POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – In possession of perhaps their biggest wave of momentum in the Steve Englehart era at exactly the right time, the Presbyterian College football team will be in hot pursuit of a third straight conference victory over the weekend as they fly to the Empire State to meet Marist.

Kickoff in Poughkeepsie is scheduled for 12:00 PM, as PC looks to continue their recent dominance over Pioneer Football League enemies. ESPN+ will have the call, with the Blue Hose notching consecutive W's in their last two tries by 49 combined points.

A win over the Red Foxes tomorrow would mean Presbyterian's first three-game winning streak since the abbreviated Spring '21 campaign, looking to right past wrongs against Marist and beat their conference foe for the first time in four attempts.


 
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
WHO: Presbyterian (4-6, 2-4) at Marist (1-9, 1-6)
WHERE: Tenney Stadium (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.)
WHEN: Saturday, November 16 | 12:00 PM

 
FOLLOW THE ACTION
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: SideArm
TWITTER / X: @BlueHoseFB
GAME NOTES: Presbyterian Notes | PFL Weekly Report

 
OPPONENT PROFILE
 
• While it's mostly been a season of anguish for first-year head coach Mike Willis and Marist, the Red Foxes will approach the PC bout on the heels of their first win this semester against Stetson.

• Last Saturday was only the second time in 2024 that Marist has surpassed the 20-point tally, a 40-31 decision against the dismal Hatters. They scored 20 in the 3rd quarter, led by reigning PFL Offensive Player of the Week Sonny Mannino.

• Mannino - the Foxs' lead quarterback - accounted for 343 total yards and four rushing touchdowns in the back-and-forth battle.

• Willis steps into the shoes that iconic head coach Jim Parady wore at Marist from 1992-2023, retiring at the end of last season as the longest-tenured coach in NCAA Division I football.

• Marist's new leader held four different positions at his alma mater (Princeton) over a period of nine seasons. He was a part of four Ivy League championships as both a player and assistant, posting a combined record of 40-10 over his last 50 games on the Tigers' staff.


 
WRECKING RUNNERS
 
 • The focal point to a mid-season turnaround that has featured back-to-back PFL victories by a combined margin of seven touchdowns, the vaunted Presbyterian defense has emerged as one of the best at the FCS level in terms of stopping the run.

• PC has gone five consecutive games without letting their opponent reach 100 rushing yards, averaging 107 ground yards allowed per game. That ranks 13th in the nation and tops all teams in the Pioneer League.

• Three of those five opponents in this streak failed to reach even 60 rushing yards when going up against the Blue Hose front seven, allowing just three 20-yard carries in the last 20 quarters dating back to the San Diego game.

• Presbyterian has limited the other side to less than 20 points in four consecutive matchups, a feat that was last accomplished by the program in 2011.

• This has created a new sense of confidence in the Blue Hose, who have acquired back-to-back 20-point victories for the first time in three years and the fourth time in the school's Division I era (since 2007).


 
LIPSCOMBE x4
 
 • During a 28-7 dissection of Dayton two weeks ago - a squad that was once in the hunt for the PFL regular season championship - junior kicker Peter Lipscombe fulfilled a stat line that no PC player has done in the 17 years that they've been a D-I unit: make four field goals in one game.

• Lipscombe connected on one field goal in each quarter as the Blue Hose overpowered the Flyers for the second year in a row, chosen as the Pioneer Football League Special Teams Player of the Week as a result.

• The Maryland native is one of 11 FCS kickers to hit four FG's in one outing this year, navigating from what had been zero career field goals to Blue Hose history in the span of one Saturday.


 
KIBBY = KING
 
• Sitting less than 200 yards away from becoming PC's all-time D-I record holder (and still with one more full season of eligibility left), junior Dominic Kibby accomplished another Blue Hose milestone during the Stetson win last month.

• He snared a 94-yard touchdown in the 3rd quarter, not only the longest passing play from scrimmage in PC's Division I history, but also the play where Kibby gained his 15th career receiving TD to break the school record.

• On track for his third straight All-PFL honor, Kibby broke his own PC record on that play after scoring a 93-yard touchdown at Butler last season.

• Thus, he is now responsible for the two longest passing plays in Presbyterian history.

• The official number that Kibby needs to break the D-I era career record is 137 yards. In his career, he has passed the century mark in seven games (twice in 2024).


 
HURST ON JERRY RICE AWARD WATCH LIST
 
• Redshirt freshman quarterback Collin Hurst has been recognized on the 2024 Jerry Rice Award Watch List, awaiting its 14th recipient at the conclusion of the season. The annual honor, presented by Stats Perform and FedEx Ground, is given to "the most outstanding freshman player in the Football Championship Subdivision."

• This is the second consecutive season that a PC player has been summoned to the Jerry Rice Award Watch List, following in the footsteps of then-rookie kicker Mack Mikko last year.

• Hurst is one of six QB's to make the cut for consideration of the esteemed award, and one of only two players in the Pioneer Football League to be mentioned (alongside Dayton signal-caller Drew VanVleet).

• Created 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.

• Notable past honorees of the Jerry Rice Award include future NFL stars Cooper Kupp (Eastern Washington, 2013), current Heisman contender Cam Ward of the Miami Hurricanes (then at UIW in 2020), and starting QB for the Colorado Buffaloes, Shedeur Sanders (then at Jackson State in 2021).


 
AROUND THE PFL
 
• With a win, Drake clinches the 2024 PFL Championship outright and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship. However, the Bulldogs face another crucial test when they host a Morehead State squad seeking to keep the title chase alive into the regular season's final week.

• Nationally-ranked Butler, newly minted at No. 25 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll this week, hosts St. Thomas in a battle between two of the league's four 4-2 squads and in a series that the Bulldogs are seeking their first win.

• Drake has the second-longest PFL win streak in league history. The Bulldogs' 17-game PFL win streak is the FCS' longest current streak. The Bulldogs' last conference loss was on Oct. 22, 2022, when they dropped a 48-14 decision to Davidson as part of a then-season-opening eight-game losing streak. Since snapping that streak, Drake is 16-5 overall.

• The PFL leads all FCS conferences with 33 blocked kicks in 104 games played during 2024. Dayton leads the league and all FCS squads with seven blocked kicks this season, while Drake is next with five blocks while Presbyterian and Valparaiso have three blocks to their credit.

• The PFL is fourth among FCS leagues with nine pick-sixes in 2024, trailing the Southern Conference, the OVC/Big South and CAA who all have 11 pick-sixes this season. San Diego has returned an FCS-best four of their seven interceptions for TDs, with Davidson (2), Butler (2), and St. Thomas (1) claiming the others.