Challenging the Paladins & A WIN!!

Presbyterian generated a great deal of chatter following a mammoth upset of #11 Mercer to begin Steve Englehart's fourth season with a shot heard around the FCS world. The school's first win over a top-15 opponent as the road team since the turn to Division I in 2007, the Blue Hose delivered the Pioneer Football League its fourth victory over a ranked opponent in their last 72 attempts dating back 15 years.”

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Renewing one of their oldest feuds seven days after the most newsworthy victory in program history, the Presbyterian College football team looks to slay another Southern Conference challenger by heading to Furman tomorrow afternoon.

Kickoff will take place at 2:00 on ESPN+, the first time that the Blue Hose and Furman have locked horns in 11 years.

PC and fourth-year head coach Steve Englehart pulled off a seismic upset over #11 Mercer to begin the 2025 trek, now receiving votes in the AFCA Coaches Poll for the first time since their move to the Pioneer Football League five years ago.

Not to be outdone, Furman is also receiving votes on those same rankings. Each of the last three meetings between Presby and the Paladins have been decided by 10 points or less, as the Scotsmen were victorious in 2014 (the two schools’ last encounter with one another).

GAMEDAY CENTRAL

WHO: (RV) Presbyterian (1-0) at (RV) Furman (1-0)

WHERE: Paladin Stadium (Greenville, S.C.)

WHEN: Saturday, September 6 – 2:00 PM

FOLLOW THE ACTION

WATCH: ESPN+

LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast

TWITTER / X: @BlueHoseFB

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

WHAT THE PALADINS HAVE TO SAY here.

HISTORY, WRITTEN IN BLUE

• Presbyterian generated a great deal of chatter following a mammoth upset of #11 Mercer to begin Steve Englehart's fourth season with a shot heard around the FCS world.
• The school's first win over a top-15 opponent as the road team since the turn to Division I in 2007, the Blue Hose delivered the Pioneer Football League its fourth victory over a ranked opponent in their last 72 attempts dating back 15 years.
• PC stunned the folks in Macon by outgaining the Bears 416-241, playing the entire game within a seven-point window and putting an end to the nation's fourth-longest home winning streak (10 games).
• Presby converted three fourth-down situations (two on their final drive) to come away with the most monumental win in program history. Senior Zach Switzer raced 16 yards to the end zone with 56 seconds on the clock to cap off a six-minute drive, followed by sophomore Ryan Largin dislodging Mercer's Hail Mary attempt as time expired.
• Coincidentally, the last time that PC had defeated a top-15 opponent prior to the Mercer game: a 10-7 result over then-#12 Furman at Bailey Memorial Stadium (September 13, 2014).

PFL PEDESTAL

• A member of the Pioneer League since 2020, PC's triumph over Mercer signaled the end of a 35-game losing streak by PFL programs against non-conference top-25 teams (including postseason matchups.)
• One would have to go back seven years to find the last instance of a PFL squad downing a nationally-ranked non-conference foe (Butler over Youngstown State in the 2018 opener).
• No team in the PFL had beaten an opponent inside the national top 15 since at least 2010 before the Blue Hose marveled at Mercer. PC shocked the same school that earned a 63-10 win in this same matchup 12 months earlier.
• The last three programs that have pulled off a win over Mercer (the Bears have qualified for consecutive FCS Playoff bids and are coming off a SoCon title):

- North Dakota State (2025 National Champions)

- Alabama Crimson Tide

- Presbyterian Blue Hose

OPPONENT PROFILE

• The all-time winningest football program in the Southern Conference (649 victories), Furman approaches this weekend with a 23-21 victory over William & Mary in their last effort.
• Preseason All-American kicker Ian Williams lived up to the billing with an 11-point individual performance, hitting three second-half field goals to be named the FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week.
• Williams drained a 50-yarder late in the 3rd quarter and would go on to score the only six points from either side in the final 15 minutes from distances of 42 and 32 yards.
• The Paladins followed a 10-win season in 2023 with an underwhelming 3-8 mark last fall. Two years ago, Furman started 9-1 (the only loss in that span against the South Carolina Gamecocks) and would advance to the FCS Quarterfinals by knocking off SoCon brethren Chattanooga 26-7.
• Cornerback A.J. Seay began his college career as a member of the Blue Hose before transferring to North Alabama and now Furman. In 2022 (Englehart's debut season at PC and Seay's sophomore year), he tallied 38 tackles, a team-best seven pass breakups, and a 76-yard pick six versus Dayton.
• Five Furman players were chosen as Preseason All-SoCon selections: Williams, offensive linemen Eli Brasher and Luke Petit, tight end Jackson Pryor, and linebacker Ryan Earl.

BUZZ AROUND THE NATION

• In the wake of what is now considered PC's biggest win of the Division I era, the Scotsmen have found themselves listed among those receiving votes in the latest AFCA Coaches Poll (three votes).
• FCS Stats Perform name-dropped the Blue Hose as a National Team of the Week "Honorable Mention", included along with...

- #3 Tarleton State (double-overtime win at Army)

- Austin Peay (twenty-point blowout over FBS Middle Tennessee State)

- Northwestern State (20-10 victory over Alcorn State)

• Additionally, Our Coaching Network selected Dan Owen as the National FCS Defensive Coordinator of the Week after limiting Mercer to just four yards per pass and a 30% mark on third-down.
• Presbyterian's defense only conceded two plays of 20+ yards all night en route to the win, shutting the Bears out entirely in the 2nd & 4th quarters while forcing six punts.

SOCON SABOTAGE

• Entering the 2023 season, the 11 current members of the Pioneer Football League had never achieved a win over anyone from the Southern Conference.
• Coach Englehart has now picked up two wins of that magnitude, having also defeated Wofford in Spartanburg two years ago (23-20).
• Presbyterian has the opportunity to make that statistic even more impressive in Greenville, looking to beat a SoCon school in back-to-back games for the first time in PC's 18-year Division I history.

KIBBY’S CORONATION

• Already one of the best receivers to wear the PC colors in this century, two-time All-PFL'er Dominic Kibby has grasped another D-I-era record after a career-high nine catches in the Mercer upset.
• With 2,389 all-time receiving yards, Kibby is now PC's D-I record holder in that department. He surpassed Keith Pearson (2017-20) on his way to the top, responsible for a 14-yard pickup on 4th and 4 in the waning moments of Saturday's win.
• Kibby already holds the career touchdown record at PC too, gaining his 15th TD on a 94-yard bomb at Stetson last year. Coincidentally, he broke two Presbyterian records on that one play: most career touchdown catches AND producing the team's longest-ever passing play from scrimmage. (Not to be outdone, he also had a 93-yard score at Butler back in 2023).
• The Maryland native is also second in PC's D-I record book in yards-per-reception (17).

HURST = MINIMAL MISTAKES

• A 2024 top-ten finalist for the Jerry Rice Award (given to the top freshman in the country), PC quarterback Collin Hurst committed an ultra-rare turnover in the first quarter of the Mercer win.
• By throwing an interception in the end zone on a fade route, Hurst was tagged with his first INT since October 12 of last year. That's 145 consecutive passes thrown without a turnover.
• Last year's Freshman All-American went for 279 yards through the air during the Mercer win. He topped all quarterbacks in the PFL with a 154 pass efficiency rating in 2024, accounting for 22 total touchdowns and only four picks.
• Hurst completed 73 percent of his passes throughout a season-ending four-game winning streak, going 43-of-54 in consecutive wins over Dayton and Marist.

HELLO, OLD FRIEND

• Former Blue Hose head coach Tommy Spangler will be on the opposing sideline against PC for the first time since he left the program in 2020, currently in his fourth year as the safeties coach and special teams coordinator at Furman.
• Spangler was on Presbyterian's staff in some capacity - whether it be head coach or defensive coordinator - for 18 total seasons (1997-2006 and again from 2013-20).
• He went 54-52 as head coach of the Blue Hose, highlighted by a 10-2 campaign in 2005 (near the end of the school's Division II era) where he was named the South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year. PC advanced to the Second Round of the D-II Playoffs that season.
• Originally a Spangler signee at Presbyterian, quarterback Tyler Huff spent three years in Clinton before following Spangler to Furman and helping the Paladins go 19-4 over the course of two seasons.

BLUE HOSE WIN:

GREENVILLE, S.C. – For the second time in as many weeks pertaining to the Presbyterian College football team, the amount of adversity that came in PC’s direction was never too great as the Blue Hose defeated their second consecutive SoCon opponent, Furman, in a 39-38 overtime thriller on Saturday.

Head coach Steve Englehart’s crew overcame a 21-point deficit, a second-half missed field goal, three interceptions, and a near-two-hour lightning delay to force OT on a 24-3 extended run.

Redshirt-sophomore quarterback Collin Hurst was never phased by the takeaways as he slung five touchdowns and completed a pass to nine different receivers.

No one was more front-and-center than senior tight end Nathan Levicki, PC’s top target on the night who was responsible for both the touchdown in overtime and the game-winning two-point conversion.

Presbyterian has now defeated a Southern Conference school in back-to-back games for the first time in school history. Prior to 2023, no one from the Pioneer Football League had ever beaten any institution from the SoCon, a challenge that Englehart has now conquered three times.

FINAL SCORE – Presbyterian, 39 – Furman, 38 (OT)

RECORDS – Presbyterian (2-0) – Furman (1-1)

LOCATION – Paladin Stadium (Greenville, S.C.)

LEVICKI LIVING LARGE

- Never at any point did the Blue Hose lead until the final play of the night, as Levicki made a diving attempt in the back corner of the end zone to help PC pull off another improbable victory.

- Presby’s current touchdown leader on the season, nearly 40 percent of Levicki’s receptions have resulted in a score. Classmate Dominic Kibby set up the Scotsmen at the three-yard line after a pickup of 22, and it was all Levicki from then on.

MEETING THE MOMENT

- Seven days after a seismic upset over #11 Mercer that featured similar last-second offensive heroics, PC came into Saturday’s clash with both sides receiving votes in the latest AFCA FCS Coaches Poll.

- Each of the last four games between Presby and the Paladins have been decided by 10 points or less (dating back to 2012), and it’s the blue and garnet who have seized the W in their last two attempts of this in-state feud.

- Coach Englehart’s squad has won its first two meetings of 2025 by a combined six points. After falling behind by three touchdowns with five minutes until the break, PC’s exceptional defense battened down the hatches and only surrendered three points for the rest of regulation.

PALADIN PROHIBITION

- Following a Furman field goal with nine minutes and 43 seconds remaining in the third quarter – a play that put the home side ahead by 17 – the PC defense would not allow another first down until overtime.

- Five consecutive Furman drives ended in either a three-and-out or a turnover before they could move the chains. The Paladins did not have a single play greater than eight yards over the final 27 minutes of regulation.

- Therefore, the Blue Hose managed to outgain Furman 444-370 despite frequent miscues that threatened to disrupt any bursts of momentum.

- None of Furman’s last five drives (spanning the back half of the 3^rd quarter and the entire 4^th) lasted longer than a minute and 43 seconds.

NOTABLES

- Malik Lewis and Boyce Bankhead formed a fierce linebacker duo with 17 combined tackles while defensive back Zeb Stroup added a career-best eight stops himself.

- Alex Ward, Michael Torres, and Christian Ohagwu lined up two tackles apiece behind the line of scrimmage, while preseason All-PFL’er Carter Szydlowski recovered arguably the most crucial fumble of the Englehart era with 4:46 on the clock which aided the three-score comeback.

- Jason Briones and Terry Mikell each had an interception to further fluster Furman into losing its double-digit advantage. Four different PC players had a pass breakup in the win.

HOW IT HAPPENED – FIRST HALF

- A costly mistake on the first play from scrimmage allowed Furman to touch the end zone on their opening turn. Hurst’s INT came just seven seconds in, leading to an eight-play series and seven points in the other direction.

- Both sides exchanged punts before Presbyterian evened things up at the 4:15 stamp of quarter number one. Senior Cincere Gill grabbed his first TD of the new year that finished a five-play sequence, taking the Palmetto rivals to the second frame on a tie.

- The next 15 minutes were mostly owned by Furman, scoring three touchdowns in that span on a five-yard rush, a 22-yard throw, and a one-yard plunge over a pile of defenders.

- PC was now in their biggest hole of the night, although they mustered a takeaway and another TD on Mikell’s interception and a 17-yard haul by Levicki that paled in comparison to his dramatics later on.

HOW IT HAPPENED – SECOND HALF

- It was virtually all Blue Hose after the aforementioned field goal by reigning National Special Teams Player of the Week Ian Williams, answering those three points with an 11-play drive that ate up 75 yards and ended on a drop-off to Zach Switzer to pull Presby within 10.

- The tally stayed 31-21 going into the last stanza, and things were starting to look bleak after a botched field goal from PC early in the 4^th.

- A quick Furman punt enabled the Scotsmen to stay with solid field position, however, and they quickly found themselves back in the Paladin red zone.

- Furman snuffed out an opportunity for Presbyterian to get even closer though, snaring their third INT and increasing their odds of winning exponentially.

- Defensive coordinator Dan Owen’s group didn’t blink, forcing a three-and-out for the third series in a row to keep the Blue Hose at arm’s length.

- With PC on the six-yard line and facing 2^nd down, the contest entered a lengthy weather delay that made both sides ponder their final maneuvers down the stretch. When play was allowed to resume, Coach E’s gang settled for a short-distance field goal that made it a one-score deficit (the smallest it had been in 34 minutes of game-time).

- Trying to play keep-away and lean on their ground attack, Furman’s strategy backfired as the ball popped free and Szydlowski scooped it for a 14-yard gain.

- Suddenly, PC had their first shot at tying things up since the score was seven-all, and they took all of eight seconds to make it happen.

- Hurst lobbed a 12-yard fade to BJ Atkins, who fought through a deflection from the cornerback and made the grab inbounds. His first career touchdown made it a 31-31 deadlock, and both sides were content with overtime.

DOWN GOES FURMAN

- Since sixty minutes couldn’t settle it, PC won the overtime coin toss and elected to play defense first. With a short field in front of them, the Paladins made good use of it and scored in six plays.

- Presbyterian only needed two snaps to deliver the counterblow (hitting Kibby and Levicki), which led to Englehart making the decision to go for two and the win rather than advance to a second OT.

- The ultimate gamble paid off, as Levicki fought through a hard jersey pull and got both paws on the ball to give the Blue Hose another sensational W.

UP NEXT

- All eyes are on Presbyterian as they’ve obtained two straight heart-stopping victories over higher-rated programs. They must play two more non-conference opponents before the schedule flips to PFL terrain, starting a three-game homestand next weekend.

- The Blue Hose will entertain Erskine on September 13 under the lights, beginning at 7:00 on ESPN+. PC grounded the Flying Fleet last year 31-14 thanks to 229 all-purpose yards by Switzer that included a 90-yard kick return TD.

- Erskine got off on the wrong foot to start the ’25 slate, falling to Anderson on Saturday 35-7.