CLINTON, S.C. – Tied for the third-smallest number in a single game over the entire season at the FCS level, the Presbyterian College football team limited Marist to a paltry 22 passing yards on Saturday at Bailey Memorial Stadium, not surrendering a single offensive touchdown to their PFL counterparts all afternoon in a 19-10 defeat.

Outgaining the Red Foxes by 108 yards (293-185) during Homecoming 2023, the Blue Hose jumped ahead with an early TD but would later give up a three-point edge with 59 seconds left in the 2^nd quarter, forced to play catch-up from that point.

Head coach Steve Englehart's defense mustered a brilliant performance against an opponent who had achieved at least 30 points in three of their previous four outings, holding Marist to just five points over the final two periods.

Unfortunately, the visiting D was equally stout in an intense and hard-hitting encounter, shutting Presbyterian out in the second half to come away with the win.

PC will look to regroup in a road environment for their next duel, crossing the Carolina border into Davidson for a 7:00 PM kickoff on October 28. The contest will stand as the 34^th all-time between the two rivals, dubbed the Battle for the 1919 Cup in honor of the inaugural year of the series.


 
FINAL SCORE: Marist, 19 – Presbyterian, 10
RECORDS: Presbyterian (3-4, 1-3) – Marist (4-3, 4-1)
LOCATION: Bailey Memorial Stadium (Clinton, S.C.)
 
NOTABLES
 
- One of the premier linebackers in the nation, junior Alex Herriott boosted his season-total to 76 tackles after 16 more on Saturday. That ties a career-best for Presby's leading-tackler three years running, matching his output versus Valparaiso in 2022 and increasing his number of solo stops to 48 since September.

- Of the four other teams who've conceded 22 passing yards or less in '23, only one of those occasions came against a fellow FCS opponent (Sacred Heart versus Merrimack last month). That's a new school record for that category, obstructing the Red Foxes to 173 yards less than their average through the air.

- Defensive coordinator Daniel Owen's group met Marist in the backfield six times for a combined loss of 30 yards, with half of those plays coming from lineman Robert Porter. The Blue Hose gathered a trio of sacks against opposing QB Brock Bagozzi, with Porter, Nathan Hajduk, and James Hyland storming into the picture.

- PC has now recovered three fumbles in the past two contests dating back to last weekend's overtime triumph against Dayton, as freshman Keith Elmore jarred the ball loose on the opening kickoff that promptly allowed Brooks Russ-Martin to pounce.

- Second-year quarterback Tyler Wesley ended the day with 204 passing yards on 14 completions (92 of which went to classmate Dominic Kibby), bombing a 60-yard throw to his favorite target on a third-down set from the 1-yard line that positioned his squad to find its 10^th point midway through the 2^nd.
 

HOW IT HAPPENED – FIRST HALF
 
- The energy at Bailey Memorial was through the proverbial roof after Elmore's forced fumble just moments into proceedings, opening the door for Wesley to find tight end Worth Warner on a 3^rd-down 15-yarder and a surprise formation near the goal line that led to paydirt.

- Defensive tackle Nigel Brown squared up in the backfield and was given the call to plow his way through the line of scrimmage, making it 7-0 Blue Hose with only 92 seconds gone by.

- Following a Marist three-and-out, PC was quickly on the move again thanks to 28 combined receiving yards from Kibby and Cincere Gill, although the game's mood rapidly changed once the Red Foxes got loose for a strip-sack that was returned 48 yards in the other direction to suddenly tie things up.

- Already seeing two scores (both by defensive bodies nonetheless) with fewer than five minutes in the can, both defensive units reestablished the tone across an opening quarter with eight total drives layered throughout.

- That first frame closed with the aforementioned Wesley-to-Kibby longball, setting up freshman kicker Mack Mikko for a 38-yard field goal that was pure in the early going of the 2^nd stanza.

- For the reigning PFL Special Teams Player of the Week, that was his 11^th made FG of his debut year at the collegiate stage and fourth consecutive hit dating back to the Stetson matchup two weeks earlier.

- Following Porter's sack on the ensuing series, the Blue Hose nearly captured another huge momentum-swinger in the form of a Shawn Lodge punt return that reached all the way to the end zone, however an illegal blocking penalty negated the big burst.

- Still, Presbyterian's defense never let up an inch no matter the situation. Hajduk took his turn to dart his way into Marist's backfield for a second-straight third-down sack, pushing the Red Foxes away from a potential field goal try into a punt decision instead.

- A costly error befell the Blue Hose with 59 ticks left until the first-half horn, as the visitors recorded their second defensive score of the game on a 52-yard interception return to the house. Taking the four-point lead (14-10) in that blink, Marist would stay in front the rest of the way.
 

HOW IT HAPPENED – SECOND HALF
 
- Neither side contributed to the board in a scoreless 3^rd period, a 15-minute window dominated by yellow flags and unfavorable field position. Altogether, there were 18 penalties dished out in the league affair that assembled a massive 175 yards.

- While never touching the end zone for the entire 60 minutes while on offense, Marist came away the beneficiary on a crucial 4^th-quarter sequence where a miscommunicated punt return by PC resulted in a safety and a 16-10 advantage.

- Presbyterian's penultimate offensive drive brought them more misfortune in terms of location, the fourth instance of the day being made to begin a new series inside their own 10-yard line. Despite a 16-yard pitch to Kibby that created some space, the Blue Hose were ultimately forced to punt for the sixth time.

- The Red Foxes were able to burn enough clock to sway the outcome in their favor, opting to rush on nine consecutive snaps as they moved closer into PC's terrain. That hard-headedness paid off with a 32-yard field goal as the clock displayed 2:48 to put the game to rest.

 
UP NEXT
 
- The next chapter in PC and Davidson's long history will be written next weekend as coach Englehart's crew makes the drive to North Carolina for an under-the-lights kick. After beginning the year 0-2, the Wildcats have gone on to take a W in five straight bouts including Saturday's 42-21 victory against Valpo.

- In those five victories, Davidson has accumulated 265 total points (averaging 53 per game), with all but one of those wins coming against Pioneer League opposition.