Presbyterian Slays Another SoCon Giant in 39-38 Overtime Classic
GREENVILLE, S.C. – For the second time in as many weeks pertaining to the Presbyterian College football team, the amount of adversity that came in PC’s direction was never too great as the Blue Hose defeated their second consecutive SoCon opponent, Furman, in a 39-38 overtime thriller on Saturday.
Head coach Steve Englehart‘s crew overcame a 21-point deficit, a second-half missed field goal, three interceptions, and a near-two-hour lightning delay to force OT on a 24-3 extended run.
Redshirt-sophomore quarterback Collin Hurst was never phased by the takeaways as he slung five touchdowns and completed a pass to nine different receivers.
No one was more front-and-center than senior tight end Nathan Levicki, PC’s top target on the night who was responsible for both the touchdown in overtime and the game-winning two-point conversion.
Presbyterian has now defeated a Southern Conference school in back-to-back games for the first time in school history. Prior to 2023, no one from the Pioneer Football League had ever beaten any institution from the SoCon, a challenge that Englehart has now conquered three times.
LEVICKI LIVING LARGE
– Never at any point did the Blue Hose lead until the final play of the night, as Levicki made a diving attempt in the back corner of the end zone to help PC pull off another improbable victory.
– Presby’s current touchdown leader on the season, nearly 40 percent of Levicki’s receptions have resulted in a score. Classmate Dominic Kibby set up the Scotsmen at the three-yard line after a pickup of 22, and it was all Levicki from then on.
MEETING THE MOMENT
– Seven days after a seismic upset over #11 Mercer that featured similar last-second offensive heroics, PC came into Saturday’s clash with both sides receiving votes in the latest AFCA FCS Coaches Poll.
– Each of the last four games between Presby and the Paladins have been decided by 10 points or less (dating back to 2012), and it’s the blue and garnet who have seized the W in their last two attempts of this in-state feud.
– Coach Englehart’s squad has won its first two meetings of 2025 by a combined six points. After falling behind by three touchdowns with five minutes until the break, PC’s exceptional defense battened down the hatches and only surrendered three points for the rest of regulation.
PALADIN PROHIBITION
– Following a Furman field goal with nine minutes and 43 seconds remaining in the third quarter – a play that put the home side ahead by 17 – the PC defense would not allow another first down until overtime.
– Five consecutive Furman drives ended in either a three-and-out or a turnover before they could move the chains. The Paladins did not have a single play greater than eight yards over the final 27 minutes of regulation.
– Therefore, the Blue Hose managed to outgain Furman 444-370 despite frequent miscues that threatened to disrupt any bursts of momentum.
– None of Furman’s last five drives (spanning the back half of the 3rd quarter and the entire 4th) lasted longer than a minute and 43 seconds.
NOTABLES
– Malik Lewis and Boyce Bankhead formed a fierce linebacker duo with 17 combined tackles while defensive back Zeb Stroup added a career-best eight stops himself.
– Alex Ward, Michael Torres, and Christian Ohagwu lined up two tackles apiece behind the line of scrimmage, while preseason All-PFL’er Carter Szydlowski recovered arguably the most crucial fumble of the Englehart era with 4:46 on the clock which aided the three-score comeback.
– Jason Briones and Terry Mikell each had an interception to further fluster Furman into losing its double-digit advantage. Four different PC players had a pass breakup in the win.
HOW IT HAPPENED – FIRST HALF
– A costly mistake on the first play from scrimmage allowed Furman to touch the end zone on their opening turn. Hurst’s INT came just seven seconds in, leading to an eight-play series and seven points in the other direction.
– Both sides exchanged punts before Presbyterian evened things up at the 4:15 stamp of quarter number one. Senior Cincere Gill grabbed his first TD of the new year that finished a five-play sequence, taking the Palmetto rivals to the second frame on a tie.
– The next 15 minutes were mostly owned by Furman, scoring three touchdowns in that span on a five-yard rush, a 22-yard throw, and a one-yard plunge over a pile of defenders.
– PC was now in their biggest hole of the night, although they mustered a takeaway and another TD on Mikell’s interception and a 17-yard haul by Levicki that paled in comparison to his dramatics later on.
HOW IT HAPPENED – SECOND HALF
– It was virtually all Blue Hose after the aforementioned field goal by reigning National Special Teams Player of the Week Ian Williams, answering those three points with an 11-play drive that ate up 75 yards and ended on a drop-off to Zach Switzer to pull Presby within 10.
– The tally stayed 31-21 going into the last stanza, and things were starting to look bleak after a botched field goal from PC early in the 4th.
– A quick Furman punt enabled the Scotsmen to stay with solid field position, however, and they quickly found themselves back in the Paladin red zone.
– Furman snuffed out an opportunity for Presbyterian to get even closer though, snaring their third INT and increasing their odds of winning exponentially.
– Defensive coordinator Dan Owen‘s group didn’t blink, forcing a three-and-out for the third series in a row to keep the Blue Hose at arm’s length.
– With PC on the six-yard line and facing 2nd down, the contest entered a lengthy weather delay that made both sides ponder their final maneuvers down the stretch. When play was allowed to resume, Coach E’s gang settled for a short-distance field goal that made it a one-score deficit (the smallest it had been in 34 minutes of game-time).
– Trying to play keep-away and lean on their ground attack, Furman’s strategy backfired as the ball popped free and Szydlowski scooped it for a 14-yard gain.
– Suddenly, PC had their first shot at tying things up since the score was seven-all, and they took all of eight seconds to make it happen.
– Hurst lobbed a 12-yard fade to BJ Atkins, who fought through a deflection from the cornerback and made the grab inbounds. His first career touchdown made it a 31-31 deadlock, and both sides were content with overtime.
DOWN GOES FURMAN
– Since sixty minutes couldn’t settle it, PC won the overtime coin toss and elected to play defense first. With a short field in front of them, the Paladins made good use of it and scored in six plays.
– Presbyterian only needed two snaps to deliver the counterblow (hitting Kibby and Levicki), which led to Englehart making the decision to go for two and the win rather than advance to a second OT.
– The ultimate gamble paid off, as Levicki fought through a hard jersey pull and got both paws on the ball to give the Blue Hose another sensational W.
UP NEXT
– All eyes are on Presbyterian as they’ve obtained two straight heart-stopping victories over higher-rated programs. They must play two more non-conference opponents before the schedule flips to PFL terrain, starting a three-game homestand next weekend.
– The Blue Hose will entertain Erskine on September 13 under the lights, beginning at 7:00 on ESPN+. PC grounded the Flying Fleet last year 31-14 thanks to 229 all-purpose yards by Switzer that included a 90-yard kick return TD.
– Erskine got off on the wrong foot to start the ’25 slate, falling to Anderson on Saturday 35-7.
