MACON, Ga. – With one game of the 2026 season in the rearview for the Presbyterian College football team, a three-game road sequence kicks off on Saturday against perennial FCS Playoff contender Mercer. The matchup in Macon will begin at 6:00 with ESPN+ providing live coverage.

The first four quarters of the Matt Rahl era delivered high-octane offense and a 10-point victory against UVA Wise. Now, the scene shifts to Georgia where PC takes on an opponent that has claimed the Southern Conference title in two straight seasons.

Following tomorrow's visit to Mercer, the Blue Hose will enter their first of two BYE weeks this fall. They'll return to the field for their last non-PFL duel on September 19 against Western Carolina.


 
GAMEDAY CENTRAL

 
WHO: Presbyterian (1-0) at #15/19 Mercer (1-0)

WHERE: Five Star Stadium (Macon, Ga.)

WHEN: Saturday, September 5 | 6:00 PM


 
FOLLOW THE ACTION

 
WATCH: ESPN+

LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast

X (FORMERLY TWITTER): @BlueHoseFB

GAME NOTES: Presbyterian Notes | Mercer Notes | PFL Weekly Report


 
OFFENSE, OFFENSE, & MORE OFFENSE

 
• Game one of the #RahlBall era was a rousing success, as the Blue Hose defeated UVA Wise at Bailey Memorial Stadium last Thursday night by a 47-37 margin.

• In the collegiate head coaching debut of Matt Rahl (who spent 25 years as an assistant including the past two seasons as PC's offensive line coach), his crew stacked up 571 yards of total offense and produced 30 of their 47 points in the second half.

• Led by first-time starter Landon Sharpe at quarterback (who was voted the Pioneer Football League Offensive Player of the Week), the Blue Hose assembled their most points in a season-opener since 2021 and ranked seventh among all FCS programs in Week Zero for total offense.

• Only one FCS team manufactured more first downs in Week Zero than PC's 31 (South Carolina State). Transfer running back Jackson Burleson was the only player in the PFL to score a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown that weekend.

• Presbyterian punted just twice out of 16 drives, nearly getting a fifty-burger despite three turnovers.


 
SHARPE DRESSED MAN

 
• It was one of the best debuts of any PC quarterback in history during the UVA Wise track meet, as Sharpe completed 30-of-43 attempts for 367 passing yards and three touchdowns. He added 94 extra yards and one more TD on the ground, completing as many as seven consecutive passes twice.

• Sharpe's 461 yards of total offense was the third-best in the country across Week Zero, while his 69% completion rate led all quarterbacks in the PFL and ranked 23rd nationally.

• A native of Lexington, South Carolina, he constructed all four of his touchdowns in the second half. Sharpe was the first Blue Hose QB to complete 30 passes in a single game since Ren Hefley five years earlier, finding seven different receivers and coming up with six plays of 20 yards or more.


 
OPPONENT PROFILE

 
• Winners of the last two Southern Conference regular season championships and advancing to the FCS Playoffs in each of the last three years, Mercer has established an overall record of 30-10 since 2023.

• The Bears – like Presbyterian – have begun a new era in the head coaching realm, introducing former West Georgia director Joel Taylor last December. He previously served as the Defensive Coordinator at Mercer from 2020-23.

• This will be the third consecutive season that PC has traveled to Macon, with last year's affair being one of the most memorable nights in Blue Hose history: a 15-10 triumph over an opponent that was ranked 11^th nationally at the time.

• It was Presbyterian's biggest upset win since joining the Division I ranks in the late 2000's, ending a 35-game PFL losing streak versus non-conference top-25 opponents.

• After falling to the Scotsmen last August, Mercer would only lose one other game over the rest of the regular season at the hands of the Auburn Tigers. They entered the postseason with a perfect SoCon record and ranked #17 in the AFCA Coaches Poll, ultimately losing to South Dakota in the opening round of the Playoffs.

• Saturday will be a matchup of 1-0 vs. 1-0, with Mercer overcoming a second-half shutout to beat East Texas A&M 23-15 last weekend.

• Sophomore defensive back Cameron Goggins was chosen as the SoCon Defensive Player of the Week after notching a 38-yard pick six in the first half, a play that loomed large considering the close final deficit.

• Trailing by eight after a touchdown and successful two-point conversion early in the 4th quarter, East Texas A&M started their final drive with 2:35 on the clock at their own 38. They managed to move as close as the six-yard line, but were eventually turned back on 4^th and 9 with 38 seconds to go.

• Senior wide receiver Brayden Smith (a native of Macon) caught nine passes for 131 yards in the season-opener. New quarterback Jaylen King completed 17-of-30 attempts for 189 yards and a touchdown.


 
ON CLOUD NINE
 

• Dating all the way back to 2024, Presbyterian is riding an active home winning streak of nine games (or 670 days and counting).

• That is tied for the fifth-longest current home winning streak among the 128 college football teams who compete at the FCS level. When factoring in FBS schools, that streak remains inside the top ten (tied for eighth.)

• PC's nine-game home winning streak is tied with Montana State, Yale, and the Texas Longhorns. The only other FCS institutions who have a longer active streak are Rhode Island, New Haven, and South Carolina State.

• If the Blue Hose are able to vanquish St. Thomas in their next matchup at Bailey Memorial Stadium on October 3, then they will match the longest home winning streak in program history which was accomplished from 1963-1966.