POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Saturday afternoon marked the PFL opener for the Presbyterian College football team, flying up north to take on Marist in a 42-7 setback.
The third consecutive road game for the Blue Hose after back-to-back visits to SoCon powers Mercer and Western Carolina, PC fell behind 14-0 in the early going and found themselves down by 21 at the break.
Marist was able to keep Presby out of the end zone over the final two periods, adding to their lead with one touchdown in the 3
rd and 4
th quarters respectively.
After spending the entire month of September either on the road or idle, the Scotsmen will make their return to Bailey Memorial Stadium next weekend to battle St. Thomas. Kickoff in Clinton is tabbed for 1:00 and will be streamed on ESPN+.
FINAL SCORE: Marist, 42 – Presbyterian, 7
RECORDS: Presbyterian (1-3, 0-1)…Marist (2-2, 1-0)
LOCATION: Tenney Stadium (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.)
NOTABLES
- Sophomore
Andrew Ruppe and junior
Debo Hall each established new career-highs in the loss, with 11 tackles by the former and eight for the latter. Ruppe,
Tymaries Durant, and
Langston Cook each logged one stop behind the line of scrimmage.
- Starting QB
Landon Sharpe was responsible for PC's lone touchdown of the day which was a 16-yard scramble in the 2
nd period. In the passing attack, he completed 14-of-30 throws for 142 yards.
- In a windy and rainy New York atmosphere, senior wideout
Caleb Johnson caught five of Sharpe's passes for 82 yards. His longest gain was a 46-yard pickup to position PC for that aforementioned score.
- Presbyterian gathered 232 yards of total offense compared to the home side's 444. The Red Foxes were particularly harmful in clock management (they held possession for over 38 minutes) and fourth-down gambles (converting 5-of-7).
HOW IT HAPPENED – FIRST HALF
- The first of those fourth-down risks would pay off for Marist after forcing PC into a three-and-out on their opening drive. Preseason PFL Offensive Player of the Year Sonny Mannino scampered for seven yards to publish the first touchdown just over four minutes in.
- Marist again moved the ball to a prime scoring position on their second series, but defensive coordinator Michael Bruno's unit stopped them short on 4
th-and-goal at the one-inch line to keep the deficit at seven.
- With 1:41 remaining in the first frame, a punt attempt from
Thatcher Hutton was blocked and returned 24 yards in the other direction for a Marist TD.
- They'd push the advantage to three scores after causing another special teams mishap early in the 2
nd, capping an 87-yard drive with a QB sneak by Mannino.
- Thanks in large part to the
Caleb Johnson deep ball, Presbyterian cut the hole down to 14 points with 8:21 left in the second quarter.
- Marist answered Sharpe's second rushing touchdown of the season with another close-range TD before halftime, advancing the margin to 28-7.
- The Red Foxes gambled once again on the last snap of the quarter, deciding to go for six instead of three at the 2-yard line. Senior corner
Noah Taylor broke up the short toss to give PC some late momentum.
HOW IT HAPPENED – SECOND HALF
- With 90 seconds to go in the 3
rd quarter, Presbyterian had only ran three offensive plays thanks to another methodical Marist touchdown drive and an eight-minute series that ended with a turnover on downs.
-
Levi Hoss and
Hugh Wilkinson tag-teamed a tackle on Mannino at the 4-yard line to deny a fourth-down try, making the tally 35-7 after three full quarters.
- PC's longest drive of the contest (a 14-play sequence) fizzled out with a punt at the Marist 41, and after getting a three-and-out on defense, the Blue Hose punted again midway through the last stanza.
- Marist held the ball for almost seven more minutes en route to their final touchdown, a five-yard rush with just under two minutes on the board.
- The 35-point margin of victory is the largest in the series for either club, although Presbyterian has still won 10 of their last 13 PFL matchups dating back two years.
