CLINTON, S.C. – The Presbyterian College football team gets set for its senior day matchup on Saturday afternoon when the Blue Hose welcome in Marist to Bailey Memorial Stadium at 1 p.m.. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Prior to kickoff, PC will honor 10 student-athletes who will be playing in their final home games on Saturday for the Blue Hose.
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
WHAT: Marist (4-4, 4-2 PFL) vs. Presbyterian (2-7, 0-6 PFL)
WHERE: Bailey Memorial Stadium (Clinton, S.C.)
WHEN: Saturday, November 13, 2021 (1 p.m.)
FOLLOW THE ACTION
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: Statbroadcast
RADIO: WSPG (Ryan Clary)
TWITTER: @BlueHoseFtball
GAME NOTES: Presbyterian Notes | Marist Notes | PFL Notes | Digital Game Program
Last Time Out
• Redshirt sophomore wideout Jalen Jones totaled a PC DI record with 239 receiving yards and five touchdowns, however it was not enough as Valparaiso defeated the Blue Hose 65-55 on Saturday afternoon at Brown Field. Jones had six grabs for a Blue Hose DI record of 239 yards and five scores.
Military Appreciation Day
• Saturday's game against Marist will serve as Military Appreciation Day presented by TicketSmarter. All veterans will receive complimentary tickets on Saturday including retired, active, national guard and spouses.
• The Blue Hose will also host a pre-game concert featuring Ricky Gunter at Bailey Memorial Stadium.
Hoseville on the Hill
• Hoseville is now on the Hill this fall at Bailey Memorial Stadium. Be sure to bring a couch, a tent and drinks and join us on the hill all fall for Blue Hose home football games.
Hefley Walter Payton Watch List
• Presbyterian College football redshirt sophomore quarterback Ren Hefley has been named to the 2021 Stats Perform Walter Payton Award Watch List on Wednesday afternoon. The award is presented to the national offensive player of the year in college football's Division I subdivision.
• The Payton Award is in its 35th season in 2021 and is named for the Chicago Bears legendary running back. Past recipients of the include Steve McNair, Tony Romo, Brian Westbrook, Jimmy Garoppolo, Cooper Kupp and Trey Lance.
• Hefley is the second PC player to be named to a watch list via Stats Perform as freshman wide receiver Jalyn Witcher was named to the Jerry Rice Award watch list for top freshman a few weeks ago.
Witcher Watch List
• Presbyterian College football freshman wide receiver Jalyn Witcher has been named to the 2021 Stats Perform Jerry Rice Award Watch List on Wednesday afternoon. The award is presented to the national freshman of the year in college football's Division I subdivision.
• The Rice Award is in its 11th season in 2021 and is named for the 3x Super Bowl and legendary Hall of Fame wideout. Past recipients of the award include Los Angeles Rams wideout Cooper Kupp (Eastern Washington), Arizona Cardinals running back Chase Edmonds (Fordham), and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance (North Dakota State).
• To be eligible for the Rice Award, a freshman can't have surpassed four games played in one previous academic year – similar to the NCAA's regular redshirt rule. More players can join the watch list before a 50-member, national media panel selects the winner following the regular season.
Opponent Profile
• Marist comes into play on Saturday with a 4-4 mark after a 7-0 shutout victory over Drake last time out.
• The Red Foxes are led by Austin Day under center with 1,133 passing yards and seven touchdowns on the season as Day has added a pair of rushing scores.
• Hunter Cobb leads the ground game for Marist with 407 rushing yards and three scores. Mekhai Johnson has 224 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
• Dwayne Menders leads the receiving core with 501 yards thru the air and three scores.
• Marist's defense is led by Mike Arrington and Jayden Johnson with 73 tackles apiece. Arrington has made 8.5 tackles for loss to lead the Marist defense while chipping in four sacks which is also a team-high.
• Clayborne Fields III is leading Marist with three interceptions as Teddy Wright has a pair of them as well.
Blue Hose in the Ranks
• With his touchdown at Valpo, Jalyn Witcher continues to lead all FCS receivers with 11 touchdowns. Withcer is sixth in FCS with 938 receiving yards and 104.2 yards/game.
• Ren Hefley leads all FCS quarterbacks with 35 touchdowns, while ranking third in passing yards and passing yards per game at 3,470 and 385.6 respectively.
• PC maintains its lead with 431.9 passing yards per game as a team among FCS teams.
Witcher Record Watch
• Freshman Jalyn Witcher currently is rewritting the history book in the DI era at Presbyterian.
• Witcher currently leads all single-season receivers in touchdowns with 11 scores. He is third in single-season receiving yards with 938 yards so far this season.
• Witcher has had five games with 100+ yards including a career-high 192 vs San Diego last Saturday.
Receivers Racking Up the Yards
• The Blue Hose have had 25 different players record at least one catch which included 21 players in the season opener against St. Andrews.
• Freshman Jalyn Witcher has a team-high 65 catches to go along with 938 yards and a team-high 11 touchdowns. Witcher has five 100 yard games on the year.
• Matthew Rivera has totaled 57 catches for 662 yards and four scores this season. He has also added three 100+ yard performances this season.
• Kiaran Turner has 510 yards receiving and four scores as Turner had 100+ yards against Fort Lauderdale week two.
• PC has had 13 different players score at least one touchdown led by Witcher with his 11 scores.
• Ren Hefley's 10 touchdowns in the opener against St. Andrews were spread around to eight different pass catchers on Saturday.
Record Breaking Debut
• In Kevin Kelley's debut the Presbyterian College offense lit up the scoreboard in record breaking fashion. Ren Hefley totaled a DI School record 39 pass completions for 576 yards which ranks second in the same record book.
• Hefley also totaled a DI school record 10 passing scores with three of those going to freshman Jalyn Witcher who tied a single-game DI record.
• Witcher's 156 yards receiving ranked fourth in the DI single-game record book.
• As a team, Presbyterian totaled a DI record 51 completions, 669 passing yards, 10 passing scores, 94 total offensive plays and 814 total offensive yards.
Kelley Set to Lead the Blue Hose
• After coaching Pulaski Academy to nine state titles and totaling 200 wins in 18 seasons, Kevin Kelley is set to lead the Blue Hose beginning in the fall of 2021.
• Kelley was the offensive coordinator for six years at Pulaski before being named head coach of the Bruins.
• Under his tutelage, Kelley's players and teams have broken 15 national high school football records while compiling a 216-29-1 mark.
• Kelley approaches the game of football differently, as documented by media outlets such as ESPN, HBO Real Sports and Fox Business News. His philosophy and tactics have been featured in articles in several publications such as the New York Times and Sports Illustrated, as well as in the book "Sportscasting."
