CHARLESTON, S.C. - Redshirt-senior Trandon Dendy's two first quarter touchdowns and Ryan Singer's three total touchdowns were not enough for Presbyterian College Saturday afternoon as the visiting Blue Hose fell by a 42-39 score to Charleston Southern in Big South Conference action.

Head coach Harold Nichols' squad now stands at 1-9 on the season and 1-5 in Big South play. The Bucs improve to 3-7 overall and 1-4 in league play.

"I'm proud of the way we came back and competed hard," Nichols said. "We were able to make it a game in the fourth quarter."

After PC received the opening kick, it became the Dendy show on the first possession. He went for 13 yards on his first two carries, giving the Blue Hose a first down at the 44. On third-and-12, Gary optioned left and darted 22 yards to the CSU 36. Two more rushes by Dendy put the ball on the Bucs' 22. On first-and-10, Gary rolled out and found Robert Bumgarner for 16 yards. On the ensuing play, Dendy scampered through the defensive line for the score. Cam Miller's extra point pushed the lead to 7-0 just 4:31 into the contest.

CSU started its drive on the 39. Facing a fourth-and-one, Iouli Burroughs and Derek Brown stuffed the quarterback, giving the Blue Hose the ball back on CSU's 48.

Starting the drive at the 8:37 mark of the first quarter, Dendy busted through the hole for 15 yards and a first down. He then went for nine more on the next play. Sophomore Lance Byrd came in to spell him and in two plays, Byrd rushed for 21 yards, giving PC a first-and-goal on the three-yard line. Dendy took over and found the end-zone again for his second score. The extra point pushed the lead to 14-0.

The Bucs answered with an 11-play, 63-yard drive that resulted in a three-yard touchdown. PC was unable to get anything going on its third drive and then a low snap resulted in a five-yard loss on the punt. That set up a first-and-10 for the Bucs on PC's 18.

On second-and-two from the 10, CSU completed a pass for the touchdown, making the score 14-14 just 12 seconds into the second quarter.

With the Bucs ahead 28-14, Ryan Singer came into the game with 5:41 to play before halftime. He engineered a 10-play, 63-yard drive that resulted in a Cam Miller field goal from 20 yards out. During the drive, Singer kept it alive by rushing for 34 yards on a first-and-25 after an offensive pass interference call was whistled on PC. He then found Jeremy Cole for a 20-yard gainer on the next play. Miller's field goal came with just 1:16 to play in the half, pulling the Blue Hose within 11 at the intermission.

The Bucs engineered a quick, three-play 47-yard touchdown drive to get things going in the third quarter, making the score 35-17. However, the Blue Hose answered the bell. Singer found a streaking Jeremy Cole down the right sideline for a 53-yard touchdown with 11:54 to play in the third quarter.

A nine-play, 72-yard drive for the Bucs gave the home team a 42-24 lead. The Blue Hose then drove to the 30, but the drive stalled.

However, there was no quit in PC. The Blue Hose forced a short punt by the Bucs early in the fourth, taking over on their own 33. Two plays later, Singer found Michael Ruff for a 54-yard completion, putting the score at 42-30. Derrick Overholt rushed in a two-point conversion, pulling the team within 10 with 7:58 to play.

The Blue Hose stopped CSU on the ensuing drive and got the ball back with 4:16 to go on their own 26. Facing a fourth-and-10, Singer was hit after an incomplete pass, giving PC a first down.

Gary and Dendy helped the team move to the CSU 41. Then, Singer drilled Anderico Bailey for 26 yards to the 15. Two plays later, Singer weaved his way through six defenders for the touchdown. Miller's extra point made it 42-39.

The Bucs moved down the field, but the PC defense withstood the test and forced a punt with just over 30 seconds remaining. Down to its last chance, PC moved the ball to the 23. However, Singer looked deep with just over 10 seconds to play and was intercepted on the CSU 27.

For the game, Singer connected on 10-of-26 passes for two touchdowns and 208 yards. He also rushed six times for 86 yards and a score. Dendy led the rush attack with 105 yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns.

Jeremy Cole hauled in three passes for 91 yards while Robert Bumgarner caught a team-high four passes for 35 yards.

Derek Brown recorded a game-high 13 tackles, including 2.5 for loss. Rookie Matthan Burton also reached double figures, taking down 10 Bucs in the game.

"Ryan has a lot of ability," Nichols said. "He has a good future in front of him. He made some big plays and I'm glad he's on our team.

"The defense made some huge stops in the fourth quarter. They helped us get back into the game."

The Blue Hose return to action on Saturday, Nov. 20, when the team hosts Davidson at 1 p.m. It not only marks the last game of the 2010 season, but also Senior Day. Fans are encouraged to be in the stands early so they will not miss any of the pre-game festivities.