By MONTE DUTTON

Presbyterian College’s football team has thus far enjoyed a season of magic.

The Blue Hose don’t award scholarships in football. They play in the Pioneer Football League, which is made up of Division I schools that give athletic aid in other sports but not football.

When the Blue Hose are not cavorting about in the far-flung confines of the PFL, they are preoccupied with teams that do give scholarships. They defeated Mercer, Furman, Erskine and Bluefield (Va.) in their first four games. In their most recent outing, they tamed Morehead State, the first PFL foe. The score was 41-0.

Presbyterian has not opened 5-0 since Dwight D. Eisenhower was president (1959). Dating back to last season, the Blue Hose have won nine straight games, which is something no other Division I school can boast. In the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), PC is one of eight undefeated teams, joining Harvard, Lehigh, Montana, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Tarleton (Texas) State and Tennessee Tech.

Last week Presbyterian (5-0, 1-0 PFL) was off. The leading rusher, Zach Switzer, was one of several players who used the free Saturday to heal some bumps and bruises.

Here’s hoping a week off wasn’t a buzz kill.

“With the pause and everything, we still practiced the same amount of time that we would have on a regular week,” head coach Steve Englehart said. “We just did things a little differently, took the pads off a little more, focused a little more on some individual and special teams, focused a little more on conditioning and running, gave them Friday and Saturday off and then had them back on Sunday.

“Now we’re back on the normal schedule, but the trick is, because everybody took a little bit of a breath, that bye week, after going nine weeks really hard (counting preseason camp), it came at a good time. Now we have to get the edge back.”

This is a key game. Last year, PC upset Butler (4-2, 2-0), preventing the Bulldogs from winning a possible PFL title. Drake, of Des Moines, Iowa, won the league. PC does not play Drake (also Bulldogs) this season. The season is young, but the title could wind up being decided by Saturday’s game at 1 p.m.

“Defensively, they’re not going to beat themselves,” said Englehart of Butler. “Their secondary is maybe the best we’ve played. It’s really going to come down to the basics of football.

“How you block. How you tackle. How you execute. And who can do that for the longest period of time. Who plays the most consistently for 60 minutes.”

PC has thus far scored 61 more points (213) than any other PFL member. (Dayton has 152.). The Hose have also allowed the fewest points (65). (Dayton has allowed 80.)

Four of 11 members remain undefeated in league play. Butler and Dayton are 2-0; PC and Drake are 1-0. Saturday’s other games match Saint Thomas (Minn.) at Davidson, Morehead (Ky.) State at Stetson (Fla.), Dayton (Ohio) at Valparaiso (Ind.) and Drake at San Diego.

Presbyterian returns to Bailey Memorial Stadium on Oct. 18 to play Stetson in the Blue Hose’ fourth straight 1 p.m. game.

“If you start bad, and then you finish with eight straight, that’s what they remember. If you start good, and then you lose eight straight, that’s what they remember, too. It’s not as important how we started, but it matters how we finish,” Englehart said.

The Blue Hose have heroes in both platoons. Quarterback Collin Hurst could scarcely have played better: .677 completion percentage, 90/133, 15 touchdowns, four interceptions. Five receivers have 14 or more catches. Switzer and Justin Montgomery both average more than 7.5 yards per rush. Six players have at least 20 tackles.

It’s a pretty picture.

It was an historic Thursday morning at the Waffle House. A talkative fellow announced he was running for president. Said Trump was going to be his veep.

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