Game Setup
Who: Presbyterian vs. Florida Tech
When: Saturday, September 24 – 7 p.m.
Where: Bailey Memorial Stadium
Watch: Big South Network
Listen: Sunny 103.5 FM / Fox Sports 1400 AM / WPCC 1410 AM (Ryan Clary, John Orck)
Live Stats: GoBlueHose.com
Tickets: 864-833-8240
Social Media: @BlueHoseFtball (Twitter/Instagram) / @BlueHoseSports
PC Faces Florida Tech in Home Opener
• The Presbyterian College football finally opens its home schedule on Saturday when its plays host to Florida Tech at Bailey Memorial Stadium.
• It will be the first ever meeting between the two teams on the gridiron. PC holds a 5-1 record against non-Division I opponents since 2009.
• PC's last game against a non-Division I opponent was against Bluefield in 2014, a 69-14 rout by the Blue Hose.
• The game will be PC's latest home opener since 2010 when the Blue Hose didn't play their home opener until September 25 against North Greenville.
PC Coaches to Wear Coach to Cure MD Patches
• College football coaches all over the country, including the coaching staff at Presbyterian, have been asked to wear a patch with the Coach to Cure MD insignia this Saturday, September 24, in order to show their support for Coach to Cure MD and the fight against this disease.
• Coach to Cure MD is a project of the Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) in partnership with the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). It is a one-day, nationwide awareness building and fundraising event that will be held on Saturday, September 24.
• The goal of Coach to Cure MD is to:
- Raise awareness of Duchenne muscular dystrophy
- Generate new financial support for Duchenne research
- Demonstrate coaches' commitment to the betterment of young men and the core academic research missions of their universities
• Text the word CURE to 90999 to donate $5 or visit CoachtoCureMD.org for more information
Last Time Out
• Presbyterian got its first victory of the season with a 31-14 win at Campbell last Saturday. It was the first road win for the Blue Hose since 2014.
• PC scored 31 points against the Camels, its most since 2014. That season, PC defeated Bluefield 69-14 at home. Its PC's most points in a road game since November 13, 2010 when PC scored 39 points in a loss to Charleston Southern.
• Will Brock threw for 129 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start. Darrell Bridges also helped pace the offense with 159 rushing yards and a touchdown.
• Nick Moss totaled a team-high nine tackles to lead the defense, as they held Campbell to 14 points and a 2-for-11 mark on third downs.
Bridges Named Big South Offensive Player of the Week
• Running back Darrell Bridges was named the Big South Offensive Player of the Week on Monday after a big performance against Campbell. He totaled 159 rushing yards, the second highest total of his career, and a touchdown on a career-high-tying 32 carries.
• It was the eighth game of his career with at least 100 rushing yards and the touchdown was the 11th of his career, most among all current players.
• Through three games, Bridges has totaled 287 yards on 71 carries for an average of 4.0 yards per carry. He had 319 yards on 79 carries to this point last season, a year that resulted in a 1,000-yard season.
• Bridges is just the second PC player to earn the Big South's weekly offensive award, joining Brandon Miley (11/3/08) as the only other.
Brock Shines in First Start
• Will Brock completed 11-of-21 passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start and just his second career appearance. The redshirt junior also rushed eight times for 29 yards.
• It was the first time that a PC quarterback has thrown two touchdowns passes in a game since 2014 when Heys McMath threw for three against Coastal Carolina.
• Brock led PC to a victory in his first career start, the third straight PC quarterback to do so. Ben Cheek earned the start against Campbell last season in a 23-13 win. Heys McMath made his first career start in 2013 against VMI, a 49-35 victory for PC. Of the three, Brock is the only one to get the win on the road.
Mack, Rosier Finding the Backfield
• Kamren Mack and Khari Rosier have proved to be a nice combo along the defensive line for PC, sacking QBs and stopping rushers behind the line.
• Mack recorded another sack on Saturday at Campbell to push his team-high season total to 3.0. On the year, he has made 11 tackles, including the 3.0 sacks and 3.0 tackles for loss.
• Rosier is PC's leading tackler through three games, amassing 17 tackles with a team-high 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He has continued to prove difficult for opposing offensive lines, getting 2.0 tackles for loss at Campbell last Saturday.
• The two have combined to account for over half of PC's tackles for loss and sacks this year, totaling 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks of PC's 13.0 and 8.0, respectively.
Norton Strong in Both Facets
• Brett Norton has been a busy man through three games, as he has handled both the kicking and punting duties.
• Last Saturday at Campbell, Norton made his second field goal of the season, a 26-yarder, while going 4-for-4 on PATs to total seven points in the win.
• Norton made 12 punts for a Division I era school record 526 yards at Chattanooga on September 10, averaging 43.8 yards per punt. His longest of the game, a 64-yarder, is tied for the second longest punt in the program's D1 era.
• Norton, punting in just his second game in college at the time, had a school-record six punts downed inside in the 20-yard line and booted four of at least 50 yards against the Mocs.
• The second-year starter made his first field goal attempt of the season at Central Michigan, nailing a career-long 36-yard attempt for PC's lone points of the game.
• Additionally, Norton made 11 punts for an average of 40.5 yards in his first game as a punter. He managed two punt of at least 50 yards, including a long of 53 yards.
• Norton is now 8-for-12 on field goals in his career, including a perfect 7-for-7 in road games.
Watson in Sync with Brock
• DarQuez Watson had a career game against Campbell on Saturday, hauling in five catches for a career-high 58 receiving yards, including his third career touchdown on a 17-yard reception in the fourth quarter.
• In Brock's two games under center, he has found Watson six times for 82 yards, most catches and yards of any receiver on the team on passes from Brock.
Defense Owning Third Downs
• The Presbyterian defense has looked strong on third downs this season, holding opponents to 5-of-29 (17.2 percent) on third-down conversions on the young season, fourth best in the FCS.
• The Blue Hose were able to hold Chattanooga without a third-down conversion in nine tries. They also allowed just three third-down conversions on nine third downs against Central Michigan in the season opener.
• PC then held Campbell to a 2-of-11 effort on third downs, which included an 0-for-4 in the first half.
PC Strong in Home Openers
• Presbyterian College is 6-3 in home openers since transitioning to Division I in 2007, including a current four-game winning streak a 23-13 win over Campbell in 2015.
• In 2014, PC routed Bluefield College, 69-14, in its home opener. The Blue Hose ran for a school-record 523 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground in the record-setting win.
• In its last four home openers, PC has outscored its opponents 179-59 with an average margin of victory of 30.0 points.
