PC Denies Dayton’s Comeback in Overtime with Mikko’s Game-Sealing Kick

At this stage of the season, true freshman Mack Mikko has connected on 10 field goals in six contests. None were larger than the rain-drenched 34-yarder that he blasted in overtime on Saturday afternoon, lifting the Presbyterian College football team past the Dayton Flyers for the program’s first-ever Pioneer League victory, 20-17.

Bringing the Blue Hose back to .500 at 3-3, Mikko and his squad have officially shaken the stigma surrounding their recent PFL shortcomings in dramatic fashion. The school’s first W in three attempts over Dayton, Saturday’s thriller gives head coach Steve Englehart a signature win in his second year as the program’s director.

“Today was a huge win for our program considering the circumstances of the last two quarters”, commented Englehart. “We didn’t play a very strong 4^th, but to get our first league win on the road and in overtime is a testament to how hard these guys work”.

“You learn a lot about yourself in a win of that nature, but I can say that everyone has unlimited confidence in Mack and there was no question that he was gonna put that field goal right down the middle”.

Plugging away towards a lead that reached as high as 17, Presbyterian nearly experienced a crippling fate of déjà vu after last week’s final-minute rally from Stetson. Although the Flyers were able to force an extra period, PC wasn’t deterred and surged ahead on the final play just as the clouds showered rain on the field.

At last getting the monkey off their back with a win-column performance in a conference setting, the Blue Hose will turn their momentum to Homecoming in seven days back at Bailey Memorial Stadium. Marist will line up against Englehart’s group on October 21 for another 1:00 PM kickoff on ESPN+.

FINAL SCORE: Presbyterian, 20 – Dayton, 17 (Overtime)
RECORDS: Presbyterian (3-3, 1-2) – Dayton (2-5, 0-4)
LOCATION: Welcome Stadium (Dayton, Ohio)

NOTABLES

– The pure definition of a team-oriented win, PC received worthwhile contributions from all sides in a hostile environment. Defensive coordinator Daniel Owen‘s unit forced three Flyer turnovers (two fumbles and a deep-ball interception by Anthony Thornton) that helped sway the tide in their favor and keep it that way in the end.

– Junior linebacker Alex Herriott personified a magnet to the opposing offense, registering 14 tackles (his second-most in a single game across an already fantastic career) with a pair of stops for a loss. Over the past 17 games dating back to 2022, the Hanahan native has tallied a double-digit number of tackles on seven occasions and thrice already this fall.

– Second-year lineman Carter Szydlowski possessed a similar nose for the football on Saturday, recovering two Dayton fumbles in the 2^nd and 3^rd quarters (the first time a PC player achieved that feat since 2018 versus Campbell).

– Sending it through the uprights from distances of 28 and 34 yards to propel his club to the road triumph, Mikko’s 10 made field goals on the season is currently tied for the most among all PFL kickers alongside Butler’s Luka Zurak.

– Quarterback Tyler Wesley made his way back into the starting role after sitting out last weekend’s Stetson encounter due to injury, reaching 165 passing yards on 16 completions. Four different PC wideouts amassed at least 20 yards in the heart-racing result, led by 47 from Jordan Irizarry.

– Joining Wesley in the category of “banged up the week prior but now back in the mix”, tailback JB Seay earned a career-best 61 yards on the ground along with his second touchdown of the campaign in the waning moments of the 3^rd. That play allowed the Blue Hose its largest advantage in a PFL contest at 17-0.

– Only the third time that a game involving Presbyterian has entered overtime territory since the school made the D-I jump in 2007, PC found themselves in OT for the first time since the abbreviated ’20 season. On this occasion, however, the final score tilted in the direction of the blue and garnet.

HOW IT HAPPENED – FIRST HALF

– Presby’s defense held the Flyers to zero on the board for a full 46 minutes, going ahead by three after the opening frame and by 10 with two chapters gone. Their intensity led to a turnover on downs to close the game’s second series, setting the stage for Mikko to scratch with 5:56 on the clock in the 1^st.

– The 28-yard boot was helped in part by a 3^rd-and-15 laser from Wesley to Irizarry that landed for 17 yards. Despite a 24-yard carry by Seay near the quarter’s close, it was Dayton’s turn to hold the Blue Hose on 4^th down as the chess match raged on.

– That 4^th-and-5 mishap was atoned in short order with 11:14 till’ halftime, as sophomore linebacker Nathan Hajduk steamrolled Dayton QB Drew VanVleet for a seven-yard sack where the ball popped free for good measure.

– Szydlowski pounced on the opportunity and resumed PC’s previous drive, where Wesley and Worth Warner synced up from 10 yards out to bring the lead to that same number. Warner twisted in midair to plant one foot down in bounds at the 7:47 stamp, deepening the cushion to a two-possession ballgame.

– Thornton snared his first INT in a Blue Hose uniform with just over five minutes to go in the 2^nd, representing the second time that an Englehart-coached team created a takeaway in back-to-back drives in a PFL setting (doing the same at Morehead State 12 months ago).

HOW IT HAPPENED – SECOND HALF

– A crucial mistake at the 7:42 mark of the 3^rd nearly haunted Presbyterian in the long run, coughing up the ball at the goal line after each side produced a three-and-out post-break. Staying true to the theme of the day, the Blue Hose didn’t waver and turned over the Flyers just three minutes later, with Malik Lewis being the one to jar the ball loose.

– Six plays and 47 yards later, Seay plunged in his second score of the season and the lead sat at a seemingly-insurmountable 17 points.

– Channeling Stetson from last week, Dayton then began a furious rally all the way to a tie. A 42-yard rush on a 4^th-and-2 scenario would finally hand the Flyers their first chance at a profitable drive, hitting a 30-yard FG early in the last stanza.

– Suddenly, things got much more interesting after two PC series that tapped out at three plays. A 50-yard touchdown march from the home side whittled the lead to seven with over six minutes on the clock, finding the end zone on a 13-yard handoff.

– In what became Dayton’s last turn before the final horn, the Flyers orchestrated a 12-play sequence that totaled 77 yards, eating up nearly five minutes of action that left only 13 seconds of regulation to work with.

– With the score now at a 17-all stalemate, Englehart was content to allow overtime and another Dayton possession at the 25. However, the PC defense locked in and only conceded four yards of movement which led to a missed 38-yard attempt by Flyers’ specialist Sam Webster.

– That’s when an eight-yard Wesley scramble opened the door for Mikko’s heroics, granting the Blue Hose their second true road win of 2023.

UP NEXT

– Successfully avenging last year’s defeat at Dayton’s hands, Presbyterian will look to do the same to Marist on Homecoming weekend in Clinton. The Red Foxes have already built an impressive conference resume at 3-1 following a 30-16 victory against San Diego in Poughkeepsie.