Next Game: at West Florida 10/1/2016 | 7 p.m. American Sports Network/Tuff TV

– Redshirt junior quarterbackcompleted 19 of 32 passes for 357 yards and a pair of scores and the Florida Tech defense held strong when needed as the Panthers defeated Presbyterian 28-7 Saturday night at Bailey Memorial Stadium.was the stalwart of the defensive performance, picking off a pair of Presbyterian passes, becoming the first player in school-history to record multiple interceptions in a single game.The Panther defense gave up a total of 378 yards, including 330 through the air, but consistently came up when it mattered most. FIT held the Blue Hose to 2-of-5 on fourth down attempts and allowed PC to score just once in five red zone trips."Our overall defense was good," said head coach. "Especially the defensive line, they really got some pressure which forced some errant throws, interceptions and turnovers... hats off to our defensive staff for coming up with a good scheme and to our players for executing it."The key for the Panthers was the big play. Cato and co. averaged 18.8 yards per completion through the air and posted seven plays of 20-yards or more."We didn't sustain many long drives, we didn't chew up much clock and we didn't run the ball very well but we hit the big play on them," continued Englehart.After a surprise 36 yard reception byon FIT's first offensive play of the game,capped off a nine play drive with a one-yard plunge into the end zone. Moments later,converted the PAT attempt to give FIT a 7-0 lead early on.From there, both teams traded solid defensive possessions until the Panthers broke through again right before the half.hauled in a pass on all three plays of the drive, snagging a swing pass and dashing 39 yards for a touchdown to finish it off and put FIT ahead 14-0 at the intermission.Midway through the third quarter, Cato andhooked up for a one-play, 83-yard drive when the Panther signal caller drilled the senior tight end perfectly in stride and allowed the former Stanton Prep standout to out run the defense.The Blue Hose stopped the bleeding on the next drive, driving down the field with precise passing and completing the drive with a 10-yard scoring pass from Will Brock to Darquez Watson. The seven points were the first given up by the Panther defense in its last 12 quarters.Just when it looked like Presbyterian was seizing momentum,came up big and turned the tide for FIT. The Orange Coast CC transfer broke hard on a PC out rout, picking the Brock pass and taking it 83 yards to the house, putting the Panthers ahead 28-7 early in the fourth quarter, a score that would hold up.Haynes led the way in the receiving game, grabbing seven passes for 119 yards and a trip for six. Johnston added two catches for 106 yards and a score, whileadded 84 yards on five receptions.True to form,led the way in terms of tackles. The school's all-time leader in the category registered 10 total stops, including seven solo tackles.was extremely disruptive, posting 2.0 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.For Presbyterian, Brock tallied 275 passing yards, while Darrell Bridges was the only Blue Hose player to get anything going in the run game, totaling 67 yards on 16 carries. Defensive lineman Obinna Ntiasagwe was the team's leading tackler with six total stops.The Panthers return to action next Saturday, Oct. 1, hitting the panhandle for a matchup with upstart program West Florida in the first iteration of the Coastal Classic. The game is part of the NCAA Division II Showcase and will be televised on the American Sports Network.