DAYTON, Ohio – As the midseason Pioneer Football League marathon chugs forward, the Presbyterian College football team will make its fourth road appearance of the year on Saturday in a northern maneuver to Dayton.
Kickoff against the Flyers in PFL bout number three is settled for 1:00 PM and will be broadcasted on Facebook Live.
Prior to 2021, the Blue Hose had never locked horns with their Ohioan opponents. That's changed to an annual series since PC made the transition to the PFL, with Saturday representing the school's second-ever visit to the Flyers' turf and third meeting all-time.
Returning home after nearly a month of road features and a BYE spliced in between, head coach Steve Englehart's crew came up on the short end of a high-drama battle against Stetson last week in a 28-24 heartbreaker. Despite the loss, the Blue Hose continue to compete feverishly in search of the program's first Pioneer League W.
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
WHAT: Presbyterian (2-3, 0-2) at Dayton (2-4, 0-3)
WHERE: Welcome Stadium | Dayton, Ohio
WHEN: Saturday, October 14 | 1:00 PM
FOLLOW THE ACTION
WATCH: Facebook Live
LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast
TWITTER: @BlueHoseFtball
NOTES: Presbyterian Notes | Dayton Notes | PFL Weekly Report
Opponent Profile
• The Flyers have some catching up to do if desiring a comparable campaign to the eight-win '22 semester, thus far displaying a record of 2-4 next to a winless trek in conference territory.
• After racking up a combined 114 points in back-to-back non-D1 victories, Dayton has slumped to three PFL losses in a row at the hands of San Diego (40-25), St. Thomas (20-14), and most recently Morehead State in Kentucky across a 31-7 mauling.
• That's the first time that the Flyers have taken three straight L's since the 2017 season, hoping to turn things around under first-year head coach and UD alum Trevor Andrews.
• Despite the subpar start to league meetings, Dayton leads all schools in the division with 121 first downs (20th nationally). Additionally, the Flyers rank 3rd among all conference squads in rushing offense and defense (182 yards per game and 124 yards per game, respectively).
Last Time Out
• Either in possession of the lead or locked in a tie for 59 minutes and 36 seconds in the team's return to Bailey Memorial last weekend, the Blue Hose fell to Stetson in the final moments by a 28-24 clip.
• Filling in for injured starter Tyler Wesley at the quarterback spot, sophomore Ty Englehart performed exquisitely versus the Hatters on 210 yards through the air, contributing to three total touchdowns beside a completion percentage of 76%.
• Englehart, who assembled 245 yards in his last start coincidentally against Stetson in November '22, connected on 18 out of his first 20 pass attempts on Saturday. He found seven separate receivers in the tight loss, scattering 129 combined yards to Worth Warner and Dominic Kibby.
Wesley Hitting His Stride
• Taking control of PC's open quarterback position during the preseason and steadily becoming one of the most prolific young players in the Pioneer Football League, Tyler Wesley currently ranks among the PFL's best with 979 passing yards (3rd), 48 points responsible for (5th), 195.8 passing yards per game (3rd), and 16.8 yards per throw.
• Those near-17 yards per attempt is the second-highest number among all FCS QB's, trailing only Villanova's Connor Watkins (17.2).
• Through four starts, Wesley has established a quarterback rating of 140.3, better than every other player at his position across the board in the PFL. Presby's 362 total yards per game rank as the third-best in the division.
Around the PFL
• Five of the league's running backs enter Week 7 ranked among the FCS Top 35 in rushing yards per game, led by Butler's Jyran Mitchell whose 114.8 yards per game ranks sixth among FCS rushers. Davidson's Mari Adams (91.0 ypg) and San Diego's Isaiah Williams (85.4 ypg) are ranked 20th and 25th respectively. Marist's Amin Woods (81.2 ypg) and Dayton's Michael Neel (79.2 ypg) check in at 30th and 33rd in the FCS respectively.
• San Diego and Davidson remain among the FCS' stingiest teams regarding turnovers. Both the Toreros and Wildcats have lost just two turnovers this season. San Diego has not had a pass
intercepted, while Davidson has not lost a fumble in 2023. Drake (4) and Butler (6) also rank among the FCS Top 35 in fewest turnovers lost. San Diego, Davidson, Butler, and Drake also enter the week with positive turnover margins – the Toreros leading in the FCS with a plus 2.0 margin.
• PFL members have been involved in four of the FCS' 14 overtime games in 2023. Marist and Valparaiso became the latest to need extra time to determine a victory in Week 4. It was the second straight time the two teams went to overtime in a game played on Brown Field in Valparaiso. Stetson, Drake, and San Diego played an overtime game in non-conference action.
