POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The Presbyterian College football team did all but dunk the Marist Red Foxes into the nearby Hudson River on Saturday afternoon in New York, blasting their conference foe by 19 points in a 42-23 triumph.

Head coach Steve Englehart and his uber-confident Blue Hose have now accomplished their first three-game winning streak since the 2021 campaign, defeating three conference opponents in succession for the first time since 2006.

PC's streak of limiting the other side to less than 20 points may have fizzled out at four games thanks to a Marist touchdown with 84 seconds left, although the performance was still more than strong enough to warrant a third consecutive comfortable win.

The Blue Hose have had their foot planted on the gas pedal in the month of November, winning the last three outings by a combined margin of 68 points.

Presbyterian summoned 456 yards of total offense (with almost 80 percent of that calculation coming in the air raid attack), grabbing a lead that hit its highest peak at 26 points thanks to a couple of touchdowns in three straight quarters.

Coach Englehart and company are one win away from closing the 2024 trek on a winning streak that hasn't been seen in 17 years, hosting Butler on Senior Day next weekend. Kickoff at Bailey Memorial will be held at 1:00 PM.

 
FINAL SCORE – Presbyterian, 42 – Marist, 23
RECORDS – Presbyterian (5-6, 3-4) – Marist (1-10, 1-7)
LOCATION – Tenney Stadium (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.)



 
NOTABLES
 
- Wide receiver Cincere Gill and tight end Nathan Levicki combined for more points than the entire Marist offense by themselves in the one-sided result, syncing up for 114 yards on six catches.

- Levicki and Gill caught two touchdowns apiece from marksman QB Collin Hurst, as they both found the end zone on their first two receptions.

- Speaking of Hurst (a midseason candidate for National FCS Freshman of the Year), the PC signal-caller was again terrific as he completed a full 60-minute game without an interception for the fourth game in a row and the fifth time versus a Pioneer Football League opponent.

- Hurst went for 269 passing yards while finding his target in 21 out of 27 attempts, his third effort with at least 250 yards this fall.

- The Blue Hose needed 13 seconds to register the first touchdown of the day, perfectly executing a 79-yard trick play where Dominic Kibby lofted a deep ball to Gill on a double pass.

- All-star senior linebacker Alex Herriott clocked in yet another masterful showing with 10 tackles, officially surpassing Colby Campbell (2017-20) for the second-most in a career throughout PC's Division I era (359).

- In their second-to-last game suiting up for the Blue Hose before graduation in the spring, the senior Russ-Martin twins (Brooks and Bradley) each tallied an interception on the same day. They were responsible for both of Marist's turnovers in the 2^nd and 3^rd frames.

- A major factor in PC's ability to pull away was their proficiency in third down, converting 9 out of 14 plays in that scenario while stopping Marist in the same situation 12 times.


 
HOW IT HAPPENED – FIRST HALF
 
- It was a helter-skelter start to Saturday's affair, as two TD's were submitted in the first two minutes and 34 seconds. The Red Foxes countered the Kibby-to-Gill trickery just five snaps later with a 62-yard touchdown pass of their own.

- With 2:50 on the board in the opening chapter, Marist penned their only lead of the contest with a one-yard dive past the pylon, although the follow-up PAT was no good which made the new score 13-7.

- PC closed the 1^st quarter in picturesque fashion, capitalizing on a 57-yard kick return by Zach Switzer to secure their second score.

- Hurst accounted for the 14-13 edge with a six-yard scramble on second-and-goal, a play that went down with just eight ticks to go in the period.

- On the second play of quarter number two, Brooks Russ-Martin snagged a deep pass for the first takeaway of the game. Gill promptly hauled in his second TD in as many catches on a 51-yard burst that boosted the lead to eight.

- Presby denied the Red Foxes from creeping into the red zone on the next series, although Marist was able to connect on a 43-yard field goal to stay within striking distance.

- That slim differential was beefed up considerably thanks to a near-seven-minute drive by the Scotsmen that ended in another touchdown with just over three minutes remaining in the first half.

- Levicki was the recipient this time, pawing a crossing route in the end zone on third and goal from the 17. That widened the advantage to 28-16 at the game's midway point.


 
HOW IT HAPPENED – SECOND HALF
 
- Marist was unable to find any points in six straight drives following the 2^nd-quarter kick, in danger of being on the wrong side of a second-half shutout had it not been for the aforementioned garbage-time TD.

- Presbyterian marched 50 yards on four plays in their first series of the 3^rd, churning out gains of 22, 14, 15, and 36. Levicki tip-toed the sideline and dragged multiple defenders with him to bring the Blue Hose a 35-16 cushion.

- The final sequence of the 3^rd stanza ended in another interception for Fox quarterback Sonny Mannino, picked off by Bradley Russ-Martin right at midfield.

- Coach E's squadron turned that TO into seven more points with their sixth touchdown of the contest, a two-yard option run from Worth Warner that made it 42-16.

- That was the final play of the quarter and Warner's second career touchdown of the rushing variety.

- PC controlled the clock for the rest of the affair and, despite the late Fox score, still cruised to another stress-free W.


 
UP NEXT
 
- In all likelihood, Butler will travel to Clinton next weekend as a top-25 program thanks to a four-game winning streak and 9-2 overall record.

- The Bulldogs entered the weekend at #25 in the national FCS poll, not deterred by the pressure in a 36-20 win over St. Thomas in Indianapolis.

- Next week will be a marquee matchup between the Blue Hose defense and Butler's offense, a unit that has surpassed the 40-point mark in six games this season.

- Presbyterian opened last year's PFL slate by taking on Butler in a spirited 27-17 setback, now ending the season full-stop against that same team with the goal of achieving their first four-game winning streak since 2007.

- ESPN+ will be streaming the Pioneer League showdown, a pre-Thanksgiving bout where PC will honor 21 seniors prior to kickoff.