HOMECOMING AGAINST THE HOTTEST TEAM IN THE LEAGUE.
The 2022 edition of Homecoming for the Presbyterian College football team is lined up for this Saturday afternoon at Bailey Memorial Stadium, as the Blue Hose and head coach Steve Englehart prepare to do battle with St. Thomas in the second-ever meeting between the two PFL foes.
Kickoff in Clinton is scheduled for 1 p.m. as PC searches for their first conference win that would simultaneously give the Tommies their first league loss. ESPN+ will have the call.
Continuing the trend of difficult matchups throughout the season, the Blue Hose will take on a UST club that has emerged as the victor in each of their past five contests, traveling to Bailey Memorial for the first time since becoming conference opponents. Presbyterian was last seen in a cross-country flight to California for what turned into a 28-3 loss to San Diego, hoping to regain their footing and scoop up a statement win over the lone PFL team yet to take an L against a fellow conference school.
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
WHAT: Presbyterian (1-6, 0-4 PFL) vs. St. Thomas (5-1, 3-0 PFL)
WHERE: Bailey Memorial Stadium (Clinton, S.C.)
WHEN: Saturday, October 22 – 1:00 p.m.
ADMISSION: Football Tickets
PC GAMEDAY PROTOCOL: Bailey Memorial Stadium Policies & Map
GAMEDAY PROGRAM: Presbyterian Game Guide
FOLLOW THE ACTION:
WATCH: ESPN+ (Alex Smith)
LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast Live Stats
RADIO: WSPG (Ryan Clary & Tyler Shugart)
TWITTER: @BlueHoseFtball
GAME NOTES: Presbyterian Notes | St. Thomas Notes | PFL Notes
Opponent Profile
• Arguably the hottest team in the PFL approaching Week 8, St. Thomas has reached five consecutive victories since an opening day loss to Southern Utah 51 days ago.
• Downing Michigan Tech, Lincoln (Calif.), Marist, Davidson, and Drake by an average margin of 20 points, the Tommies and 15th-year head coach Glenn Caruso stand as the only team in the conference unbeaten through three PFL outings.
• Displaying an impressive winning percentage of 85% since taking over in 2008, coach Caruso's program has seized a pair of NCAA D-III Championships before jumping ship to the FCS stage, winning seven games or better in every single season with Caruso at the helm.
• The Tommies extended a perfect 2022 record when playing at home in their last meeting, taking down Drake in St. Paul by a 26-14 clip that included a second-half shutout. St. Thomas held the ball for over 36 minutes in their fifth straight PFL win dating back to last year, finding 100 yards on the ground from freshman Gabe Abel next to three scores, good enough to land the rookie an Offensive Player of the Week nod from the league.
Last Time Out
• In Presbyterian's second-ever game to emanate from the state of California, the local San Diego weather wasn't as advertised in a Saturday PFL duel with San Diego. Forced to sit through a 90-minute lightning delay at halftime, the Blue Hose never found an offensive groove against one of the strongest defensive fronts in the league, leading to a 28-3 loss.
• Tyler Wesley was again granted the starting role at quarterback in SoCal, producing 131 yards of total offense on a career-high 18 carries. However, the Blue Hose were only able to convert one of their 15 third-down situations at Torero Stadium, allowing one USD touchdown in each frame.
• PC's rush defense turned in a superb performance despite the defeat, conceding just 24 yards on the ground over the entire game against the Toreros, the fewest rushing yards given up in a game over the last 16 appearances dating back to September '21.
Herriott Among Best in FCS
• Living up to his billing as a preseason all-league caliber linebacker in only his second year donning the blue and white, sophomore Alex Herriott has exploded on the scene in 2022, recently going for a new career-high of 16 tackles vs. Valparaiso, the 5th-most in a single game since the program joined the NCAA's Division I class in the late 2000's.
• Putting up 11 more stops against San Diego to give the second-year LB his fourth double-digit tackle effort of the year, Herriott sits atop the throne as the Pioneer Football League leader in both solo and total tackles. His 44 unassisted stops rank as the 5th-most in all of FCS entering Week 8, while his 71 total tackles places 9th among all Football Championships Subdivision performers.
PC Atop PFL Ranks
• Over the course of the first seven games of the 2022 season, the Blue Hose rank inside the Pioneer Football League's Top 5 among the following categories:
• While it hasn't always translated to profitable scoreboard results, PC has accumulated the fifth-most first downs in the conference with 107.
• Whether it's Nate Hayden, Tyler Wesley, or Ty Englehart directing traffic, the results have been trending upward with nearly 12 yards per completion to a host of young receivers, good for fifth in the PFL.
• Penalized less than five times per contest (the 3rd-lowest figure in the league at the halfway point), Presbyterian takes the fifth-place spot in 4th-down conversion defense (38%). Additionally, the team places fourth in total sacks (18 for a total loss of 117 yards), averaging 2.6 per game.
• Meeting the opponent behind the line of scrimmage 41 times this fall for a rate of nearly six TFL's per appearance, PC's swarming defensive front puts them in 5th place in the league across that category.
Individual Rankings
• Junior punter Parker Maddrey has steadily become a very reliable special teams performer for coach Englehart's club, ranking sixth in the PFL in yards per punt (37.9). Despite a hefty load of eight punts last Saturday at San Diego, Maddrey put up his second-highest punt average of 2022 at 43.6
• Emerging as PC's number-one target in the passing game this season, junior Jalen Jones' 16 yards per reception and 364 receiving yards rank 4th and 5th respectively in the conference.
Around the PFL
• St. Thomas remained the PFL's lone unbeaten team after Week 7 of the FCS slate following its win against Drake. Butler, Dayton, Davidson, and San Diego remained right behind the Tommies with Week 6 victories, each remaining in the group of one-loss PFL teams.
• Jake Chisholm ran for 90 yards and a touchdown, leading Dayton to a 24-7 PFL victory against Marist. Davidson scored 21 points in the second quarter and held on for a 28-26 PFL victory against Morehead State. Lucas Kozlowski intercepted a pass with 38 seconds remaining, sealing Butler's 26-25 PFL victory against Valparaiso. St. Thomas extended its home win streak to 25 games with a 26-14 PFL victory against Drake at O'Shaughnessy Stadium.
