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The Presbyterian College football team will face several new experiences when it travels to California this Saturday to take on the Bears at 5:30 p.m (EST). Not only will the Blue Hose be the farthest west they have ever been, they will be taking on their first PAC-12 team ever. PC will also face the Bears at AT&T Park, home of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants.
Cal's permanent home at Memorial Stadium is undergoing extensive renovations this season, so the Bears are playing all their home games at the Giants' Ballpark.
The California Golden Bears (2-0) opened the season with a 36-21 win against Fresno State and then this past weekend defeated Colorado, 36-33 in overtime in Boulder, Colo. Leading rusher for the Bears is Isi Sofele who is averaging 86.0 yards per game and already has two touchdowns to his credit. Keenan Allen paces the squad in the receiving corps, averaging 16.1 yards in 13 catches. Running the offense is QB Zach Maynard who is 34-for-70 with two interceptions. He has thrown for six TDs and is averaging 254.5 yards per game.
Three current players on the Blue Hose roster hail from California. Senior CeeJay Harris is from Long Beach and played H.S. ball at L.B. Wilson. He also attended LA Harbor Junior College. Derl Howard is from Los Angeles and went to St. Bernard. Howard also attended LA Harbor ... He will make the trip but will not play due to an injury. Senior Kyle Sharman is from Redono Beach and prepped at Redono Union. As with the other two, he also played at LA Harbor.
The Blue Hose are 1-1 after opening the season with a 35-28 loss to 8th-ranked Wofford. After falling behind 28-7, the Blue Hose scored 21 unanswered points to tie the game at 28 late in the fourth quarter. Wofford scored with just under a minute to play to break the deadlock and the next PC drive was cut short with an interception to make the final, 35-28 score in favor of the Terriers.
The Blue Hose responded with a 38-21 win over North Greenville. Only up by three, 24-21, in the fourth quarter, PC blocked a NGU field goal and ran it back for a 65-yard touchdown, and added another touchdown late to secure its first win of the season.
Leading the rushing yardage for the Blue Hose is Lance Byrd, who is averaging 110.0 yards on the ground and already has two touchdowns in the young season. He rushed for 153 yards against NGU. The reception pace belongs to Michael Ruff, who has 12 catches for 106 yards and is averaging 8.8 a possession. Ryan Singer made his first start of the year at QB against North Greenville and looks to repeat the call against California. He is 24-of-43 with one interception. He has one touchdown in the air, as well as one on the ground.
It has been a tough road to hoe for PC since making the transition to NCAA Division I. The Blue Hose are just 4-22 outside of Clinton, and have won once in the last three seasons. The lone road win since 2008 came last year with the 26-24 victory at Gardner Webb. It also marked the first win for Head Coach Harold Nichols as well as the first Big South victory. Some of the opponents PC has faced on the road include Wake Forest, Clemson, Old Dominion and Southern Conference powers Appalachian State and Wofford. Including this trip to California, the Blue Hose are on the road for six of the next seven weeks.
