No. 3 Coastal Carolina at Presbyterian College
Saturday, October 11 - 2 p.m.
Bailey Memorial Stadium - Clinton, S.C.
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PC Game Notes | CCU Game Notes
CLINTON, S.C. - In a season of big moments, Presbyterian College football added to the tally last Saturday with a 19-14 win over Western Carolina and will look to add another when the Blue Hose host No. 3 Coastal Carolina on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game will be shown on ESPN3.
PC has started 3-0 at home for the first time since 2007 (when the team won its only three games at home) but will face a formidable foe in the third-ranked Chanticleers, who enter the weekend with a sparkling 6-0 record after downing Furman in double overtime, 37-31. The Chanticleers have won the last six against the Blue Hose, taking last year's meeting by scoring 38 unanswered points to win 46-13 in Conway. PC will count on repeat performance from its defense, who forced five turnovers against the Catamounts, posting four interceptions and running two back for touchdowns. This weekend marks the highest-ever ranked opponent to play in Clinton in the Division I era–previously held by No. 12 Furman, who PC defeated 10-7 on September 13.
Two interception returns for touchdowns—including a Deonte' Davis 32-yard pick-six with 1:46 to go—lifted PC to a dramatic victory over visiting Western Carolina on Saturday afternoon at Bailey Memorial Stadium, 19-14. PC's defense picked off Western Carolina quarterbacks four times on the afternoon, picked up a fumble and forced another goal-line turnover on downs. Shonquille Byers grabbed the last interception in the closing minutes to seal PC's third straight win at home and the first over the Catamounts since 1969, snapping an eight-game losing streak.
PC earned 16 votes in this week's FCS The Sports Network poll, four behind fellow Big South Conference foe Liberty. The votes place the Blue Hose ahead of other South Carolina programs Furman and Wofford.
Coastal Carolina enters with the nation's No. 3 ranking and the country's only 6-0 record. Running back De'Angelo Henderson ranks sixth in the nation in rushing yards (698) and fifth in TD (nine) while quarterback Alex Ross ranks sixth in completion percentage (67.8). Big South Preseason Defensive Player of the year Quinn Backus has lived up to billing, ranking second in the coutnry with four forced fumbles and leading the conference with 9.5 tackles a game. The Chanticleers used two overtimes to down Furman in Greenville on Saturday night, 37-31.
The Presbyterian College Blue Hose defense was selected as Big South Conference Football Defensive Player of the Week for its performance in Saturday's 19-14 win over Western Carolina, the League announced on Monday. The Blue Hose defense won Saturday's game over Western Carolina, as the unit returned two interceptions for touchdowns, picked off four passes, forced two fumbles and recovered one, and notched six tackles-or-loss with two sacks in the 19-14 win over the Catamounts, which entered the game averaging 37.8 points per contest. The Blue Hose defense, led by TFLs from Britt and Kamren Mack, forced a turnover on downs with a goal-line stand after Western started its third drive at PC's 3-yard line. PC also limited the Catamounts to 3-of-14 on third down and 207 yards after the first quarter. Britt was also named the College Sports Madness Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
The Blue Hose set a school Division I record with four interceptions against Western Carolina–after no interceptions through the first four games this season. Freshman defensive lineman Deonte' Davis turned in a 32-yard pick-six with 1:46 to go to put the Blue Hose ahead for the eventual win. PC picked off the Catamounts' first and last two passes of the game.
PC ranks in the top 25 among FCS schools in punt returns (10), red zone defense (10), fewest penalties per game (14), fewest penalty yards per game (16) and passing yards allowed (25).
PC scored exactly 19 points in the win with three touchdowns and one extra point. The Blue Hose have scored exactly 19 points on 23 occasions over 101 years of football and hold a 16-7 record after Saturday's win. The last time came in a 19-55 loss at No. 23 Liberty on October 31, 2009, and the last win with 19 points came on September 11, 2004, with a 19-14 home victory over Charleston Southern.
Senior wide receiver Tobi Antigha set a new career-high with eight receptions for a team-high 53 yards on Saturday. The senior made a 17-yard grab in the first quarter to surpass 1,000 receiving yards for his career, becoming the fifth player in the PC Division I era to reach the millennium plateau. Antigha ranks fourth in the Big South Conference with 4.2 receptions per game.
The Blue Hose are on pace for the best rushing season in its Division I era, posting an average of 183.2 yards per game. PC posted 175.6 rushing yards per game in 11 games in 2011, the current record. Demarcus Rouse rushed for 87 yards on 11 carries on Saturday against Western Carolina.
Redshirt sophomore lineman Ugonna Akoh posted a sack on Saturday against Western Carolina and Deonte' Davis and Darius Norfleet each registered half a sack. The Blue Hose have posted at least one sack in all five games this season.
PC has played two games against FCS opponents and has won both after Saturday's 19-14 win over Western Carolina. PC also downed Furman on September 13, 10-7, making the team 2-0 against the Southern Conference. PC has suffered its only two losses this season to Football Bowl Subdivision opponents and the Big South holds a 19-5 record against FCS non-conference opponents.
Sophomore defensive lineman Khari Rosier ranks fourth in the Big South Conference with six tackles for a loss. Rosier got behind the line once against Western Carolina, three times against Bluefield on September 6 and recovered a fumble against Furman.
Linebacker Donelle Williams ranks second in PC's Division I history with 241 career tackles (131-110). He sits 38 behind leader Justin Bethel's (2008-11) mark of 279.
Sophomore quarterback Heys McMath rushed a career-high 10 times against the Wolfpack on September 20. The quarterback made his 10th collegiate appearance and has only committed one turnover on the season, an interception in the season opener on August 28 against Northern Illinois.
PC holds the nation's 10th-ranked red zone defense with opponents scoring 64.7 percent of the time. The Blue Hose held a goal-line stand against the Catamounts on Saturday and held Furman without a score in its only trip to the PC red zone.
Following Saturday's game, PC hits the road to travel to the No. 24 Charleston Southern Buccaneers. Kickoff on Saturday is at 3 p.m.
