GREENVILLE, S.C. – Renewing one of their oldest feuds seven days after the most newsworthy victory in program history, the Presbyterian College football team looks to slay another Southern Conference challenger by heading to Furman tomorrow afternoon.

Kickoff will take place at 2:00 on ESPN+, the first time that the Blue Hose and Furman have locked horns in 11 years.

PC and fourth-year head coach Steve Englehart pulled off a seismic upset over #11 Mercer to begin the 2025 trek, now receiving votes in the AFCA Coaches Poll for the first time since their move to the Pioneer Football League five years ago.

Not to be outdone, Furman is also receiving votes on those same rankings. Each of the last three meetings between Presby and the Paladins have been decided by 10 points or less, as the Scotsmen were victorious in 2014 (the two schools' last encounter with one another).


 
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
 
WHO: (RV) Presbyterian (1-0) at (RV) Furman (1-0)
WHERE: Paladin Stadium (Greenville, S.C.)
WHEN: Saturday, September 6 – 2:00 PM


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

HISTORY, WRITTEN IN BLUE
 
• Presbyterian generated a great deal of chatter following a mammoth upset of #11 Mercer to begin Steve Englehart's fourth season with a shot heard around the FCS world.

• The school's first win over a top-15 opponent as the road team since the turn to Division I in 2007, the Blue Hose delivered the Pioneer Football League its fourth victory over a ranked opponent in their last 72 attempts dating back 15 years.

• PC stunned the folks in Macon by outgaining the Bears 416-241, playing the entire game within a seven-point window and putting an end to the nation's fourth-longest home winning streak (10 games).

• Presby converted three fourth-down situations (two on their final drive) to come away with the most monumental win in program history. Senior Zach Switzer raced 16 yards to the end zone with 56 seconds on the clock to cap off a six-minute drive, followed by sophomore Ryan Largin dislodging Mercer's Hail Mary attempt as time expired.

• Coincidentally, the last time that PC had defeated a top-15 opponent prior to the Mercer game: a 10-7 result over then-#12 Furman at Bailey Memorial Stadium (September 13, 2014).


 
PFL PEDESTAL
 
• A member of the Pioneer League since 2020, PC's triumph over Mercer signaled the end of a 35-game losing streak by PFL programs against non-conference top-25 teams (including postseason matchups.)

• One would have to go back seven years to find the last instance of a PFL squad downing a nationally-ranked non-conference foe (Butler over Youngstown State in the 2018 opener).

• No team in the PFL had beaten an opponent inside the national top 15 since at least 2010 before the Blue Hose marveled at Mercer. PC shocked the same school that earned a 63-10 win in this same matchup 12 months earlier.

• The last three programs that have pulled off a win over Mercer (the Bears have qualified for consecutive FCS Playoff bids and are coming off a SoCon title):
 
- North Dakota State (2025 National Champions)
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Presbyterian Blue Hose


 
OPPONENT PROFILE
 
• The all-time winningest football program in the Southern Conference (649 victories), Furman approaches this weekend with a 23-21 victory over William & Mary in their last effort.

• Preseason All-American kicker Ian Williams lived up to the billing with an 11-point individual performance, hitting three second-half field goals to be named the FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week.

• Williams drained a 50-yarder late in the 3rd quarter and would go on to score the only six points from either side in the final 15 minutes from distances of 42 and 32 yards.

• The Paladins followed a 10-win season in 2023 with an underwhelming 3-8 mark last fall. Two years ago, Furman started 9-1 (the only loss in that span against the South Carolina Gamecocks) and would advance to the FCS Quarterfinals by knocking off SoCon brethren Chattanooga 26-7.

• Cornerback A.J. Seay began his college career as a member of the Blue Hose before transferring to North Alabama and now Furman. In 2022 (Englehart's debut season at PC and Seay's sophomore year), he tallied 38 tackles, a team-best seven pass breakups, and a 76-yard pick six versus Dayton.

• Five Furman players were chosen as Preseason All-SoCon selections: Williams, offensive linemen Eli Brasher and Luke Petit, tight end Jackson Pryor, and linebacker Ryan Earl.


 
BUZZ AROUND THE NATION
 
• In the wake of what is now considered PC's biggest win of the Division I era, the Scotsmen have found themselves listed among those receiving votes in the latest AFCA Coaches Poll (three votes).

• FCS Stats Perform name-dropped the Blue Hose as a National Team of the Week "Honorable Mention", included along with...

- #3 Tarleton State (double-overtime win at Army)
- Austin Peay (twenty-point blowout over FBS Middle Tennessee State)
- Northwestern State (20-10 victory over Alcorn State)
 
• Additionally, Our Coaching Network selected Dan Owen as the National FCS Defensive Coordinator of the Week after limiting Mercer to just four yards per pass and a 30% mark on third-down.

• Presbyterian's defense only conceded two plays of 20+ yards all night en route to the win, shutting the Bears out entirely in the 2nd & 4th quarters while forcing six punts.


 
SOCON SABOTAGE
 
• Entering the 2023 season, the 11 current members of the Pioneer Football League had never achieved a win over anyone from the Southern Conference.

• Coach Englehart has now picked up two wins of that magnitude, having also defeated Wofford in Spartanburg two years ago (23-20).

• Presbyterian has the opportunity to make that statistic even more impressive in Greenville, looking to beat a SoCon school in back-to-back games for the first time in PC's 18-year Division I history.


 
KIBBY'S CORONATION
 
• Already one of the best receivers to wear the PC colors in this century, two-time All-PFL'er Dominic Kibby has grasped another D-I-era record after a career-high nine catches in the Mercer upset.

• With 2,389 all-time receiving yards, Kibby is now PC's D-I record holder in that department. He surpassed Keith Pearson (2017-20) on his way to the top, responsible for a 14-yard pickup on 4th and 4 in the waning moments of Saturday's win.

• Kibby already holds the career touchdown record at PC too, gaining his 15th TD on a 94-yard bomb at Stetson last year. Coincidentally, he broke two Presbyterian records on that one play: most career touchdown catches AND producing the team's longest-ever passing play from scrimmage. (Not to be outdone, he also had a 93-yard score at Butler back in 2023).

• The Maryland native is also second in PC's D-I record book in yards-per-reception (17).


 
HURST = MINIMAL MISTAKES
 
• A 2024 top-ten finalist for the Jerry Rice Award (given to the top freshman in the country), PC quarterback Collin Hurst committed an ultra-rare turnover in the first quarter of the Mercer win.

• By throwing an interception in the end zone on a fade route, Hurst was tagged with his first INT since October 12 of last year. That's 145 consecutive passes thrown without a turnover.

• Last year's Freshman All-American went for 279 yards through the air during the Mercer win. He topped all quarterbacks in the PFL with a 154 pass efficiency rating in 2024, accounting for 22 total touchdowns and only four picks.

• Hurst completed 73 percent of his passes throughout a season-ending four-game winning streak, going 43-of-54 in consecutive wins over Dayton and Marist.


 
HELLO, OLD FRIEND
 
• Former Blue Hose head coach Tommy Spangler will be on the opposing sideline against PC for the first time since he left the program in 2020, currently in his fourth year as the safeties coach and special teams coordinator at Furman.

• Spangler was on Presbyterian's staff in some capacity - whether it be head coach or defensive coordinator - for 18 total seasons (1997-2006 and again from 2013-20).

• He went 54-52 as head coach of the Blue Hose, highlighted by a 10-2 campaign in 2005 (near the end of the school's Division II era) where he was named the South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year. PC advanced to the Second Round of the D-II Playoffs that season.

• Originally a Spangler signee at Presbyterian, quarterback Tyler Huff spent three years in Clinton before following Spangler to Furman and helping the Paladins go 19-4 over the course of two seasons.