Blue Hose riding high into CSU

WHO: Presbyterian at Charleston Southern

WHEN: 1:30 p.m.

WHERE: CSU Stadium

RECORDS: PC 4-5; CSU 4-5

RADIO: WJNI 106.3-FM

Two weeks ago, Liberty beat Charleston Southern, 42-0.

Last week, Presbyterian edged Liberty, 31-28.

We'll let CSU coach Jay Mills do the math.

"I guess that makes Presbyterian a 45-point favorite over us," Mills said of the Buccaneers' matchup with the Blue Hose today at CSU Stadium.

College football does not work that way, of course, but the comparative scores do indicate what kind of challenge CSU is in for today against the Blue Hose, which will travel down I-26 from Clinton with one of the biggest wins in school history in the bag.

Presbyterian's win over No. 17 Liberty last week was its first against a ranked FCS team, and likely ended the Flames' hopes for an at-large berth in the FCS playoffs.

It stands as a milestone in PC's transition from Division II to the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA), and signaled that coach Bobby Bentley's team will be a player in the Big South Conference when it becomes eligible to compete for the league title next season.

So far, the Blue Hose are 3-3 against Big South teams since making the move from Division II in 2007, including a 28-24 loss to CSU last season.

"This team has been through a lot of adversity and injuries," said Bentley, who is in his second season at PC after building a powerhouse program at Byrnes High School. "I'm proud of the way our guys have responded. It was a great atmosphere in the locker room after the Liberty game, and our fans really got into it in the fourth quarter."

One of the key injuries the Blue Hose has suffered was a season-ending one to quarterback Tim Webb. But redshirt freshman Brandon Miley has stepped in without missing a beat, and played his best game yet against Liberty, hitting 21 of 29 passes for 301 yards and two touchdowns. In the second half, he was 11 of 14 for 192 yards, including a 43-yard TD and a 70-yard pass that set up the tying TD in the third quarter.

"Brandon has come on and done extremely well, and is playing with a lot of confidence," Mills said.

PC has three receivers with more than 40 catches each in Brandon Clark, Terrence Butler and S.J. Worrell. Worrell, a 5-8, 203-pound junior, also is the Blue Hose's leading rusher with 488 yards and five TDs.

CSU is coming off a 31-21 win over VMI and can finish with seven wins by defeating PC, Edward Waters and Coastal Carolina. That would tie for the second-most wins in school history and be just the third winning season since CSU began football in 1991.

"Overall, the VMI game was the best game we've played this year in all three phases of the game," Mills said. "On offense, it was the best balance we've had in running and throwing the ball."

Against VMI, quarterback Tribble Reese hit 19 of 25 passes for 243 yards and two TDs against two interceptions. The Bucs also ran for 188 yards and two scores, as Gerald Stevenson got 80 yards on just seven carries, and Antwan Ivey went for 53 yards on 15 tries. Stevenson also caught seven passes for 71 yards.