POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Tomorrow afternoon will mark the beginning of PFL action for the Presbyterian College football team, playing the first of eight league games at noon against the Marist Red Foxes.
ESPN+ will provide live coverage of the contest, PC's third trip to New York since becoming conference mates with Marist five years ago. Both clubs will be looking to get back in the win column with a 1-2 ledger.
The Blue Hose have won 10 of their last 12 Pioneer League meetings which dates back two seasons, outlasting Marist at Bailey Memorial Stadium last November in a four-point thriller.
Saturday is the final stop on a three-game road swing for head coach
Matt Rahl's squad, having previously visited Mercer and Western Carolina. They'll return home on October 3 to battle St. Thomas.
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
WHO: Presbyterian (1-2) at Marist (1-2)
WHERE: Tenney Stadium (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.)
WHEN: Saturday, September 26 | 12:00 PM
FOLLOW THE ACTION
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: SideArm
X (FORMERLY TWITTER): @BlueHoseFB
GAME NOTES: Presbyterian Notes |
Marist Notes |
PFL Weekly Report
SHARPE AS A TACK
• Through the first three games of the #RahlBall era, Presbyterian's offensive MVP has been sophomore signal-caller
Landon Sharpe from nearby White Knoll High School.
• Waiting his turn after a record-shattering 2025 campaign, Sharpe took the controls in the season-opener where he downed UVA Wise 47-37. He accounted for a quartet of touchdowns (all in the second half), helping the Blue Hose achieve their most total yards in the first game of a new year since 2021 (576).
• He was selected the Pioneer Football League Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for 367 yards and rushing for an additional 94, becoming the first PC quarterback since Ren Hefley five years prior to complete 30 passes in a single game.
• After going up against two Southern Conference contenders (Mercer and Western Carolina) with a BYE in between, Sharpe currently ranks 12th in the nation with an average of 295 total yards per game. His 67 percent completion rate is better than any other QB in the Pioneer League, and his 22 completions-per-game are the 14th-most nationally.
DURANT THE DISRUPTOR
• One of the most promising youngsters on PC's list, freshman
Tymaries Durant is tied for the team lead with 17 tackles through three games at the "Star" position (a linebacker/defensive back hybrid).
• Against Western Carolina last weekend (who was one of a select few FCS team that had not yet fumbled), Durant caused the Catamounts to cough up the ball midway through the 2nd quarter which in turn situated PC for a 54-yard touchdown drive.
• Because of the Sumter native's play, Presbyterian can now say that they are one of 20 FCS teams who has forced at least three fumbles so far this year.
OPPONENT PROFILE
• Presbyterian vs. Marist was the regular-season finale in 2025 and will serve as the opposite end of the spectrum this time around in Poughkeepsie.
• Head coach Mike Willis pushed the Red Foxes in the right direction last year with a 5-7 mark after winning just one game in the previous campaign. However, it was PC who kept Marist from achieving a .500 record with a 29-25 nail-biter in Clinton.
• Much like the Blue Hose last week, Marist will be coming off a BYE on Saturday. They were last seen in a rock fight with Lafayette back on September 12 where they came up short 13-9 and were blanked in the second half. Marist also faced a close loss to begin the season against another scholarship program, falling to New Haven 22-21.
• Fifth-year quarterback Sonny Mannino was voted by the league's coaches as the Preseason Pioneer Football League Offensive Player of the Year after throwing for 1,800-plus yards in 2025 with 11 touchdowns and only three interceptions. He bounced back from a dodgy performance in Week One to complete 26-of-38 passes for 291 yards in the Lafayette defeat.
• Rather than Marist's offensive restrictions, the team's defense has grabbed the spotlight over the first month. That unit is giving up an average of just 17 points per game, inside the FCS top 20.
• The Red Foxes have allowed points when opponents enter the red zone just 38 percent of the time, a number that ranks 10th in the country. They are responsible for three blocked kicks already, with only Valparaiso and Weber State having more across all of FCS.
• Senior linebacker Kade Werner is the statistical leader of the D, stacking up 23 tackles (nearly eight per game). Elsewhere, defensive end Jordan Caldwell rumbled for a 25-yard pick six in the opener against New Haven.
• Zach Garmont is one of five FCS players who has returned a punt for a touchdown in 2026, doing so less than a minute after halftime against New Haven. Redshirt-freshman Jayden Taylor is Marist's leading pass-catcher with 10 grabs for 141 yards.
• Presbyterian has played the Red Foxes in all six seasons that they've been a member of the PFL. Their most recent trip to Poughkeepsie came in 2024 and was a 19-point route, the third of an eventual 11-game winning streak.
