DAYTON, Ohio – The #16/19 Presbyterian College football team's undefeated record came to a halt on a chilly Saturday afternoon at Dayton, falling to the Flyers by a score of 35-19. It is PC's first defeat in 171 days, stopping the nation's second-longest winning streak at 11 games.

The Blue Hose couldn't dig out of a 15-point second-quarter hole, limited to a single touchdown in the second half. Dayton outgained Presby by only 16 yards and had just one more first down, but capitalized on three PC turnovers while playing largely mistake-free themselves.

Head coach Steve Englehart's crew had acquired seven straight PFL victories prior to Saturday, tying the program's best-ever start to a season at 7-0. They are one of the final eight FCS teams to lose a game this year.

A return to Bailey Memorial Stadium is next on the cards for the Scotsmen, hosting Valparaiso on the first day of November. Kickoff in Clinton will take place at 1:00 and will be streamed live on ESPN+.


 
FINAL SCORE: Dayton, 35 - #16/19 Presbyterian, 19

RECORDS: #16/19 Presbyterian (7-1, 3-1)…Dayton (6-2, 4-1)

LOCATION: Welcome Stadium (Dayton, Ohio)


 
NOTABLES

 
- For the second consecutive outing, wide receiver Cincere Gill passed the century mark thanks mostly to a 72-yard touchdown reception on the second snap of the game.

- That's his seventh TD of the campaign, tied for the fourth-most of any wideout at the FCS level.

- Nine different PC players gathered at least one tackle-for-a-loss against a rush-heavy offense, with senior lineman Robert Porter vacuuming two sacks.

- At the linebacker position, Michal Torres and Boyce Bankhead both reached 10 tackles. It's the third straight double-digit tackling effort by the latter, including a career-high 14 in the road win over Butler.

- Safety Zeb Stroup logged his second interception of 2025 in the early moments of the second quarter. It's the 11^th pick of the year by Presbyterian's renowned defense, the third-most in America.

- Neither offense was particularly damaging on third-down, as PC and Dayton combined to go 5-for-23 in such scenarios. Time of possession was almost identical, with the Flyers having the edge there by 16 seconds.


 
HOW IT HAPPENED – FIRST HALF

 
- Quarterback Collin Hurst found a wide-open Gill just 41 seconds into the game, Presby's second-longest passing play of the season only behind Nathan Levicki's 75-yard game-winner at Butler.

- Most of the first quarter had a breakneck pace, as Dayton answered on their second series with a 79-yard touchdown rush around the far sideline.

- Presbyterian's next drive lasted less than four minutes and ended in another trip to the end zone, using Levicki for a one-yard plunge with 3:33 still in the first frame.

- The ensuing PAT was blocked, making it 13-7 Blue Hose at the end of the first.

- Stroup's tipped interception started off the second period, but a quick PC punt led to a 32-yard score from the Flyers that gave the home side their first lead of the contest.

- Dayton found the end zone again just five minutes later after a picked-off pass, this one from five yards out. The next PC drive ate up over five minutes but stalled around midfield, giving Dayton the window for a half-closing 71-yard touchdown drive that ended with six seconds on the clock.

- The 28-13 deficit was the first time that the Blue Hose were trailing at halftime in seven weeks (not happening since Furman, a game that PC came back to win in overtime).


 
HOW IT HAPPENED – SECOND HALF

 
- Getting the ball first to start the 3^rd, Dayton chewed up close to 10 minutes of time on 10 snaps but found zero points due to a third-down sack by Porter and Bankhead.

- However, a huge momentum-shift took place just three plays later in the form of a 20-yard pick six that gave the Scotsmen their largest deficit of the year (22 points).

- It was the first time that a PC opponent returned an INT for a touchdown since the Davidson game last season (14 months ago).

- With their backs against the wall, coach Englehart's club managed to march 63 yards on 10 plays for a touchdown pass to Dominic Kibby at the 1:42 stamp of the 3^rd.

- Ahead by 16 with 15 minutes to go, Dayton tried to expand on their lead but missed a 41-yard field goal on the next trip.

- Neither team scored at any point in the last stanza, with PC's final two series ending with an interception and a turnover on downs.


 
UP NEXT

 
- The Blue Hose will take on a struggling Valpo visitor next weekend, as the Beacons have taken seven losses in a row after winning their first bout against Virginia-Lynchburg.

- Valparaiso came up just short on Saturday versus Morehead State (the same team that PC pounded 41-0), losing to the Eagles 17-13. It was a defensive tug-of-war in Indiana, with no points scored over the final 28 minutes.

- This will be the first matchup between Presbyterian and Valpo since 2022, a 20-point Beacon win in Clinton.