets in the loss, finishing with 89 yards rushing.
The Blue Hose went into halftime up 14-7 over VMI and after deferring the first half kickoff to the second, PC went up by 13 when Terrance Butler (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) commenced the second half by scoring from nine yards out on an end around to the right side.
Butler's second rushing touchdown of the year ended a second half-opening 2:36 drive by the Blue Hose that amassed 64 yards in eight plays. The extra point failed, leaving PC on top 20-13.
The Keydets would pull to within six at 20-14 on its next possession when Tim Maypray caught his second touchdown of the game on a 32-yard strike from VMI quarterback Kyle Hughes.
Bobby Bentley reached into his bag of tricks on PC's next possession when on fourth down at midfield the Blue Hose went into punt formation.
The punt would not happen as converted cornerback Kyle Harris (Royston, Ga.), who was seemingly in for punt protection, caught the VMI punt team sleeping and passed to a wide open Anthony McKnight (Sumter, S.C.) for his first ever touchdown. The 50-yard touchdown reception by McKnight gave PC a 27-14 lead with 7:29 left in the third quarter.
Worrell placed the Blue Hose on top by over 20 points on the next PC possession, scoring his second rushing touchdown of the game and the season on a 32-yard run to the right that ended with Worrell flipping into the end zone to negate would-be VMI tacklers.
The Blue Hose would then claim their second successful two-point conversion of the season shortly thereafter when Webb found Butler to give PC a 35-14 lead. The successful two-point conversion pass from Webb to Butler was the second time the duo had connected on a two-point try as in PC's only other two-point conversion of the year against Western Carolina, Webb also found Butler.
Joey Robinson pulled the Keydets to within 15 with 11:18 left in the game when he scored on a one-yard run that made the game 35-21 in favor of PC.
The Blue Hose continued their second half offensive onslaught on the next play when they surprised everyone on the VMI defense by running Webb from his quarterback position up the middle for a 65-yard touchdown. The touchdown, which was the first rushing touchdown of Webb's career, left PC on top once again by 21 at 42-21.
Cam Miller (Lyman, S.C.) hit a field goal with 3:53 left in the game to conclude the game's scoring and give PC the 45-21 win.
VMI scored first against PC in the contest, but the Blue Hose responded in the final two minutes of the first stanza as Worrell finally found the end zone for the first time in 2007 on a one-yard run that evened the game at 7-7.
The score was made possible after PC's Caleb Massengill (Watkinsville, Ga.) recovered a VMI fumble to give the Blue Hose the football back after a turnover of their own. PC promptly marched 85 yards in 13 plays to set up the Worrell touchdown and tie the game.
The Blue Hose once again took advantage of a VMI miscue to go on top 14-7. The Keydets faked a 26-yard field goal attempt on fourth down and the Blue Hose were able to get the ball back deep in their own territory.
It did not take long for the Blue Hose to take the lead as Chetyuane Reeder acquired his longest rushing touchdown of the year when he scampered 53 yards to cap a 5-play, 95-yard drive. The 53-yard run was the second longest of the year for Reeder, who had a 63-yard run in the win over Pikeville in early September.
The Keydets struck first in the game in the opening minutes of the first quarter, utilizing the Bentley style of play calling as VMI's slotback tandem of Nat Jackson and Maypray shocked the PC defense by Jackson throwing a 14-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Maypray to garner VMI the 7-0 lead after Patrick Sweeney's extra point.
The Blue Hose continue their second three-game road stretch of the season at 7 p.m. next Saturday, Oct. 20 against Palmetto State and Big South rival Coastal Carolina at Brooks Stadium. The Chanticleers are coached by PC alum David Bennett.
PC will then close out the three-game road swing by traveling to the Commonwealth of Virginia for the second time in October to face off against Liberty at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27.
