Presbyterian routs St. Thomas 55-21 to extend home winning streak to 10 games
October 4, 2026
Presbyterian College kept one of the longest home winning streaks in the Football Championship Subdivision alive Saturday afternoon, overwhelming St. Thomas 55-21 at Bailey Memorial Stadium in Clinton.
The victory was the Blue Hose’s 10th straight at home, matching a program record set in 1966 and ranking as the fifth-longest active home streak in the FCS. PC has now gone more than 700 days without a loss at Bailey Memorial.
Presbyterian topped 500 yards of total offense for the second consecutive home game and forced five turnovers. The 34-point margin was the most lopsided Pioneer Football League loss for St. Thomas since the Minnesota school joined the conference five seasons ago, and it came one week after the Tommies were named Stats Perform FCS National Team of the Week for a win over preseason favorite San Diego.
Presbyterian improved to 2-3, while St. Thomas fell to 4-2.
Sharpe accounts for six touchdowns
Sophomore quarterback Landon Sharpe, a White Knoll High School graduate, threw five touchdown passes and ran for another, finishing with 455 yards of total offense. He completed passes to eight receivers, and his 73-yard scoring strike to Brice Johnson less than three minutes into the game was the team’s longest play of the season. Sharpe also caught a 13-yard pass from freshman Anton Smith in the third quarter before scoring on a quarterback sneak on the next play.
Defense forces five turnovers
Senior cornerback Noah Taylor broke up four passes, tying for the most by any FCS player in a single game this season and matching a Presbyterian Division I record set by Rod Haygood in 2018. Taylor helped hold St. Thomas quarterback Nick Peipert to 43 passing yards with two interceptions.
Debo Hall forced a fumble on the opening series, and Shyne Johnson recovered it. Senior Nick McGill intercepted a pass at the goal line and returned it 41 yards, then forced and recovered a fumble late in the game. Fifth-year defensive lineman Carson Freese added an interception when Peipert, about to be sacked, threw the ball straight into the air.
St. Thomas had allowed only two sacks in its first five games, but Presbyterian recorded a season-high seven tackles for loss. Senior linebacker Jalyn Turner led the way with 3.5, the most by a Blue Hose player in four years.
How the game unfolded
After the opening touchdown, Jackson Burleson ran 5 yards for a score to make it 14-0 in the first quarter. Sharpe found Deverious Abercrombie for a touchdown following McGill’s interception, and Damion Moate’s 3-yard run after Freese’s pick gave PC a 27-0 lead. St. Thomas scored with 21 seconds left in the half.
Sharpe and Brice Johnson connected on a 10-yard touchdown in the third quarter for a 34-7 lead, and Sharpe’s sneak later in the period kept the Tommies at a distance. Presbyterian shut out St. Thomas in the fourth quarter on touchdown catches by Caleb Johnson from 14 yards and Anton Smith from 31 yards.
Up next
Presbyterian hosts rival Davidson next Saturday at 5:30 p.m. in the annual Carolina Border Clash, with the 1919 Cup on the line. The game will stream on ESPN+.
