Defense leads Blue Hose to win over Dayton | Sports | golaurens.com

CLINTON, S.C. – The Presbyterian College football team achieved back-to-back conference victories for the first time since joining the PFL on Saturday afternoon, dominating the Dayton Flyers for a 28-7 triumph that was assisted by a phenomenal defensive display.

Forcing four turnovers and keeping Dayton out of the end zone for every drive except one, the Blue Hose steamrolled their league opponent for the second straight week, grounding UD for almost 45 minutes on their way to a 21-point W.

Head coach Steve Englehart’s crew controlled the clock to a massive degree in the opening half, holding possession for almost 19 minutes in that span and keeping the ball out of Dayton’s hands for all but six minutes.

After sprinting past Stetson with a 35-7 halftime advantage last week, PC was again excellent in the first two periods. Defensive coordinator Dan Owen’s squad pitched a first-half shutout for the second occasion this season.

The Scotsmen outgained their visitors in total yards 190-38 in the first 30 minutes, riding that large lead all the way to the finish line for their second win over Dayton in as many years.

PC’s confidence is at supreme levels following consecutive PFL blowouts, ending their 10-week streak of competition and awaiting an upcoming BYE.

FINAL SCORE – Presbyterian, 28 – Dayton, 7

RECORDS – Presbyterian (4-6, 2-4) – Dayton (5-3, 3-2)

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

NOTABLES

- Dayton entered Saturday’s affair as the FCS leader in both total yards allowed (231 per game) and first downs given up (11 per game). Presby annihilated both those averages, gaining 11 first downs in the opening half and 21 for the game, reaching a grand total of 336 yards.

- Thrust into the role of starting kicker mid-season, Peter Lipscombe ascended to a never-before-seen stat line by a Blue Hose in the school’s Division I era (2007 onward).

- Lipscombe collected 14 points by himself in the W, hitting four field goals in a single game. That’s the first time in PC’s D-I history that this feat has ever happened.

- Known for his efficiency and decision-making, Jerry Rice Award Watch List member Collin Hurst continued his outstanding play by finding his target on 22 of his 27 throws.

- Hurst was 17-for-20 after two quarters, completing 12 consecutive passes before intermission and ending the game with an 81-percent hit rate (208 yards).

- The redshirt-freshman has now finished a full game without an interception for the fourth time in the last five matchups (all conference clashes).

- Senior tailback Quante Jennings nearly posted two triple-digit performances in a row after he and Antonio Wright both passed the century mark last week, carrying 17 times for 89 yards and a 2nd-quarter touchdown.

- PC slammed the door on any thoughts of a Dayton comeback by popping the ball loose in consecutive drives near the close of the game. Sebastian Conwell and Tariq Hollinger were the ones to stop those series dead in their tracks and preserve the hefty lead.

- In the past two outings, the Blue Hose have outgunned the other team by a combined score of 50-7 in the opening half. With eight minutes to go until the break on Saturday, Presby had outgained the Flyers in overall yardage 148-11.

HOW IT HAPPENED – FIRST HALF

- The Scotsmen grabbed points on their first drive for the second straight meeting, guiding in the longest of Lipscombe’s kicks on a 37-yarder.

- Dayton, on the other hand, was unable to pick up a single first down in the entire first frame, botching a punt at the end of their first set which led to a safety and a 5-0 edge for Coach Englehart’s gang going into the next chapter.

- The Flyers were anything but flying in the opening quarter, posting -2 total yards on only six snaps. This was just the beginning of the visitors’ offensive misery.

- More evidence of PC’s clock-management perfection, the score was boosted to 12-0 on a 13-play drive that devoured nearly seven minutes. Jennings ended that series by converting a third-and-short for a 12-yard touchdown scurry.

- Presbyterian’s aggressiveness didn’t waver as they piled on the points, denying a 4th-and-1 handoff to turn Dayton over on downs just past midfield (7:43 in the 2nd).

- Lipscombe’s second boot pushed the margin to 15-0 at the halfway point, 50 percent through his individual historic day.

HOW IT HAPPENED – SECOND HALF

- All four of the Flyers’ turnovers happened in the 3rd and 4th quarters, starting the second half with a Malek Horlback strip-sack that ended in an 11-yard loss and a fumble.

- The Blue Hose pounced on the opportunity to turn that mistake into seven more points, carrying out that goal with an 8-yard touchdown run that gave them their largest lead of the afternoon (22-0).

- Normally catching TD’s instead of rushing for them, senior tight end Worth Warner was the beneficiary on an option pitch from Hurst that essentially put the game out of reach for the road team.

- Dayton’s next drive saw them get further into PC territory than they had been all day (the 18-yard line), although they couldn’t move the needle any more thanks to a Brooks Russ-Martin deflection on 4th down.

- Brooks and his twin brother Bradley added up for four deflections in the beatdown, ensuring that the Flyers’ struggles persisted.

- A 22-yard chip shot from Lipscombe made PC’s largest lead a teeny bit bigger at 25-0, beating out Indiana State for the title of scoring the most points in a single game that Dayton has allowed all season long.

- Dayton’s only touchdown of the contest came with five seconds to go in the 3rd, a two-yard plunge that served as their first TD in a seven-quarter stretch.

- Thanks to Conwell and Hollinger’s aforementioned forced fumbles, the Blue Hose confirmed that would be all for the Flyers’ scoring production. Lipscombe made school history on a 34-yard connection with 98 ticks to go, solidifying the sole-game record and putting the final tally to its resting place of 28-7.

UP NEXT

- A much-deserved BYE for Coach Englehart’s unit will give Presby an extra week of prep for their last two games later this month. Sitting out next Saturday, they’ll face Marist in New York on the 16th for their final road trip of the semester.

- It’s been a total nightmare for the Red Foxes in 2024, falling to Drake 19-0 in their last appearance to slump to 0-9 on the year. Before going up against PC, they’ll first battle Stetson in Florida next weekend.

- Kickoff in Poughkeepsie will take place at 12:00 noon in 14 days.

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