CLINTON, S.C. – Celebrating Military Appreciation Day at Bailey Memorial Stadium in what was the second-to-last home appearance of the fall calendar, the Presbyterian College football team endured a costly mix of untimely penalties and undesirable field position in a 23-13 setback against San Diego on Saturday afternoon.

Beginning a drive on PC's side of the field six times (five of which occurred in the final two periods), the Toreros held off the Blue Hose charge to the tune of a scoreless second half after Presby had reached a 13-7 edge earlier on.

Additionally, the visitors assembled 103 return yards – either by kickoff or punt – while holding the ball five minutes longer than Presbyterian in what amounted to a tight 4^th-quarter. SD was able to get in the backfield for five sacks on the day, causing disruption and a 3-of-13 conversion rate on third-downs.

Trailing from the start, San Diego overcame a missed PAT early in the last stanza to grab their first lead of the contest with under three minutes to go.

That spelled the end for the Blue Hose, who will now turn their focus to Drake on November 11 in what counts as the final road trip of the year for head coach Steve Englehart's group. Kickoff in Des Moines is scheduled for 1:00 PM EST and will be streamed via ESPN+.
 
FINAL SCORE: San Diego, 23 – Presbyterian, 13
RECORDS: Presbyterian (3-6, 1-5) – San Diego (3-6, 3-3)
LOCATION: Bailey Memorial Stadium (Clinton, S.C.)



 
NOTABLES
 
- For the second consecutive home feature, Presbyterian's defense performed with great gusto thanks to just 100 passing yards allowed. Safety Anthony Thornton led the way for that group with 12 tackles, while third-year linebacker Alex Herriott added 11 to push his season-total past the century mark.

- Additionally, Thornton's secondary mate Brooks Russ-Martin soared to eight stops (two of which settled for a loss) while recovering a fumble for the second time in the past three outings.

- Mack Mikko kept chugging on what's been an exceptional freshman season, extending his vice grip on the school's Division I single-season record for most made field goals. He pushed that number to 15 after connecting from both 45 and 35 yards out in the opening half, the former standing as a new career-best.

- Dominic Kibby and Worth Warner added up for 10 receptions to aid Tyler Wesley's 153-yard passing performance, while defensive coordinator Daniel Owen's unit limited the opponent to an equally-strenuous 4-of-13 mark in a third-down setting.
 

HOW IT HAPPENED – FIRST HALF
 
- Striking first on their second trip thanks to a San Diego cough-up on a punt return (forced by regular special teamer Wyatt Hodges), Presby found its lone TD of the day from the legs of Jaden Wright, the first score of the Georgia native's career on an 18-yard burst.

- Following a Torero miss from a distance of 45, Presbyterian countered in the early moments of the second quarter on a gutsy fourth-and-one call that resulted in a Wesley keeper to move the chains on their own side of the field.

- That's when Mikko calculated his longest hit of the campaign that brought the advantage to double-digits (10-0), the third time that the newbie has connected from at least 40 yards away.

- It was at this point that field position started to become a major factor in the game's outcome, with PC forced to punt from their own end zone and San Diego promptly responding with a 23-yard return.

- Four snaps later, the Toreros found their first points to trim the lead to three at 7:21, although another successful boot by Mikko at the 3:32 stamp brought the halftime edge to 13-7.
 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – SECOND HALF
 
- For the second consecutive battle at Bailey Memorial, neither side added to the scoreboard over the entire 3^rd period, setting up the Blue Hose for another nail-biting finish after already seeing four prior games decided by nine points or fewer.

- 71 seconds into the last frame, San Diego evened the odds at 13 each on a seven-yard TD loft that atoned for another misfired FG on the previous series. However, the tally stayed at a stalemate on the aforementioned wide-left PAT.

- The misfortune continued moments later as the Blue Hose were made to start their next drive at the 13-yard line on a penalty-induced mistake. Although coach Englehart's club was able to progress near midfield, they'd have to boot it away once more down to the SD nine.

- From there, a mid-quarter chess match ensued between both special teams crews as the Toreros gained a sprinkle of luck on another punt that rolled all the way down to the one with the score still deadlocked.

- Seeming as if overtime was a strong possibility, San Diego came away with arguably the game-winning play by forcing a Blue Hose fumble as the clock displayed 4:51. That provided the opportune window for them to shake their field goal funk and drill a 47-yarder for the permanent lead with under three to go.

- The Toreros rubbed salt in the wound with 15 second left on a 21-yard pick six that rapidly spiraled the final decision to 10, enabling them to win their second PFL meeting in a row and taking PC to a 3-6 overall mark.
 

UP NEXT
 
- It will be a tough test for the Blue Hose next Saturday as they go head-to-head with Drake, a second straight visiting designation against a team that will come in undefeated in PFL territory (6-0).

- That perfect conference streak continued over the weekend in an ultimate defensive tug-of-war at Marist, coming away with a 10-3 victory over the Red Foxes behind a 53-yard field goal during the fourth quarter.

- Presby has only locked horns with the Bulldogs on one prior occasions, defeating Drake in the middle of the school's Pioneer League transition by a 28-24 clip in Iowa.