The 37th edition of the annual Carolina Border Clash is all set for this weekend, as the Presbyterian College football team looks to retrieve the 1919 Cup trophy from hated rival Davidson at Bailey Memorial Stadium.
Originally scheduled for 5:30 on Saturday, the game has now been moved up to 12:00 PM due to a forecast of inclement weather. As is the case for all PC home games, the action will be streamed live on ESPN+.
When the Blue Hose joined the Pioneer Football League in the 2021 season, the 1919 Cup was created to symbolize the first year that these two schools faced off. The name of the rivalry represents both PC and Davidson's location near the border of the Carolinas.
Presbyterian walloped St. Thomas in their most recent endeavor while Davidson fell emphatically on the west coast to San Diego. Tomorrow will be the Wildcats' first visit to Bailey Memorial in four years.
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
WHO: Presbyterian (2-3, 1-1) vs. Davidson (2-4, 0-2)
WHERE: Bailey Memorial Stadium (Clinton, S.C.)
WHEN: Saturday, October 10 | 12:00 PM
ADMISSION: BlueHoseTix.com
GAMEDAY PROTOCOL: Stadium Policies & Map
FLIP CARDS: Sponsored by Founders Federal Credit Union
CLEAR BAG POLICY: Handbag Code
FOLLOW THE ACTION
WATCH: ESPN+ (Mike Szabo & Tim Webb)
LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast
X (FORMERLY TWITTER): @BlueHoseFB
GAME NOTES: Presbyterian Notes | PFL Weekly Report
SCOTTY WRECKED THE TOMMIES
• Presbyterian sent shockwaves through the Pioneer Football League last weekend for their 10th consecutive win at Bailey Memorial Stadium, dominating a red-hot St. Thomas visitor by a 55-21 final count.
• A direct contrast to the conference-opening loss at Marist the week prior, PC was boosted by Landon Sharpe's career-high 462 yards of total offense and six total touchdowns (five passing, one rushing).
• The Blue Hose raced out to a 27-0 lead and nearly pitched a first-half shutout, stopping three-time PFL Freshman of the Week Nick Peipert dead in his tracks (43 passing yards, zero touchdowns, two interceptions).
• PC punted only twice in 13 full drives, benefitting from five St. Thomas turnovers and averaging nearly eight yards per snap. Senior wideout Brice Johnson was the most explosive playmaker on the field, going for 125 yards on just three touches and crossing the pylon twice.
• It was the largest margin of defeat that St. Thomas has ever taken since joining the Pioneer League in 2021. The Blue Hose are now 11-3 in their last 14 conference games, a mark that ranks second in the PFL during that time frame (only Drake at 12-2 is higher).
A PERFECT TEN
• Dating all the way back to 2024, Presbyterian is riding an active home winning streak of 10 games.
• That is tied for the fourth-longest current home winning streak among the 128 college football teams who compete at the FCS level. When factoring in FBS schools, that streak is tied for 10th.
• PC's 10-game home winning streak is tied with Austin Peay, James Madison, New Mexico, Vanderbilt, and Yale. The only other FCS programs who have a longer active streak are Rhode Island, Montana State, and Stephen F. Austin.
• Should Presby claim the 1919 Cup and defeat Davidson, they will establish a new all-time program record with their 11th straight win at Bailey Memorial. The only other time that PC won 10 straight at home was a four-year period from 1963-66.
• PC's current 10-game streak is their longest since 1980, which topped out at eight games. Over the years, the Blue Hose have accomplished eight separate streaks of at least eight straight home wins. Three of those streaks occurred in the 1970's.
• Since October 19, 2024 (the last time that PC was defeated at home), nine different PFL institutions have lost on their own turf at least three times each. The only school in the league other than Presbyterian who has lost less than three times at home in that span is Butler (two).
• Each of PC's victories in the 10-game home winning streak (listed in order of most recent):
- Oct. 3, 2026 - Def. St. Thomas, 55-21
- Aug. 27, 2026 - Def. UVA Wise, 47-37
- Nov. 22, 2025 - Def. Marist, 29-25
- Nov. 1, 2025 - Def. Valparaiso, 43-14
- Oct. 18, 2025 - Def. Stetson, 42-7
- Sep. 27, 2025 - Def. Morehead St., 41-0
- Sep. 20, 2025 - Def. Bluefield, 76-3
- Sep. 13, 2025 - Def. Erskine, 42-14
- Nov. 23, 2024 - Def. #23 Butler, 30-27
- Nov. 2, 2024 - Def. Dayton, 28-7
THE NATION TOOK NOTICE
• Presbyterian was named an "Honorable Mention" National Team of the Week by Stats Perform publications after the St. Thomas victory. Coincidentally, the Tommies had just been selected the National Team of the Week prior to the PC game after hammering San Diego 50-17 (it was USD's largest margin of defeat in a conference game since 2000).
• This is the second straight year that PC has been either an "Honorable Mention" or the outright National Team of the Week. They also earned that nod after upsetting then-#11 Mercer in the 2025 season-opener.
• That was Presbyterian's highest-ranked win in program history, ending a 35-game losing streak by Pioneer League schools against non-conference top-25 opponents. It also helped the Scotsmen start the season 7-0 and reach as high as #16 in the AFCA Coaches Poll before ultimately winning 10 games for the third time ever.
• Quarterback Landon Sharpe was also singled out by Stats Perform as being an "Honorable Mention" National Offensive Player of the Week, one of ten players to make the cut. He has twice been voted the PFL Offensive Player of the Week, becoming the first individual in PC's Division I history (since 2007) to win this award on two occasions in a sole season.
FUELED BY BAILEY
• It has been over 700 days since PC last took a loss in their own backyard, tying the program's all-time longest home winning streak which was established exactly 60 years ago.
• More often than not, Presby's two-and-a-half year streak has featured comfortable wins with loads of offense. They are averaging 43 points per game in those 10 victories, creeping up on 5,000 total yards throughout this streak.
• Seven of the 10 wins have occurred over Pioneer League opponents, with St. Thomas being the latest victim. Six of the last seven times that PC has competed at Bailey Memorial, they have eclipsed 40 points.
• The Blue Hose have collected 51 touchdowns during this streak after getting into the end zone eight times against the Tommies.
• Drake (who was then receiving votes in the national top 25) squeezed out a 19-16 overtime win over PC almost 24 months ago, representing Presbyterian's last home loss. The Bulldogs would go on to win the PFL championship that year with a 7-1 league record.
OPPONENT PROFILE
• Still working their way back to PFL prominence after the departure of head coach Scott Abell to Rice in 2024, Davidson will make the brief drive to Clinton with a 2-4 record and a 49-point loss to preseason conference favorite San Diego in California last week.
• The Wildcats achieved an upset victory over Southern Conference member VMI thanks to a 25-yard field goal as time expired, but have since been outscored 114-46 against Drake and USD.
• The Wildcats are led by second-year head coach Saj Thakkar, who was previously the man-in-charge at Division II Bentley University. Saturday will be Davidson's second road game of the entire season, getting to play their first five matchups at home.
• Despite the loss to Drake in the first weekend of league action, junior quarterback Casey Bullock made a strong impression with 28 completions for 345 yards and five touchdowns. However, he was substantially subdued by San Diego last week (170 yards, no touchdowns, four interceptions).
• Bullock is averaging nearly 24 completions per game, good enough to rank seventh in the nation and second in the PFL. He has thrown for over 1,500 yards thus far, which also ranks in the FCS top 10. His favorite target has been Jacary Lightsey, who leads the conference with 42 receptions for 519 yards.
• Last season's edition of the Carolina Border Clash was well-documented, a 14-13 stunner that effectively prevented PC from claiming their first PFL title and a berth in the FCS Playoffs. It was Davidson's fifth straight win in the series and the end of Presbyterian's seven weeks in the AFCA Coaches Poll.
• The Wildcats have not played at Bailey Memorial Stadium since 2022. Hurricane Helene forced the 2024 matchup to be switched from Clinton to Davidson.
TAYLOR AT THE TOP
• A key piece to Presbyterian's runaway win over St. Thomas, senior cornerback Noah Taylor ended the day with four pass breakups which gives him nine deflections on the year.
• His four breakups are tied for the most of any FCS player in a single game this season (Montana State's Takhari Carr is the only one who can match it).
• Furthermore, it is tied for the PC Division-I record that was first set by Rod Haygood in a 2018 setback against Gardner-Webb.
• Taylor's nine breakups in just five games are more than any defensive back in the Pioneer Football League and the fourth-most nationally. He needs only two more to tie the FCS leader in that department (Mason Edwards of McNeese State).
