Bucs look to keep league foe PC winless

As he watched Presbyterian on film this week, Charleston Southern coach Jay Mills found himself a bit mystified.

"I'm surprised they don't have a win yet," he said of the 0-8 Blue Hose. "But I think it's a matter of when for them, not if."

Mills, of course, hopes that when is not today for Presbyterian, which takes on the Buccaneers at 1:30 p.m. at Bailey Memorial Stadium in Clinton.

Presbyterian began the season under first-year coach Harold Nichols with some promise, racking up 432 yards of offense in a 45-21 loss to Furman and rushing for 204 yards in a 46-21 loss at The Citadel.

But a tough schedule -- the Blue Hose faced four Southern Conference teams before taking on a full Big South slate -- proved too much for a young team that lost coach Bobby Bentley in the middle of a transition from NCAA Division II to FCS.

"There have been some things we can build on," said Nichols, a 1989 Presbyterian graduate who is playing 17 true freshmen this season. "But we are 0-8 right now, and nobody is happy with that. Our kids have given great effort and are learning some big lessons."

Most of those lessons have been on defense, where the Blue Hose are giving up 41.6 points and 479.2 yards per game, both last in the Big South.

On offense, quarterbacks Tim Webb and Brandon Miley have been splitting snaps. They have combined for nine touchdowns and 18 interceptions. Trandon Dendy is the top rushing threat, with 554 yards and five TDs; he ran for 147 yards and a TD against The Citadel.

"We have total respect for them," Mills said. "They don't look a lot different from us. The margin is so close every game, it just comes down to which team makes fewer mistakes."

CSU cut down on mistakes in last week's 31-21 conference win at VMI, snapping a two-game skid and keeping alive hopes for a winning season.

The Bucs turned the ball over only once and had just five penalties at VMI. They were sparked by a 50-yard punt return for a TD by Antwan Ivey, the Big South special teams player of the week.

"We did not have the self-inflicted wounds which we had in previous games," Mills said. "For the first time all season, we won the turnover battle, and that had been a point of contention."

CSU has won three straight over Presbyterian, including a 29-18 victory last season.