MACON, Ga. – The Presbyterian College football team achieved its highest-ranked victory in program history on Saturday night to begin the 2025 season in stunning fashion, upsetting #11 Mercer in a drama-filled 15-10 decision.

PC surged ahead for good on a 16-yard touchdown burst by senior Zach Switzer with 56 seconds on the clock. The Blue Hose defense batted down a desperation heave to the end zone as time expired, confirming Presbyterian's first-ever win over a top-15 team in a road game.

It had been 11 years since the Scotsmen last defeated a top-15 opponent in general, playing the entire game within a seven-point window and taking their first lead of the night in the final seconds.

Against the same school that beat them 63-10 in last season's opener, head coach Steve Englehart's crew racked up 416 total yards versus a defense that led FCS in several categories a year ago.

A landmark moment for both the Blue Hose and the Pioneer Football League, Presby's win was aided by reigning PFL Offensive Freshman of the Year Collin Hurst (25 completions, 303 passing yards) and top target Dominic Kibby (nine receptions, 114 yards).


 
FINAL SCORE: Presbyterian, 15 – No. 11 Mercer, 10
RECORDS: Presbyterian (1-0) – No. 11 Mercer (0-1)
LOCATION: Five Star Stadium (Macon, Georgia)






 
MAKING PFL HISTORY
 
- A member of the Pioneer League since 2020, PC's upset over the Bears officially puts to rest a 35-game PFL losing streak against FCS top-25 teams (including postseason games).

- PFL members have played 72 contests against FCS top-25 opponents since 2010, with Saturday's stunner being the fourth occasion where the PFL has won that encounter.

- Prior to Saturday, the Butler Bulldogs were the last ones to earn a victory over a nationally-ranked foe, downing Youngstown State in the 2018 season-opener.

- Since 2010, none of the 11 programs in the Pioneer League had beaten a top-15 adversary. Presbyterian flipped the script against the Bears, unseating a club that has qualified for the FCS Playoffs in each of the last two seasons.


 
SOCON SABOTAGE
 
- Entering the 2023 campaign, no school in PFL history had ever defeated a member of the Southern Conference. Coach Englehart now boasts two victories of that nature after also pulling out a 23-20 triumph at Wofford that year.

- Among the many streaks that PC laid to bed over the weekend, they also silenced Mercer's 10-game home winning streak that dated back to 2023.

- Just seven days after Mercer had battled #7 UC Davis on a neutral field to a "no contest" that was deemed so because of the weather, Presbyterian outgained the Bears by 175 total yards and held possession for nearly 36 minutes.


 
STATEMENT FROM ATHLETICS DIRECTOR – DEE NICHOLS
 
"What our team accomplished tonight was more than an upset; it was proof of what happens when preparation, belief, and relentless effort meet opportunity. We didn't just beat Mercer. We showed what it means to be Blue Hose – driven by purpose, grounded in service, committed to excellence. Bound by Blue."

"This is the standard now. We will carry this confidence forward, because the Hose are here!"


 
KIBBY THE CONQUEROR
 
- With a 23-yard completion late in the first quarter, Kibby (who is already PC's career touchdown leader in the 18-year Division I era) broke another school record when he surpassed Keith Pearson's 2,304 all-time yards.

- He found a personal-best nine receptions en route to the win, including a monster fourth-down conversion of 14 yards that would eventually set up Switzer's game-winning touchdown.


 
HOW IT HAPPENED – FIRST HALF
 
- Presbyterian finished the evening with a 3-of-5 ratio when deciding to gamble on fourth-down, although their first effort in the opening quarter was unsuccessful at the Mercer 43.

- However, the Blue Hose defense forced a Mercer three-and-out immediately after the turnover and marched down inside the 10 on account of a 31-yard completion to Switzer.

- PC's attempt at drawing first blood was thwarted when Hurst committed a turnover for the first time in six games on an interception in the back corner of the end zone. It was his first INT in 145 throws, spanning all the way back to October 12 of last year.

- The Bears capitalized on that mistake with a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown series that ended on an 11-yard pass with just four seconds left on the first-quarter clock.

- A fake punt and run from tight end Nathan Levicki allowed PC's first drive of the 2^nd to endure until they were faced with another 4^th-down at the Mercer 29 later in that same set.

- Offensive coordinator Jayson Martin dialed up a flea flicker to Levicki that was unchecked by the Bears, putting Presby on the board with their first TD of the semester.

- The ensuing PAT was wide right, narrowly keeping Mercer ahead at 7-6.

- Senior corner-turned-safety Caleb Francis snared a diving interception on the Bears' next sequence with 8:23 until intermission, moving him one pick closer to tying the school record in the D-I era.

- What happened next was a big momentum-shifter: after holding the ball for six-plus minutes, the Scotsmen were dealt a 4^th-and-goal at the 1-yard line. PC opted for more trickery as Hurst threw a short pass to fellow QB Ty Englehart, but Mercer wasn't fooled and kept the ball from crossing the white stripe.

- The Blue Hose trotted to the locker room trailing only 7-6, hoping that past miscues wouldn't come back to bite them as the game wore on.


 
HOW IT HAPPENED – SECOND HALF
 
- After trading quick punts in quarter number three, the Bears extended their slim lead to four points on a 22-yard field goal. Presbyterian answered with a 29-yard boot of their own, as Jett Jackson's kick made it a 10-9 ballgame at the 3:54 stamp.

- PC caused another three-and-out dud that would ensure them possession as they went into the last stanza. However, a 3^rd-and-1 handoff was stymied at the line of scrimmage and the Blue Hose decided to punt with just over 12 minutes left.

- Redshirt-junior defensive end Dalton Epps came up with a mammoth sack on 3^rd-and-7 that put the ball back in Presby's hands with 6:35 to go. Englehart and co. played those final minutes beautifully, converting two 4^th-downs and running 13 plays on that drive to chip away at the clock.

- Looking like they were content with a possible walk-off field goal while trailing by just one, Switzer instead gave the Blue Hose six points on the aforementioned touchdown. A two-point conversion try was no good, putting added pressure on PC's defense in the waning moments.

- A 29-yard gain put Mercer in business at the Blue Hose 30, but they'd only get two yards closer as the PC secondary deflected the game's last two passes.


 
UP NEXT
 
- Presbyterian will aim for yet another SoCon trophy when they visit Furman next weekend. Kickoff at nearby Greenville is slated for 2:00 PM, streamed live on ESPN+.

- The Palmetto opponents haven't gone head-to-head since PC outlasted the then-12^th-ranked Paladins 10-7 at Bailey Memorial Stadium back in 2014.

- Furman was also a winner in their opening matchup of 2025, edging out William & Mary 23-21 thanks in large part to preseason All-American placekicker Ian Williams who drained three field goals in the second half and two in the fourth frame.