CLINTON, S.C. – For the first time in 28 days, the Presbyterian College football team is set to take the field at Bailey Memorial Stadium after a string of two road designations and a BYE to make the wait a tad longer. The Stetson Hatters will line up against the Blue Hose this Saturday at 1:00 PM, streamed live on ESPN+.
Tomorrow's Pioneer Football League clash will represent the 14
th all-time meeting between PC and their Floridian foes, regular opponents to each other until the Hatters disbanded their program back in 1956. Since Stetson's 2012 revival, they've reignited that history against Presby for the fourth straight year of competition between the two.
Head coach
Steve Englehart's unit uncorked the lid on the '23 PFL slate last weekend in Indianapolis, facing off with Butler for the very first occasion. Although a 17-14 lead was garnered thanks to a monster half by wide receiver
Dominic Kibby, the Bulldogs regrouped after 30 minutes and emerged with a hard-fought 27-17 win.
PC last locked horns with Stetson in November of last season, taking a 42-21 setback in what was the final bout of Englehart's debut stint in Clinton. Four of Presbyterian's nine victories over the Hatters have happened when serving as the host, hoping to reach .500 in conference play with a W this weekend.
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
WHO: Presbyterian (2-2, 0-1) vs. Stetson (2-3, 0-2)
WHERE: Bailey Memorial Stadium (Clinton, S.C.)
WHEN: Saturday, October 7 – 1:00 PM
ADMISSION: Football Tickets
GAMEDAY PROTOCOL: Bailey Memorial Stadium Policies & Map
GAMEDAY PROGRAM: Blue Hose Game Guide
CLEAR BAG POLICY: Handbag Code
FOLLOW THE ACTION
WATCH: ESPN+ (Alex Smith & Tim Webb)
LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast
TWITTER: @BlueHoseFtball
GAME NOTES: Presbyterian Notes |
Stetson Notes |
PFL Weekly Report
Opponent Profile
• It's been a bit of a mixed bag for Stetson after five straight weeks of battles, claiming their first two W's consecutively in pre-PFL action before dropping three in a row.
• The first of those losses came at the hands of #3 Montana State in Bozeman, segueing to respective 10-point losses against Butler and Marist (the same final margin that PC tasted in their clash at Butler last weekend).
• Besting the Blue Hose in the '22 finale from Florida, the Hatters will visit Bailey Memorial with the second-highest count of turnovers acquired (seven) in the PFL.
• Wideout Nazeviah Burris and quarterback Matt O'Connor both rank second among all conference competitors in all-purpose yardage (119 per game) and completion percentage (63%) respectively.
Last Time Out
• Although Englehart's crew benefitted from two explosive touchdowns by
Dominic Kibby in the first two quarters (enough to hoist the squad to a three-point edge at halftime), PC was
ultimately downed by Butler in Indianapolis on the final day of September in a game that leaned heavily on time-of-possession differential.
• Overall, the Bulldogs (who churned their way to a four-game winning streak) held the ball for 23 minutes longer than Presbyterian, including two scoring drives in the 3rd and 4th quarters that totaled 16 minutes and 10 points.
• Despite a second-half blanking on the scoreboard, Kibby again showed his ceiling as an all-conference threat with 199 yards on just five grabs, taking his first two catches to the house from distances of 93 and 75 yards.
• That 93-yarder in the opening period is PC's longest play from scrimmage in the school's Division I era (ranging since 2007).
Wesley Hitting His Stride
• Taking control of PC's open quarterback position during the preseason and steadily becoming one of the most prolific young players in the Pioneer Football League,
Tyler Wesley currently leads all players in the conference with 979 passing yards, points responsible for (48), passing yards per game (244.8), and yards per throw (16.8).
• Those near-17 yards per attempt is the second-highest number among all FCS QB's, trailing only Villanova's Connor Watkins (17.0).
• Through four starts, Wesley has established a quarterback rating of 141.5, better than every other player at his position across the board in the PFL. Presby's 373 total yards per game rank as the third-best in the division.
Mastery at the Line of Scrimmage
• The Blue Hose were simply sensational at denying the run during a 31-point runaway against Virginia-Lynchburg on September 9, limiting the Dragons to -8 yards on the ground. That imposing number lands as a school record.
• Over the first two full weeks of NCAA Football, no team at either the FCS or FBS levels claimed fewer than -8 rushing yards conceded in a single game.
• A huge contributor to that elite pushback, the Blue Hose gathered seven sacks in the win that reversed VUL for a total of 42 yards. Thus far, it's the third-highest number of sacks in a sole game during the '23 slate, and also the third-highest in PC's Division I history.
Mikko – PFL Special Teams POTW
• Converting three field goals and accounting for 11 points in the monster W over Wofford, freshman kicker
Mack Mikko was named the PFL Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 17.
• The first of those kicks landed from 41 yards out in the 2nd quarter, the longest make by a PC player since the 2017 season.
• One would have to go back 13 years to October 23, 2010 to find the last time that a Blue Hose kicker landed three FG's in the same outing (a 26-24 victory at Gardner-Webb).
Around the PFL
• Three Pioneer Football League student-athletes were among a record 201 semifinalists for the 2023 William V. Campbell Trophy. Butler offensive lineman Bryan Bystol, Dayton wide receiver Derek Willits, and Marist linebacker/long snapper Justin Iaccio were among the group of 39 NCAA FCS student-athletes named to the semifinalist group. Celebrating its 34th year, the Campbell Trophy® recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance, and exemplary leadership.
• With their backfield mates battling to find consistency, the league's running backs have found plenty of opportunity. Butler's Jyran Mitchell (641 yards) leads the league's back after five weeks.
Davidson's Mari Adams (455 yards), St. Thomas' Shawn Shipman (453 yards), San Diego's Isaiah Williams (427 yards), and Dayton's Michael Neel (418 yards) have 400-plus rushing yards entering Week 6.
• PFL members have been involved in four of the FCS' 12 overtime games in 2023. Marist and Valparaiso became the latest to need extra time to determine a victory in Week 4. It was the second straight time the two teams went to overtime in a game played on Brown Field in Valparaiso. Stetson, Drake, and San Diego played an overtime game in non-conference action.
