No one around the Stetson football program is satisfied with the results the Hatters have produced during the first half of the 2015 season, but the players and coaches are focused on a new beginning as the team travels to Indiana this weekend for a game against Valparaiso.

Kickoff at Brown Field in Valparaiso, which is located just east of Chicago, is scheduled for 2 p.m. (EDT). There will be no television or live video coverage of the game, but Hatters fans can listen to the game on the Stetson Radio Network with Luke Mauro and Pete Blais calling the action.

The Hatters (1-5) and Crusaders (1-5) have much in common besides their season records. Both squads have struggled to run the ball effectively during the first half of the year, which has led to a struggle to score points. Stetson is rushing for an average of 85.2 yards per game and is scoring 15.5 points per outing while Valpo is rushing for just 67.5 yards per game and is scoring 13.7 per contest.

“They are similar from the standpoint that Dave Cecchini is just in his second season as head coach,” Hatters head coach Roger Hughes said. “They are going through some of the same things we are as a third year program.

“We are playing with younger players at key positions, and you see some of the same things, on offense and defense, that we have seen though our growth process. Both teams are in the process of developing a program culture. It is not evolutionary, but teams have to go through some of this growing process.”

Valpo has actually played one more game than is reflected in its season record, but a Sept. 19 game against the College of Faith out of Arkansas, a non-affiliated program, counted as an exhibition game. None of the stats or records from the Crusaders' 86-0 victory in that game counts toward their season totals.

Outside of that game, and a 42-35 victory over Davidson three weeks ago, the Crusaders have managed to score just 26 total points in their five losses while surrendering an average of 44.8 points per game.

Hughes said he expects Valpo to try to neutralize Stetson's blitzing defense, which has 13 sacks and 45 tackles for loss this year, by getting the ball to the outside with quick passes.

“I would guess that they will try to run the ball effectively, but they run a lot of wheel routes and crossing routes,” Hughes said. “Their passing game is short, with a lot of screens, a lot of shallows and a lot of flats. They use their short passing game as an outside run game. They try to get the ball off quickly, and they screen a lot to try to negate your pass rush.”

While Valpo has struggled offensively, the Hatters have fared little better. Since opening the season with a 42-13 victory over Webber International, Stetson has averaged just 10.2 points per game and has not scored more than two touchdowns in any of the five games.

The frustration from those offensive struggles was apparent following Stetson's 16-6 home loss to Campbell last weekend.

“It was primarily execution,” Hughes said. “It just seems as if we keep shooting ourselves in the foot. We didn't execute our passing game very well. There were times when the ball just wasn't getting to the right person, and that was for a number of reasons. It is just never the same thing twice. If it were, then we could make the corrections. It is just all the little things that you go through when you are still trying to find your offensive identity.”

The search for offensive success got a boost last week by the return of fullback Mike Yonker and receivers Kegan Moore and Darian Wright. The impact those players were able to make in the game was limited, but as they knock the rust off and quarterback Ryan Tentler gets more comfortable with timing on routes, there is potential for a much larger impact.

“The trouble with offense that is different from defense is that you have to have timing and trust that the receiver is going to be where he is supposed to be,” Hughes said. “The time Ryan has to let the ball go sometimes is before Kegan has made his break to get open. They haven't had a lot of time to work together this year and, hopefully, we will see improvement in that operation as they have had another week to work.”

Yonker had two receptions in the game out of the backfield, but Hughes said his contributions go beyond the stat sheet.

“I think he made an impact with two big catches and he is great out of the backfield,” Hughes said. “He gives us and our offensive players a lot of confidence. We didn't feel that he was in position to play as much as he normally would, but slowly working him back in, we felt, was the safest way to go to make sure he has five more games.”

Even with the return of those three to the Stetson offense, the Hatters are still missing that consistent weapon in the running game. Stetson has given several players an opportunity to fill in for injured junior Cole Mazza, but none have been able to give the Hatters the same level of production.

“That has been a little bit disappointing, but it is not all their fault,” Hughes said. “There are still some things we are learning on the offensive line. Also, let's face it, our first opponents this year were all pretty talented and a lot more experienced that we were in a lot of places. We hope that our matchups in the later part of the season will become more manageable.”

There is also a light at the end of the tunnel for Mazza, who has been working to come back from a broken foot. He returned to practice in a limited role this week and will be on the travel squad to Valparaiso. How much, and even if, he plays on Saturday will be determined by how much pain he can take.

“That is going to be up to Cole,” Hughes said. “The injury he has can be painful, but he can't hurt himself any more, he can't make it any worse. It gets down to how much pain tolerance he has.”

Behind Mazza, who has played in just two games, and Tentler, the Hatters don't have another player with even 100 yards rushing on the season. Junior A.J. Washington along with freshmen Chance Jackson and Arkee Brown will again try to carry the load for Stetson in the game against Valparaiso.

“The problem has been the synchronization between the offensive line and the running backs,” Hughes said. “If the running back doesn't push it to the landmarks far enough, then the defense doesn't react in the way they need to, making the blocks harder to get.

“We still have to run the ball efficiently, and everything comes off that. We have to be able to mix it up, and we have to be able to run the ball for four yards a pop. If we are running for at least four yards, then the linebackers have to commit and the safety has to come up into the box. Then we can go to our play-action pass and get a deep ball. Right now we are focusing on trying to get four yards on first down to stay in front of the chains.”

Defensively, the Hatters will continue to focus on making the opposing offense one-dimensional. Against Campbell last week, the plan worked with the exception of one drive and one big play.

“If we are going to load the box and play man-to-man behind it, there is always an opportunity for a big play because there is no help,” Hughes said. “You have to accept the fact that is a possibility, and you do that to try to make them one-dimensional. If they can beat you as you try to make them one-dimensional, then good for them. That is what Campbell did last week.”

As the Stetson defense has continued to improve, a number of players on that side of the ball have made big leaps forward in terms of their contributions.

“Generally, in non-scholarship football, if a kid works hard, then by year three or four they find a role,” Hughes said. “Dylan Wydronkowski is a great example of that. He has really played well this year. On the offensive side of the ball, we just aren't that experienced.”

In addition to Wydronkowski, veterans on the defense who have made dramatic improvement this year have included linebacker Adam Vinson and defensive linemen Jeff Fallabel, Matt Mines and Tyler Magill.

“It is good from the standpoint that we have a number of guys there who we feel can play pretty well,” Hughes said of the defensive line. “You have to have that at this time of year because no one is at full strength and everyone has nicks and bruises. To have that luxury, it allows us to stay fresh and not lose any production when we have to rotate guys.”

While there has been improved contributions from others, the leaders on the Stetson defense comes from the same corps that has led the team for three seasons – Donald Payne, Ryan Powers, Chris Atkins and Davion Belk in particular.

Payne, especially, has almost been an under the radar player for the Hatters this year, at least as much as an All-American who ranks fifth in the nation in tackles can. Payne had 17 stops against Campbell last week, which was a season-high, but didn't even merit team player of the week honors, much less recognition from the PFL.

“You hate to minimize some of the things he does,” Hughes said. “He had 17 tackles in a game last week. It is too bad for Donald because some of the numbers he puts up have become also ran. It's like a team that wins 12 games a year every year but suddenly that is not good enough. There are just such high expectations for what Donald can achieve. He seems to always bring his “A” game and I am counting on the fact that he will bring that again this week.”

Stetson Notebook

Hatters Homecoming

For three members of the Stetson squad, Saturday's game at Valparaiso will be a homecoming of sorts. Junior defensive end Davion Belk and junior quarterback Ryan Tentler are both Chicago natives and junior kicker Grant Amick is from nearby Wilmette.

Both Belk and Tentler said they are looking forward to the trip home this weekend. In fact, Belk said he will get a chance to see his younger brother play in high school for the first time on Friday night.

“I am just excited to be going back to the city of Chicago, even for a little bit,” Belk said. “I am also excited to see my family and I am excited for them to get to see me play.”

The Hatters' quarterback echoed those sentiments.

“It is really exciting,” Tentler said. “We are going to get to go into Chicago and I haven't been there in a long time because I spent the summer in DeLand. It will be exciting to see some friends and family when we get there and some of my old teammates play at Valparaiso. I will be excited to get to see them after the game.”

Belk said there is a little extra motivation for him to play well because, during the recruitment process, Valparaiso was one of the schools on his short list.

“This is one of the other schools that recruited me,” Belk said. “I wish the other coaching staff was still there. I was a little disappointed about the process because, after I committed, they were really upset. I just want to go back and play great.”

Alumni Gathering

Part of the trip for the Hatters will be a night's stay in Chicago. Included in that will be a trip into town for the evening snack on Friday night, and a chance to meet some area Stetson alums.

“We are going to go down to Old Town Chicago to have our snack Friday night and have an alumni reception as well,” Hughes said. “We want to get the alumni in the Chicago area to come out and meet our guys and come out to the game on Saturday.”

The gathering will be at Topo Gigio Ristorante on North Wells Street and will run from 8-10 p.m. on Friday night.

“Hopefully we will have a few people come out to learn a little about Stetson football,” Hughes said. “We have a few alums there and we have some players from there. Hopefully we can generate some interest in the area because it is a great place for us to recruit.”

Positive Attitudes

Despite having lost five straight games, the Hatters have continued to carry a positive attitude about their progress. That has been evident each morning on the practice field.

“I can't give our guys enough credit for how they have practiced,” Hughes said. “If you came to watch our practices, with the way they are running around and doing things, you would think they were undefeated and playing for a national title. We have tried to do things as coaches to make it fun. This morning we had a punt catching contest, just to lighten things up. We are trying to get all of our work done, but also enjoy our time together.”

The players themselves recognize that there is still a lot of season left, but they are focused on turning things around.

“This is huge for us going forward,” Tentler said. “We have to let what happened in the past go. This is halfway through the season and it will be our new season. We want to get started on the right foot and get a win to get going for the rest of the year.”

Keys to Victory

There is a consistent theme that runs through the keys Coach Hughes provides to his team in preparation for Saturday's games. Those keys often focus on turnovers, minimizing mistakes, winning on first down and making the opposing offense one-dimensional.

There was improvement in those areas last week, but they continue to remain the focus.

“We have played with enough effort and intensity to win in two of the last three games, but we haven't been able to throw a knockout punch or absorb a punch and keep moving,” Hughes said. “If you look at a lot of the things that have caused us concern, we had fewer penalties last week, we won the turnover battle and on special teams we didn't make any huge mistakes. We didn't gain anything on special teams, so that was a wash, but it is trending the right way.

“What we need to do is make sure we don't lose our focus and continue to improve the little things. If we do that, then pretty soon things will start to click.”

During practice this week, in addition to focusing on the keys for the upcoming game, Hughes said he gave the team objectives to focus on during each practice.

“I am trying to get the guys back to being in the now, being where their feet are,” Hughes said. “I want them to focus on today's decisions that will lead to good outcomes on Saturday.