The nation's fifth-longest FCS home winning streak stayed intact in dominant fashion on Saturday afternoon, as the Presbyterian College football team put the pedal to the metal and raced past St. Thomas by a final score of 55-21.
Surpassing 500 total yards for the second straight time at home, the Blue Hose will now eclipse 700 days since they were last defeated at Bailey Memorial Stadium. They led 27-0 with just over two minutes until halftime and scored the final 14 points of the 4th quarter.
This is the largest conference defeat for St. Thomas since they joined the Pioneer Football League five seasons ago, as PC turned them over five times (three interceptions, two fumbles).
The Tommies were named the Stats Perform FCS National Team of the Week just seven days ago after stomping preseason PFL favorite San Diego, but the Scotsmen gave the Minnesota visitors a taste of their own medicine with a wire-to-wire blowout.
Presbyterian has now tied the program's longest-ever home winning streak (10 games), a record that was established in 1966. Seven of those 10 victories have come against conference opponents.
PC's arch nemesis will arrive at Bailey Memorial next weekend for the annual Carolina Border Clash versus Davidson. Kickoff will take place at 5:30 on ESPN+ as Presby looks to win the Battle for the 1919 Cup.
FINAL SCORE: Presbyterian, 55 – St. Thomas, 21
RECORDS: Presbyterian (2-3)…St. Thomas (4-2)
LOCATION: Bailey Memorial Stadium (Clinton, S.C.)
LANDON LIGHTS IT UP
- Sophomore quarterback Landon Sharpe was practically unstoppable in PC's 7th conference victory since the start of last season, passing for five touchdowns and rushing for another. He charted 455 total yards, just six off his season-high against UVA Wise.
- The White Knoll graduate generated nine plays of 20 yards or greater, including a 73-yard missile to Brice Johnson for the game's first touchdown less than three minutes in.
- Sharpe was even on the receiving end of a 13-yard pass from rookie Anton Smith in the 3rd period. He would eventually sneak into the end zone on the next play as PC kept growing the advantage throughout.
- Landon completed a pass to eight different receivers, with the aforementioned TD to Johnson being the team's longest play so far this season.
TAYLOR AT THE TOP
- Among the many Blue Hose defenders who continually clamped the Tommies all day, senior corner Noah Taylor stood out with four pass breakups. That gives him nine deflections in just five games.
- His four breakups are tied for the most of any player in a single game across all of FCS so far this season (Montana State's Takhari Carr is the only other who can match it).
- It is also tied for a Presbyterian Division-I record that was first accomplished by Rod Haygood in a 2018 loss to Gardner-Webb.
- The California native was a key piece to shutting down St. Thomas quarterback Nick Peipert, limiting the three-time PFL Freshman of the Week to a putrid 43 passing yards and two interceptions.
TURNOVER MACHINE
- Head coach Matt Rahl's unit put St. Thomas in the proverbial torture chamber for seemingly the whole contest, becoming the first team all year to force a fumble against them on the very first series.
- That was just the tip of the iceberg, as the Tommies punted on their second drive and then threw an interception on the third. Debo Hall popped the ball free and Shyne Johnson snagged it, helping stall another UST sequence.
- Senior Nick McGill was a Grade A agitator, picking off a pass at the goal line on the second play of quarter number two and returning it 41 yards. He also forced and recovered a fumble with less than seven minutes left, allowing PC to score their eighth and final touchdown.
- Carson Freese (a fifth-year defensive lineman) was responsible for Presby's third INT of the first half, a wacky play where Peipert was an inch off the ground and about to be sacked only to fling the ball straight up in the air for the taking.
- Entering Saturday, St. Thomas had surrendered just two sacks in five games (only Robert Morris and Cornell had fewer). PC got into the backfield for a season-high seven tackles-for-a-loss.
- Presbyterian played a picture-perfect first 30 minutes of football, benefitting from UST's early slip-up with the long touchdown pass to Brice Johnson.
- PC's first two scoring drives both cleared 70 yards in total distance, going up 14-0 with 2:26 to go in the opening period on a five-yard rumble from Jackson Burleson.
- McGill's end zone pick ignited a third touchdown drive for Rahl's crew, as Sharpe found a wide-open Deverious Abercrombie with 11:09 until halftime to put his squad ahead by 20 points.
- The circuslike interception by Freese provided Presby with a chance to go up by four touchdowns in the waning moments of the first half. They capitalized on the opportunity once again with a three-yard surge past the goal line from Damion Moate.
- PC's only blemish of the first two quarters was a roughing-the-kicker penalty to keep a nonexistent Tommies drive afloat, and the visitors avoided a first-half shutout by scoring with 21 seconds on the clock.
HOW IT HAPPENED – SECOND HALF
- Still ahead by a comfortable margin, the Blue Hose continued to pound St. Thomas in the 3rd quarter with two touchdown drives that both covered 75 yards on 21 combined snaps.
- Sharpe threw a 42-yard completion to Johnson on 3rd & 10 to break the Tommies' spirits, and the pair connected again later in that drive for a 10-yard TD to take a 34-7 lead.
- St. Thomas answered less than two minutes later to get back within 20 points, but PC delivered another haymaker with 4:57 to go in that same stanza (the Sharpe sneak).
HE WAS SHARP
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Sophomore quarterback Landon Sharpe of the Presbyterian College football teams has been voted the PFL Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in barely a month, announced on Sunday afternoon by league officials.
The White Knoll graduate steamrolled St. Thomas to complete PC's 10th consecutive victory at Bailey Memorial Stadium yesterday, totaling 462 yards of offense and six touchdowns (five passing, one rushing).
Sharpe becomes the first Blue Hose player to win a league Offensive Player of the Week award twice in a single year since the school's conversion to Division I in 2007 (including both the PFL and Big South).
Presbyterian drilled the Tommies by a 55-21 final score, officially giving them their largest margin of defeat in a conference contest since they joined the Pioneer Football League five years ago.
With #RahlBall in full swing, the Blue Hose have now won 11 of their last 14 PFL bouts and are anticipating heated rival Davidson who will visit next Saturday at 5:30.
THE LEGEND OF LANDON
- Sharpe has performed exquisitely so far in 2026, also taking the PFL Offensive Player of the Week honor after his first career start versus UVA Wise. In that game, he finished with 461 yards of total offense which he edged out by one yard yesterday.
- The first-year starter completed 18-of-31 attempts, including a 73-yard missile to Brice Johnson for PC's longest play of the season less than three minutes in.
- He put the ball in eight different receivers' hands, responsible for nine passing or rushing plays that exceeded 20 yards.
- With Sharpe carving up St. Thomas (who had just been named the Stats Perform FCS National Team of the Week seven days earlier), Presbyterian punted only twice in 13 full drives.
- His six total touchdowns are the most by any Pioneer League QB in a single game this season, and he even caught a 13-yard pass from freshman Anton Smith which set him up for his lone rushing TD in the 3rd quarter.
- In five full games, Sharpe has calculated 12 combined touchdowns with over 1,200 passing yards and an extra 278 on the ground. His quarterback efficiency rating against St. Thomas was 210.53, by far the highest of the campaign.
- Thanks largely to his efforts, the Scotsmen have now tied their longest-ever home winning streak which was first established in 1966. It has been 700 days since PC was last defeated at Bailey Memorial Stadium, averaging 43 points per game during that stretch.
POTW HISTORY
- No Presbyterian player has won a conference's Offensive Player of the Week award twice in a single year except Sharpe since the D-I turn nearly two decades ago.
- Landon is the fifth Blue Hose to win this particular award since PC's move to the Pioneer League, joining Tyler Huff, Keith Pearson, Ren Hefley, and Collin Hurst (who won the award once each in 2024 and 2025).
- The last time that a PC player of any position was given a weekly honor by the PFL twice in a single campaign was kicker Mack Mikko who took the Special Teams Player of the Week honor on two occasions in 2023.
- This is the 19th time that a Presbyterian athlete has been chosen for a PFL weekly award of any kind.
LOOKING AHEAD
- Head coach Matt Rahl's unit has the chance to set a new school record for longest-ever home winning streak on October 10 when Davidson comes to town on ESPN+.
- This rivalry matchup is dubbed the "Carolina Border Clash", with the winner receiving the Battle for the 1919 Cup trophy. Saturday will be the 37th all-time meeting between the two schools who are separated by just two hours.
TROUBLEMAKER
One of the biggest troublemakers for a defense that wreaked havoc on St. Thomas, senior cornerback Nick McGill of the Presbyterian College football team has been selected as the Adidas / Game One PC Student-Athlete of the Week.
McGill was responsible for two of the Tommies' five turnovers as the Blue Hose picked up their first conference victory of the season in convincing fashion 55-21. On Monday, they were named an "Honorable Mention" FCS National Team of the Week by Stats Perform.
Presby pummeled St. Thomas and nearly pitched a first-half shutout, stopping three 4th-down attempts and holding them to 14 points below their season average.
McGill and co. have now won 11 of their last 14 Pioneer League games dating back to 2024, tying the all-time program record with their 10th consecutive home win.
They'll have the opportunity to break that record this weekend versus arch-rival Davidson in the annual Carolina Border Clash, kicking off at 5:30 on ESPN+.
McGILL THE THRILL
- Transferring to Presbyterian from The Citadel in 2025 and staying on the roster following Matt Rahl's promotion last winter, the Charleston native was a true menace in the St. Thomas blowout.
- McGill swiped his first interception of the year on the second play of the second quarter, taking the ball out of the end zone and returning it 41 yards. He also forced and recovered a 4th-quarter fumble which led to PC's final touchdown with six minutes left.
- He and classmate Noah Taylor combined for seven pass breakups in the one-sided win, massively slowing down three-time PFL Freshman of the Week Nick Peipert for just 43 passing yards and two INT's.
- The Blue Hose handed St. Thomas their largest margin of defeat in a conference game since they joined the league in 2021, tying the program's all-time-longest home winning streak which was established 60 years ago.
- Offensively, PC manufactured eight touchdowns and surpassed 500 total yards for the second straight home game. Quarterback Landon Sharpe was voted the PFL Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in barely a month.
GAME ONE
- The Presbyterian College athletic department partnered with Game One – an official team dealer for Adidas – on a multi-year apparel agreement in November of 2022. PC's partnership with Adidas began in 2015 to outfit the Blue Hose athletic programs.
- Game One is among the country's largest and fastest-growing sports equipment and apparel suppliers, serving a loyal customer base of 13,000 schools and organizations in 38 states.
Presbyterian's Adidas / Game One Student-Athlete of the Week
August 25, 2026 – Emilia Lieber, Women's Soccer
September 1, 2026 – Courtney Williams, Volleyball
September 10, 2026 – Garrison Fisher, Men's Cross Country
September 16, 2026 – Sloane Spessard, Women's Golf
September 22, 2026 – Gabriel Godoy, Men's Tennis
September 29, 2026 – Spence Hagood, Men's Golf
PC Football Win photo gallery here.
THE CHALLENGE from coaches. here.
