This Saturday Night @ Bailey Memorial Stadium & A WIN!

The Presbyterian College football team couldn’t have scripted a more opportunistic time to embark on a three-game homestand that begins this Saturday, hosting Erskine at Bailey Memorial Stadium. Kickoff will occur at 7:00, with streaming available via ESPN+.

Winning two thrillers in a row as the underdog against then-#11 Mercer and Furman, PC has quickly ascended the national ranks and is on the verge of being inside the FCS top 25 for the first time.

Head coach Steve Englehart and co. will have the luxury of no more road games for an entire month, hosting their next three opponents which starts with the Flying Fleet tomorrow.

It will be just the third home game under the lights during Englehart’s tenure (2022 onward), looking to continue their tidal wave of momentum and start a season 3-0 for only the second time since the turn of the millennium.

GAMEDAY CENTRAL

WHO: (RV) Presbyterian (2-0) vs. Erskine (0-1)

WHERE: Bailey Memorial Stadium (Clinton, S.C.)

WHEN: Saturday, September 13 | 7:00 PM

ADMISSION: Visit BlueHoseTix.com

GAMEDAY PROTOCOL: Bailey Memorial Stadium Policies & Map

FLIP CARDS: Sponsored by Founders Federal Credit Union

CLEAR BAG POLICY: Handbag Code

FOLLOW THE ACTION

WATCH: ESPN+ (Gabriel Schray & Tim Webb)

LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast

TWITTER / X: @BlueHoseFB

GAME NOTES: Presbyterian Notes | PFL Weekly Report

SOCON SLAYERS

• One of the most talked-about teams at the FCS level resides right here in Clinton, as the Blue Hose pulled off another improbable victory at Furman last weekend. PC's second straight win over a scholarship program, they did it by overcoming a 21-point deficit and winning 39-38 in overtime.
• Down by 10 with 6:25 on the clock, Presbyterian connected on a chip-shot field goal to pull within one score. Furman surrendered a crucial fumble just three plays later, allowing sophomore receiver BJ Atkins to score his first collegiate touchdown which tied the game at 31 apiece.
• Senior tight end Nathan Levicki grabbed a close-range TD in the overtime period (his second score of the evening). Rather than kick a standard PAT, coach Englehart elected for an all-or-nothing two-point conversion attempt. That gamble paid off, and it was Levicki once again who did the honors.
• PC has now defeated a SoCon school in back-to-back weeks for the first time in school history (having also stunned then-#11 Mercer 15-10).
• Thus, Englehart now owns three wins over three different members of the Southern Conference (Presby began their SoCon sabotage back in 2023 when beating Wofford 23-20 in Spartanburg).

DEFENSIVE MASTERCLASS

• The win at Furman wouldn't have been possible without an incredible second-half effort by the blue & garnet defense. After going up 31-14 with 9:43 left in the 3rd quarter, the Paladins did not record a single first down for the rest of regulation.
• PC held Furman to eight yards of total offense over their last five drives, forcing them into a three-and-out situation four times.
• Furman's average time-of-possession was just 1:27 in those five series, greatly contributing to the dramatic comeback.

TWENTY YEARS IN THE MAKING

• A win over Erskine on Saturday would give the Blue Hose their first 3-0 start to a season in two full decades, last accomplishing that feat all the way back in 2005.
• Five prior PC football teams have started a season 3-0, happening just once in the 21st century:

- 1958 (def. East Carolina, Lenoir-Rhyne, & Wofford...ended with a 6-3-1 record)

- 1959 (def. East Carolina, Furman, & Davidson...ended with a 9-2 record)

- 1971 (def. Furman, Lenoir-Rhyne, & Wofford...ended with an 8-3 record)

- 1979 (def. The Citadel, Furman, & Lenoir-Rhyne...ended with an 11-2 record)

- 2005 (def. West Georgia, Fayetteville State, & Charleston Southern...ended with a 10-2 record)

ONE WIN FROM HISTORY

• The all-time Presbyterian record for most consecutive wins in a home opener was established from 1964-68, a period of five straight. Beating Erskine would give PC their sixth home-opening win in a row, breaking that 57-year streak in the process.
• PC's last five victories in a home-opener (listed in descending order):

- 2024 (def. Virginia-Lynchburg, 52-0)

- 2023 (def. Virginia-Lynchburg, 48-17)

- 2022 (def. Virginia-Lynchburg, 21-13)

- 2021 (def. St. Andrews, 84-43)

- Spring '21 (def. Morehead State, 31-16)

OPPONENT PROFILE

• Erskine will make the short trip to Clinton on Saturday, the first time that the Flying Fleet have ever played in Bailey Memorial Stadium and their first time competing on PC's campus in general for football since 1950.
• It was an inauspicious start to 2025 for Erskine, dropping a 35-7 decision to Anderson on a night where they trailed by as many as five touchdowns.
• The Fleet were a mere 4-of-13 on third-down snaps (31 percent), turning the ball over four times and only advancing into the red zone once in 11 chances.
• It's been over 365 days since Erskine last tasted a victory (52-0 over St. Andrews in the 2024 opener), tangled in a nine-game losing streak that coincidentally started with a 31-14 defeat to Presbyterian.
• Erskine has lost its last 16 road matchups dating back to 2022, with their last victory away from home coming against Clark Atlanta (23-19) three years ago.

AMONG THE UNDEFEATED CLUB

• By starting 2025 with two earth-shattering wins over Mercer and Furman, the Blue Hose can call themselves one of 18 FCS schools yet to take a loss.
• Excluding all Ivy League institutions (who have all yet to start their respective campaigns), PC is joined in the unbeaten category by:

- #1 North Dakota State

- #2 South Dakota State

- #3 Tarleton State

- #5 Rhode Island

- #7 Montana

- #11 Villanova

- #12 Lehigh

- #16 Tennessee Tech

- #18 Monmouth

- #24 New Hampshire

- #25 Youngstown State

- Drake

- Georgetown

- Indiana State (as of Friday afternoon)

- Towson

- UT-Rio Grande Valley

- West Georgia

CLOSE TO THE MOST

• Presbyterian is officially tied for the second-longest current winning streak in all of FCS (dating back to the last four games of 2024).
• The Scotsmen have won their last six meetings, the same number as the reigning national champion North Dakota State Bison.
• Tennessee Tech is the lone FCS program that is currently riding a longer winning streak than PC and NDSU, just one game better with seven straight victories.
• No team in FCS has a better current winning streak in road games than the Blue Hose, who have won the last four times they've been the visiting party.
• Harvard, Monmouth, New Hampshire, Towson, and West Georgia are the only other FCS programs with at least three straight road wins dating back to last year.

NEARLY RANKED

• In both the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll and the Stats Perform rankings, Presbyterian is very close to entering the top 25 for the first time in their Division I history.
• Only ETSU (43) and Lamar (38) are receiving more votes than PC among those not in the AFCA poll (the Blue Hose are receiving 35 votes).
• Meanwhile, in the Stats Perform top 25, Mercer has just one more vote than Presbyterian (101 compared to 100), which technically puts PC at #27 nationally in that system.

GROUNDING THE FLEET

• Presbyterian owns a commanding lead in their all-time series history with Erskine, winning 30 of the 33 games against the Fleet which spans back over one hundred years.
• First playing Erskine in the year 1915, the Blue Hose are on an 11-game winning streak against their in-state opponent. That's the longest active win streak against any school that PC has ever faced in their 112-year history.
• The Blue Hose are 15-1 when facing the Fleet in Clinton, surpassing the 30-point mark in each of their last four efforts versus Erskine regardless of location.
• Future PFL Offensive Freshman of the Year Collin Hurst made his first career start in last season's 31-14 win over Erskine in Greenwood, the same night that Zach Switzer broke free for a 90-yard kick-return touchdown and totaled a career-high 229 all-purpose yards.

Redshirt-sophomore quarterback Collin Hurst -- pictured right -- finished eight yards shy of his personal record with 350 passing yards, two of his top targets logged a pair of touchdowns each, and the Presbyterian College football team cruised to a 42-14 stomping against Erskine on Saturday night.

The 2025 home opener for head coach Steve Englehart’s crew after beginning the season with road shockers over then-#11 Mercer and Furman, the Blue Hose never trailed at any point and have now reached a 3-0 start for the first time in 20 years.

Cincere Gill and Nathan Levicki caught a combined seven passes for 204 yards and four touchdowns as the Scotsmen secured 35 first-half points for the third time since the start of 2024.

Undefeated after three games for the first time since the school’s jump to the Division I level and for the sixth time ever, PC will continue a three-game homestand next weekend as Bluefield visits. Kickoff is labeled for 1:00, streaming live on ESPN+.

FINAL SCORE – Presbyterian, 42 – Erskine, 14

RECORDS – Presbyterian (3-0) – Erskine (0-2)

LOCATION – Bailey Memorial Stadium (Clinton, S.C.)

PROTECTING HOME

BASE

- The Blue Hose achieved a new program record on Saturday that had stood untouched for the previous 57 years. PC has picked up the victory in their last six home-openers, beating out the old all-time mark that was established from 1964-68.

- Presby has won those six contests by an average of 29 points, also knocking off Virginia-Lynchburg (three times), St. Andrews, and Morehead State during that streak.

- Dating back to 2024, coach Englehart’s club has now won their last three meetings at Bailey Memorial Stadium. It had been three years since the last time that feat was accomplished.

SEVEN STRAIGHT

- PC remains tied with #1 North Dakota State (the reigning FCS National Champion) for the second-longest active winning streak in America. Tennessee Tech is the lone FCS program with a longer present-day streak, moving to eight consecutive wins after a 72-14 smoking of Davidson.

- Entering the weekend, Presbyterian was one of 18 FCS schools yet to take a loss this fall.

- They maintain their status in the undefeated club, the only Pioneer Football League team without an L following a 16-point loss from Drake at #2 South Dakota State.

FLUSTERING THE

FLEET

- First competing against Erskine over one hundred years ago, the Blue Hose have widened their winning streak versus the Flying Fleet to 12 games. That extends PC’s longest active win streak against any opponent regardless of division.

- Presbyterian improves to 16-1 all-time against Erskine when playing in Clinton. The blue and garnet have beaten the Fleet in 31 of their 34 attempts overall, surpassing the 30-point clip in each of their last four efforts in this series.

NOTABLES

- Hurst completed 71 percent of his passes facing the same school who he made his first career start against last season, going 10-of-14 for 299 yards in the first half alone.

- Last year’s PFL Offensive Freshman of the Year posted seven completions of at least 20 yards, including a game-long 60-yarder to senior Dominic Kibby.

- Defensive back Zeb Stroup snagged his third career interception in the opening quarter while tip-toeing the sideline. Elsewhere, Zach Switzer and Justin Montgomery tag-teamed for 140 rushing yards on 24 combined carries.

- Presbyterian manufactured 28 first-downs while leading from wire-to-wire, outgaining the Fleet by 353 yards and holding Erskine to a putrid 2-of-11 mark on third-down snaps.

HOW IT HAPPENED – FIRST HALF

- Forcing two three-and-outs to begin the night (the first of which was thwarted by a Christian Ohaghwu strip-sack), the Blue Hose struck first on a one-yard dive from Levicki. Switzer too scored on a one-yard plunge later in that same quarter, as both TD’s capped off seven-play drives.

- Each of Presby’s next three touchdown series were all greater than 80 yards in total distance, taking a 21-7 lead midway through the 2nd on Levicki’s fifth score of the young season.

- This was part of a streak of four consecutive touchdown drives by the Scotsmen, increasing the lead to 28-7 on a 41-yard bomb from Hurst to Gill.

- Coach E’s troops piled on another trip to the end zone with 35 seconds remaining in half number one, the second straight TD reception for Gill (and his second career game with two scores after also hitting that stat-line at Marist last November).

HOW IT HAPPENED – SECOND HALF

- Ahead by a 35-7 clip at the midway point, defense carried the final 30 minutes for both sides. Neither team produced any points in the 4th, as PC supplied their sixth touchdown of the evening from the legs of Montgomery.

- That was Presbyterian’s longest scoring drive of the contest (10 snaps), although a 15-play series later in the 3rd ended with a turnover on downs.

- The Blue Hose defense limited Erskine to just 15 offensive yards in the final period, preserving the 28-point win and making them unblemished through three games for the first time in two decades.

UP NEXT

- PC will participate in the non-conference finale next weekend right back at Bailey, welcoming Bluefield for the third time. The Rams will enter at 1-1, beating Thomas University to begin the semester but being on the wrong end of a 66-12 shellacking against the University of the Cumberlands in their most recent affair.

- Presbyterian bested Bluefield in 2014 and 2018, winning those two bouts by a combined difference of 110-24.

HURST

AWARD

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Just eight passing yards away from surpassing his personal record despite not playing in the 4th quarter due to the discrepancy on the scoreboard, redshirt-sophomore Collin Hurst of the Presbyterian College football team has been awarded the PFL Offensive Player of the Week.

Hurst was his usual self throughout a 42-14 dissection of Erskine at Bailey Memorial Stadium, completing 15 of 21 attempts for a total of 350 yards and three touchdowns. Along with that, he did not throw an interception for the sixth time in his last eight efforts dating back to last year.

PC’s signal-caller engineered an offense that eclipsed 500 total yards on Saturday night as the Blue Hose improved to 3-0 for the first time in 20 seasons. Beyond that, they’ve also beaten Erskine 12 consecutive

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 times (which extends the team’s longest current win streak against any opponent).

This is the second time in Hurst’s career that he’s been chosen as the PFL Offensive Player of the Week, also winning the award following a blowout road win over Marist last November.

LEADING THE CHARGE

- The Florida native was superb at limiting mistakes in what was Presbyterian’s third straight victory on their home base, completing at least 65 percent of his passes for the sixth time in his career and eclipsing 70 percent for the fourth occasion.

- He found his target on nine straight throws as PC opened up a 35-7 halftime edge, tossing seven times for a gain of at least 20 yards. That includes a game-long 60-yarder to Dominic Kibby as well as two separate longballs to Cincere Gill of 41 and 55 yards.

- Just last week, Hurst threw five touchdowns in a game for the first time in his already-terrific tenure as the Blue Hose knocked off Furman in an overtime classic.

- Three games into 2025, Hurst holds a 65% completion rate (64-of-98) for 904 yards and nine touchdowns to four different receivers.

HOUSEHOLD NAME

- Last season’s PFL Offensive Freshman of the Year and a top-ten finalist for the Jerry Rice Award (given annually to the best freshman player in FCS football), Hurst currently ranks 6th in the nation with 22 completions per game.

- His nine passing TD’s are the fourth-most of any FCS quarterback. Only Monmouth’s Derek Robertson has more passing yards in 2025 than Hurst among the 128 FCS institutions across the country.

- Saturday was a full-circle moment for Hurst as he faced off with the same school that he made his first collegiate start against 12 months ago. He showed off in front of 4,300-plus at Bailey Memorial Stadium, aiding PC to their sixth consecutive win in a home-opener.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: 

ENGLEHART ERA

- This is the eighth time since Steve Englehart took the reigns as PC’s head coach that the Blue Hose have been given a weekly award by the Pioneer Football League.

- Presbyterian is no stranger to PFL praise, as they celebrated six all-conference first-team selections last fall (the program’s most since 2005).

IN ELITE COMPANY

- In the aftermath of the Erskine win, the Blue Hose remain tied with defending FCS national champion North Dakota State for the second-longest active winning streak nationwide (seven games).

- Only Tennessee Tech of the Ohio Valley Conference has a better current win streak (eight) after putting up 72 points on Presby’s arch-rival Davidson over the weekend.

- PC is one of 10 FCS schools – excluding the Ivy League, who has not begun their respective seasons yet – to not have a loss on their resume. They are the only team of the 11 PFL representatives that is still undefeated.

LOOKING AHEAD

- This weekend will be the last non-conference contest for Englehart’s troops as they welcome Bluefield to Clinton. Kickoff is labeled for 1:00 on ESPN+, as Presby continues to make a strong push toward top 25 chatter.

- Searching for their fourth straight Bailey Memorial W, PC hopes to keep up a recent string of success against the Rams, having beaten them soundly in 2014 and 2018 by 86 combined points.

Post-game, Coach Steve Englehart said, “Well, obviously, happy with the win, proud of the fact that we were able to get to 3-0. It’s something that hasn’t been done here in 20 years. You learn to enjoy the wins because you know that sometimes they are hard to come by. I think that we established the standard of play over the past year and a half or so that there are certain expectations and I don’t think we met those tonight. I don’t think we played to the standard of play that I want to see. Way too many penalties. Very undisciplined at times not just on those penalties but some other things. Just undiciplined. We did not - we made a lot of mistakes whether it be in blocking scheme or defensively, we really didn’t play to the level that I like to play. We had talked all week about it doesn’t matter WHO we play. it’s HOW we play. The standard is the standard. Tonight, we made some plays. We played very well, at times.”