Blue Hose Return to The Gridiron on Saturday

CLINTON, S.C. – The Presbyterian College football team hits the field for the first time in 468 days as they open the 2021 spring schedule with a visit to Gardner-Webb for a 1 p.m. kickoff from Spangler Stadium. The game will be shown on ESPN+ and broadcast on the radio side both on WPCC 96.5 FM and Fox Sports 98.3 FM.

GAMEDAY CENTRAL
WHAT: Presbyterian (0-0) at Gardner-Webb (1-0)
WHERE: Spangler Stadium (Boiling Springs, N.C.)
WHEN: Saturday March 6, 2021 (1 p.m.)
THE SERIES: GWU Leads 22-20

FOLLOW THE ACTION
WATCH: ESPN+
LISTEN: Fox Sports 98.3 FM | WPCC 96.5 FM (Ryan Clary, Tyler Shugart)
LIVE STATS: Statbroadcast.com
TWITTER: @BlueHoseFtball | @BlueHoseSports
GAME NOTES: Presbyterian Notes | Gardner-Webb Notes

Last Time Out
• Junior Colby Campbell set the Big South record for tackles in a season as the Blue Hose picked up a 52-14 victory on senior day over St. Andrews at Bailey Memorial Stadium.
• Senior Zola Davis had 103 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Jarius Jeter had 99 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Keith Pearson set a new career-high with 10 catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns.
• Colby Campbell led the defense with 17 tackles and three sacks.

Opponent Profile
• Gardner-Webb opened the spring against #24 Elon with a 42-20 victory on Saturday in Boiling Springs.
• The Runnin' Bulldogs are led by first year head coach Tre Lamb.
• Narii Gaither led Gardner-Webb with 111 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. Carlton Aiken added 59 rushing yards and two scores
• As a team, Gardner-Webb totaled 202 rushing yards and five touchdowns in Saturday's win over Elon.
• Ty French led the Runnin' Bulldogs defense with 12 tackles and 4.0 tackles for loss. French also added 1.5 sacks.

PC Begins 108th Season of Football
• Presbyterian is set to begin its 108th season of football in the spring of 2021. The program has fielded a football team every season since its inaugural season in 1913. PC has amassed 503 victories in the program's extensive history.
• The Blue Hose will play a six game PFL schedule in the spring of 2021. PC will not be eligible for the PFL Championship this spring due to still being considered an FCS independent team.
• PC has managed 52 winning seasons throughout its history with the last coming in 2014.
• Prior to turning Division I in 2007, PC was a member of the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) for 32 seasons from 1975 to 2006.

Campbell & Pearson Look To Rewrite History Books
• Senior Linebacker Colby Campbell with two more sacks can take the program-record for sacks in a Blue Hose D1 career. He enters 2020 with 12.0 sacks and Brian Davis holds the D1 program record with 13.0 sacks.
• Campbell ranks third in the D1 program record book with 259 tackles. Donelle Williams holds the D1 program record with 402 stops. Justin Bethel is next on the list with 279 tackles in his career at Presbyterian
• He also ranks fourth in solo stops (133) and second in assisted tackles (126).
• Senior wideout Keith Pearson needs just 10 more receptions to surpass DaShawn Davis for the D1 program record in catches. He enters the spring with 135 receptions.
• Pearson needs 207 yards receiving to take the top spot in receiving yards. Terrance Butler holds the top spot at 1,679 receiving yards.

Seven Blue Hose Earn Phil Steele Honors
• PC linebacker Colby Campbell highlighted seven Blue Hose being named to Phil Steele's preseason all-independent team. The team was announced prior to the season's being postponed due to COVID-19.
• Campbell was also named to the fourth team FCS All-American team.
• Keith Pearson, Ethan Williams, Tanner Wilhelm, Rod Haygood, Jeffrey Smyth and Mack Simmons joined Campbell on the preseason all-independent team.

2021 Schedule
• The PFL's six-week schedule will see seven league members joined by Presbyterian, which joins the PFL as part of a scheduling agreement for the spring 2021 schedule, each play three home and three away contests. Individual members may schedule nonconference games prior to the league's March 13-April 17 window.
• The Blue Hose are slated to open the 2021 spring slate with Gardner-Webb on March 6 in a game that was announced last month.
• Presbyterian opens the 2021 home slate with a matchup against Morehead State on March 13 which will be followed up by a road trip up to Davidson for a matchup with the Wildcats on March 20.
• Presbyterian and Davidson will play a home and home as the Wildcats will visit the Blue Hose on April 10.
• Following the trip to Davidson, the Blue Hose return home on March 27 for a visit from San Diego. The Blue Hose travel to Florida for a matchup with Stetson on April 3.
• After the aforementioned home game with Davidson on April 10, PC will make the long trek to Iowa to battle Drake on April 17 to wrap up the 2021 spring slate

Spangler Signs Extension To Begin PFL
• In January of 2020, athletic director Rob Acunto signed head football coach Tommy Spangler to a multi-year contract extension to help lead the Blue Hose program into its inaugural season in the PFL in 2021.
• Spangler begins his fourth year (10th overall) as the head coach of the Blue Hose this season, after previously leading the program from 2001-06.
• Spangler compiled a 50-49 overall record in his time as the head coach for PC, including a 10-2 mark in 2005.
• Under his watch, PC went 28-14 in SAC games with an unbeaten 7-0 record en route to a conference title in 2005.
• In nine seasons as head coach, PC put together five winning seasons with at least seven victories in four of the five.
• He led PC to its last conference title in 2005, winning the SAC with 10-2 overall record and a 7-0 conference record en route to a second round appearance in the Division II Playoffs.
• Spangler is the second coach in PC history to have two different stints at the college. Legendary coach Walter Johnson coached PC from 1915-17 before returning two years later to coach the program from 1919-40.

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Players Mentioned

#13 Zola Davis: RB; 6' 0"; Redshirt Senior

#44 Colby Campbell: LB; 6' 0"; Senior

#1 Rod Haygood: DB; 5' 10"; Senior

#22 Jarius Jeter: RB; 5' 11"; Junior

#2 Keith Pearson: WR; 5' 9"; Senior

#10 Mack Simmons: WR; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#9 Jeffrey Smyth: DB; 5' 11"; Sophomore

#95 Tanner Wilhelm: DE; 6' 1"; Redshirt Junior

#75 Ethan Williams: OL; 6' 3"; Redshirt Junior

Players Mentioned

#13 Zola Davis
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Senior
: RB

#44 Colby Campbell
: 6' 0"; Senior
: LB

#1 Rod Haygood
: 5' 10"; Senior
: DB

#22 Jarius Jeter
: 5' 11"; Junior
: RB

#2 Keith Pearson
: 5' 9"; Senior
: WR

#10 Mack Simmons
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: WR

#9 Jeffrey Smyth
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: DB

#95 Tanner Wilhelm
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Junior
: DE

#75 Ethan Williams
: 6' 3"; Redshirt Junior
: OL