By MONTE DUTTON

In the first game, it was obvious that Presbyterian College is getting better at football.

Playing Murray State, the Missouri Valley Football Conference member and, most importantly, scholarshipped, Blue Hose head coach Steve Englehart said, “We expected to win.”

That is the key going forward when PC faces fights that are fair.

Oh, the Racers won, all right. It was 41-10, but Presbyterian tied the score late in the first half. Whether by depth, talent or cashing in borrowed time, Murray State dominated the second half. The Blue Hose were resourceful for a time, but their Alamo fell to a superior force.

Back from his trip to western Kentucky, just across the Tennessee state line, Englehart had time to absorb and analyze the loss on Monday.

“I thought we played really hard,” he said.

Englehart said the Blue Hose failed to win “the middle eight,” meaning the last four minutes of the first half, when the Racers took the halftime lead with a late touchdown, and the first four minutes of the second, when Murray pulled two touchdowns ahead. The rest of the game was a slippery slope.

“But, you know, our guys were very focused at halftime,” the second-year head coach said. “I saw a lot of growth … and a lot of professionalism.

“I think they fully anticipated they would come out in the second half and take over the game, but we just never got a lot going offensively and hurt ourselves with a few things. … I think it’s part of our team’s DNA that they’re going to fight till the end. … Eventually we’ll start seeing some fruits of that.”

A 10-game losing streak is likely to end on Saturday at Bailey Memorial Stadium where the last team the Blue Hose defeated, Virginia University of Lynchburg, a private school, makes a second consecutive visit.

Englehart has looked at video of the Dragons but still doesn’t know what to expect. Last year VU arrived with several players PC didn’t know they had. Carson-Newman defeated the Dragons, 35-3, on Saturday in Jefferson City, Tenn. Virginia U. has only one home game on its schedule, Oct. 14 versus Fort Lauderdale, and plays, among others, Robert Morris, Delaware State, South Carolina State and Kennesaw State.

The Blue Hose won last year’s meeting, 21-13.

Englehart was pleased with an opener in which his team committed only one turnover and were called for just four penalties.

“We were pretty disciplined,” he said. “In a first game, there’s always a lot of chatter and post-whistle shenanigans. Our kids kept their composure and walked away from a few things.

“Probably 90 percent of the time, when teams ‘play up,’ whether it’s FCS to FBS, or non-scholarship to scholarship, depth in the second half tends to reveal itself, especially in the interior lines. It’s kind of what happened when [Murray State] was able to run the ball.

“I think their offense went into halftime, probably got a pretty good tongue lashing, and said, we’re gonna line up in two-tight-end formations, run the ball and try to mash these guys.”

This week PC will hold the advantage, and with a visit to Wofford a week later, it behooves the Blue Hose to exploit it.

Please support the advertisers who make the site possible.

I could still use some help. The site is free for readers but gets by on the advertising and support from readers who enjoy the coverage it provides. Make a contribution by sending a check to DHK Sports, P.O. Box 768, Clinton, S.C. 29325 or by making a monthly contribution at Patreon.

Another way I can derive some revenue is if you purchase my books at MonteDutton.net.

I’m hosting another Open Mic on Wednesday, 8 p.m., at Fiesta Grande Mexican Restaurant (see the ad above). Bring your instrument and some friends to cheer you on. Eat some good food, then join us for some music.