BLUE HOSE FOOTBALL HEADS FOR KENTUCKY.
MOREHEAD, Ky. – Setting up the rubber match between the two programs after an eight-point decision last fall in Clinton, the Presbyterian College football team will aim for their first PFL victory in their second attempt on Saturday afternoon in the Bluegrass State, traveling north to face off with the Eagles of Morehead State. Kickoff at Jayne Stadium is set for 1:00 p.m.
In the century-plus existence of the program, the Blue Hose have only ever taken the field with MSU on two occasions, doing so as Pioneer Football League foes in the abbreviated Spring '21 campaign and onwards. A 31-16 triumph for PC in that shortened season gave them the upper hand in the infant series before Morehead State answered in a 38-30 thriller last October.
The designated visitors for the first time in the series' brief history, Presbyterian's debut trip to Morehead comes off a spirited effort against reigning league champion Davidson at Bailey Memorial Stadium last weekend, dueling with an Eagles crew that holds a nearly identical resume as their own tomorrow afternoon.
Saturday's kickoff on the first day of the month will be broadcasted by ESPN+ as both sides will settle the 1-1 difference in PC's third season as a PFL member.
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
WHAT: Presbyterian (1-3, 0-1 PFL) at Morehead State (1-3, 0-1 PFL)
WHERE: Jayne Stadium (Morehead, Ky.)
WHEN: Saturday, October 1 – 1:00 p.m.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast Live Stats
RADIO: WSPG (Ryan Clary)
TWITTER: @BlueHoseFtball
GAME NOTES: Presbyterian Notes | Morehead State Notes | PFL Notes
Opponent Profile
• Approaching Saturday's duel with the Blue Hose, Morehead State brings with them a similar resume to that of coach Englehart's club, holding a 1-3 mark on a difficult strength of schedule before PFL play had even begun.
• Already opponents to two schools currently inside the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll (#13 Mercer & #4 Montana State), the Eagles will be participating in just their second bout on their home turf this weekend, last seen in Morehead during a 49-14 drubbing over Kentucky Christian for their lone win in four attempts.
Limited to a mere six points over the entire second half in their previous encounter - a road trip to PFL foe Stetson in DeLand, Fla. - MSU was outscored 31- 13 from the 2nd quarter and beyond in a 12-point setback to the Hatters.Morehead starting QB Grady Cramer connected on just 10 attempts in the hostile environment as the Eagles were stymied for less than 200 total yards.
Last Time Out
• Continuing the annual Carolina Border Clash in the Battle for the 1919 Cup last weekend under the lights of Bailey Memorial Stadium, Presbyterian was unable to slow down a vaunted Davidson offense in a 56-24 decision for the visitors.
• Not without a plethora of bright spots on both sides of the ball - namely a career-best 74-yard, 2-TD performance from running back Mikai Stanley and a group of six different defenders that all reached personal highs in tackles - the Blue Hose continue to make noticable strides in the early stages of conference competition despite the 1-3 record on paper.
New Defensive Bests
• A whopping six Blue Hose defenders either tied or broke a personal best in the tackles category last Saturday vs. Davidson, led by 14 from Keegan Halloran in an emphatic return from injury to match a PC-high from any player this year.
• George Wilder (13), Campbell Watson (7), Bradley Russ-Martin (6), Sebastian Conwell (6), and A.J. Seay (5) joined Halloran's company by notching a career-high in total tackles against the Wildcats.
PC Atop PFL Ranks
• As a unit, the Blue Hose sit inside the Pioneer Football League's top five in both yards per completion (12.26) and total passing offense (202 yards per game) through their first four matchups.
• Additionally, the Presbyterian defense has conjured up the fifth-most sacks among all PFL competitors with seven, attributing towards a total loss of 37 yards.
• Guiding the league's third-place holder in time of possession, redshirt-junior QB Nate Hayden has engineered a promising beginning to his individual '22 season, thus far ranking third in the PFL in passing efficiency (129.7) and total yards through the air (767), also placing fourth in completion percentage (59%).
• Hayden's favorite target through September, freshman wideout Dominic Kibby, has raced to 261 yards in receptions to place 4th in the PFL.
• Living up to his billing as a preseason all-conference honoree as only a sophomore, linebacker Alex Herriott enters this weekend's game boasting more solo tackles than any other defender in the PFL (23), ranking third in sacks with a pair that have backed up opposing offenses for eight yards.
Around the PFL
The 2022 PFL race got underway with four games during Week 4 – homestanding Stetson and Valparaiso picking up wins while Marist and Davidson each won road outings.Stetson's Ja'Veon Ensley was named the FedEx Ground FCS National Defensive Player of the Week and Valparaiso's Mason Kaplan earned FedEx Ground FCS National Freshman of the Week honors, presented by Stats Perform.• Valparaiso continued to be the beacon of close games with its seven-point victory against San Diego, the 11th time in 19 games it has played a game decided by seven points or less.
• The Stetson-Morehead State game was a wild affair with four blocked kicks, three interceptions, two fumbles, seven sacks, and 13 tackles for loss between the two defenses. Morehead State had three blocked kicks (two punts and a field goal) alone in the game, while Stetson recorded all three interceptions.
