CLINTON, S.C. – The Presbyterian College football team hopes to finish its final three matchups of the 2023 season strong, staying on their home base for two of those encounters. Bailey Memorial Stadium will be the site of tomorrow afternoon's affair with San Diego, penciled in for a 12:00 PM kickoff on ESPN+.
Just the fourth all-time meeting for two clubs that are still acclimating to being Pioneer Football League foes, Saturday's faceoff in Clinton will be the third time that SD has made the countrywide flight to the Palmetto State. PC will be in search of their first-ever win over the Toreros, falling in California last October 28-3.
The penultimate home game of the 2023 sheet, Presby's lockup with San Diego will denote Military Appreciation day in what's set to be a sunny 69-degree atmosphere. All former and current military personnel and their families will gain free admission to the venue and will be recognized throughout the day for their sacrifice and bravery to the United States.
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
WHO: Presbyterian (3-5, 1-4) vs. San Diego (2-6, 2-3)
WHERE: Bailey Memorial Stadium (Clinton, S.C.)
WHEN: Saturday, November 4 – 12:00 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: Stat Broadcast
TWITTER: @BlueHoseFtball
GAME NOTES: Presbyterian Notes |
San Diego Notes |
PFL Weekly Report
Opponent Profile
• Transitioning to a new era of San Diego football after the departure of long-time head coach Dale Lindsey, former NCAA champion Brandon Moore has taken over the job in 2023 to the tune of a 2-6 debut mark thus far.
• A linebacker for the Oklahoma Sooners on a squad that captured an FBS trophy 23 years ago, Moore arrived in SD after taking Colorado School of Mines to the Division II National Championship game in his one and only season as the Orediggers' head coach last fall.
• In wide receiver Ja'Seem Reed, the Toreros have one of the most dynamic playmakers on the offensive end. The junior ranks eighth at the FCS level with 733 receiving yards already on six
catches per contest.
• While it's mostly been an up-and-down trek in this new era for San Diego, they'd grab their second PFL victory of the semester last weekend in a hosting capacity versus Morehead State, downing the Eagles in a tight 17-11 finish thanks to Amir Wallace's walk-off interception with 38 seconds to go.
Last Time Out
• A valiant effort against one of the two remaining unbeaten schools in a Pioneer League setting, the Blue Hose were nonetheless bested by Davidson seven days ago in the latest edition of the Carolina Border Clash by a 45-28 margin.
• PC stayed within arm's length partly due to
Tyler Wesley's brilliance in the rushing attack (a career-best 198 rushing yards on 16 attempts, part of a 387-yard total offensive yardage effort by the second-year bloomer).
• That snapped a 20-game streak of no triple-digit rushers for Presby, as Wesley ended up being responsible for 92% of the team's offensive production as they outgained the Wildcats 419-365.
• Over the past eight quarters, the Blue Hose have allowed a total of only 91 passing yards, including a school-low 22 versus Marist at Bailey Memorial Stadium the prior weekend. Alex
Herriott continues to anchor the PC defense with 32 tackles in the past two meetings, creeping near 100 stops as his junior campaign begins to wind down.
Mikko Makes Jerry Rice Award Watch List
• First-year kicker
Mack Mikko has been summoned to the 2023 FCS Jerry Rice Award Watch List, presented by Stats Perform and FedEx Ground. The annual honor, awaiting its 13th recipient, is presented to the most outstanding freshman player in the Football Championship Subdivision.
• Making the cut of 22 individuals nationwide – while being the only special teams player on the entire list – Mikko gets the invite after pouring in 13 field goals in eight appearances this season (the second-highest among any kicker at the FCS level regardless of class).
• Debuting in 2011 and named after legendary Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice (who attended Mississippi Valley State University), the award is voted on by a national panel of more than 40 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers, and other various dignitaries.
• Other notable past honorees include eventual NFL stars Cooper Kupp (Eastern Washington, 2013), Chase Edmonds (Fordham, 2014), Trey Lance (North Dakota State, 2019), and current QB of the Colorado Buffaloes, Shedeur Sanders (then at Jackson State in 2021).
Herriott Acquires PFL Defensive Player of the Week
• Junior linebacker
Alex Herriott (PC's leading tackler since 2021) was chosen as the division's Defensive Player of the Week on October 22. The captain of a unit that did not let Marist's offense into the end zone over the entire 60-minute matchup, Herriott brought down a Red Fox ball-carrier 16 times as the Blue Hose fell by a slim 19-10 margin.
• One of the nation's best at his position, Herriott has collected 55 solo tackles since September (third in FCS) while his 92 tackles overall place him at sixth countrywide. He leads the Pioneer Football League full-stop in both of those categories.
• He has now assembled 11 separate performances in his illustrious PC career with a double-digit number of stops, doing so six times this season and in five consecutive contests.
• After picking up 93 tackles in 2022 as a sophomore, Herriott is averaging 11 per game as the season's PFL stretch chugs on. Approaching tomorrow's home return against San Diego, he has logged 246 tackles in 30 games (good for sixth-place in PC's 16-year Division I history and only nine off from the number five spot).
