Up to #16 nationally

The 7-0 Presbyterian College football team (one win away from a new program-record for the greatest start to a season in school history) has moved up to #16 on Monday’s AFCA Coaches Poll. The Blue Hose remain at #19 in the Stats Perform rankings.

PC has hit a new high with their #16 spot in the AFCA poll, the first Pioneer Football League team in seven years to be included in both polls at the same time. On Saturday, Presby dispatched Stetson 42-7 at Bailey Memorial Stadium.

With over 7,000 fans witnessing PC’s sixth consecutive home win, the Blue Hose have now pushed their overall winning streak to 11 games. That’s tied with Ohio State and North Dakota State for the second-longest active streak in all of Division I.

No team in the PFL has been ranked as high as #16 in the AFCA Coaches Poll since the start of the 2009 campaign.

On Sunday, PC made the milestone of 365 days since their last defeat. 2008 was the last time that they claimed six straight home victories.

The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) has conducted a weekly poll of FBS programs since 1950 and has ranked teams at the FCS level since the late 70’s. Founded in 1922, the AFCA is comprised of over 11,000 members and represents 90 percent of college football head coaches.

The Stats Perform panel is made up of 56 individuals who represent all 13 conferences (129 teams) in FCS.

AFCA FCS COACHES POLL – WEEK 9 (OCTOBER 20)

1. North Dakota State (7-0) – 625 Points – 25 First-Place Votes
2. South Dakota State (7-0) – 597 Points
3. Tarleton State (8-0) – 578 Points
4. Montana (7-0) – 547 Points
5. Montana State (5-2) – 501 Points
6. UC Davis (5-1) – 487 Points
7. Lehigh (7-0) – 465 Points
8. Tennessee Tech (7-0) – 431 Points
9. Monmouth (6-1) – 417 Points
10. North Dakota (5-2) – 398 Points
11. Jackson State (5-1) – 345 Points
12. Villanova (5-2) – 322 Points
13. Rhode Island (6-2) – 314 Points
14. Mercer (5-1) – 277 Points
15. Lamar (6-1) – 268 Points
16. Presbyterian (7-0) – 241 Points
17. Harvard (5-0) – 198 Points
18. Southern Illinois (4-3) – 165 Points
19. Southeastern Louisiana (5-2) – 164 Points
20. Illinois State (4-3) – 163 Points
21. Youngstown State (4-3) – 155 Points
22. Northern Arizona (4-3) – 124 Points
23. Austin Peay (4-3) – 73 Points
24. Stephen F. Austin (5-2) – 64 Points
25. Abilene Christian (4-4) – 48 Points

STATS PERFORM TOP 25 POLL – WEEK 9 (OCTOBER 20)

1. North Dakota State (7-0) – 1,399 Points – 55 First-Place Votes
2. South Dakota State (7-0) – 1,339 Points – 1 First-Place Vote
3. Tarleton State (8-0) – 1,276 Points
4. Montana (7-0) – 1,220 Points
5. Montana State (5-2) – 1,198 Points
6. UC Davis (5-1) – 1,078 Points
7. Lehigh (7-0) – 1,035 Points
8. North Dakota (5-2) – 995 Points
9. Tennessee Tech (7-0) – 987 Points
10. Monmouth (6-1) – 909 Points
11. Villanova (5-2) – 683 Points
12. Jackson State (5-1) – 638 Points
13. Rhode Island (6-2) – 631 Points
14. Harvard (5-0) – 601 Points
15. Lamar (6-1) – 585 Points
16. Southern Illinois (4-3) – 481 Points
17. Mercer (5-1) – 475 Points
18. Illinois State (4-3) – 429 Points
19. Presbyterian (7-0) – 369 Points
20. Northern Arizona (4-3) – 342 Points
21. South Dakota (5-3) – 296 Points
22. Youngstown State (4-3) – 244 Points
23. Abilene Christian (4-4) – 227 Points
24. Stephen F. Austin (5-2) – 226 Points
25. Austin Peay (4-3) – 182 Points

ELITE EIGHT

- Head coach Steve Englehart’s squad is one of eight FCS teams to still be undefeated this late into the season (along with five other FBS teams who are without a loss).

- Only Tennessee Tech has a longer current winning streak than the Scotsmen, as Presby is putting up 39 points per game during the 12-month streak. On the flip side, they are allowing just 15 points per game defensively across this stretch.

- PC had gone six consecutive games without allowing a touchdown in the fourth quarter until a late Stetson score. It was the first points of any kind that the Blue Hose had surrendered in 13 consecutive quarters when playing at home.

ONE-SIDED DUB

- It was a grind-out win for Presbyterian last weekend (their seventh PFL triumph in a row), ahead 21-0 at halftime and leading by as many as 35.

- Sophomore running back Justin Montgomery rushed for three TD’s, the first PC player since 2017 to accomplish that feat. Meanwhile, quarterback Collin Hurst threw for 236 yards and a touchdown, shaking off his first interception in over a month for another solid showing.

- Malachi Gordon vacuumed his first collegiate interception to put an exclamation on the win, the 10^th pick of the season by the Blue Hose which is the second-most in America.

LOOKING AHEAD TO DAYTON

- The Dayton Flyers will be PC’s next challenger in Ohio, as coach Englehart’s unit travels north this Saturday for a noon kickoff.

- Dayton was a casualty of Presby’s season-closing four-game winning streak last year, a 28-7 rout at Bailey Memorial. In 2023, the Blue Hose won this matchup in overtime thanks to a walk-off 34-yard field goal in the pouring rain.

- The action next weekend will be streamed live on YouTube, as PC’s push for a playoff bid continues.