Valparaiso, Ind. – On a breezy day in northern Indiana, the Stetson Hatters found their swagger in a 37-14 victory over the Crusaders of Valparaiso.
The Hatters scored in all three phases of the game and, with the exception of one Valparaiso possession at the end of the each half, Stetson dominated the game on defense. Other than those two drives, the Crusaders managed just 25 yards of total offense for the rest of the day.
Stetson improved to 2-5 overall and 1-4 in Pioneer Football League play. Valpo fell to 1-6 overall, 1-4 in league play.
“We were obviously much better all the way through today,” Hatters coach Roger Hughes said. “As a coach, I am very excited about the win and there is a lot to build on. The plane ride home is certainly going to be much easier. But, we still made some crucial mistakes that led to field goals and not touchdowns on offense. We have to clean that up. Overall, a win at this point, and doing it the way we did, was outstanding.”
The Hatters jumped on top, driving the length of the field on their first possession in 11 plays. Quarterback Ryan Tentler was 3-of-3 on the drive for 36 yards and then ran seven yards to the one before Craig Carrington bulled in for the first points of the day on a fourth and goal.
Overall, the passing game was much more efficient on Saturday for the Hatters. Tentler completed 12-of-17 pass attempts for 130 yards and was sacked just once. The Hatters also snapped their streak of 19 straight games throwing an interception.
“We tried to modify things a little with more three-step drops,” Hughes said. “We were pretty conservative in our protections. Overall, we were able to run the ball a little better today and that makes the opponent play a little more honest on defense.”
After forcing the first of seven three-and-out possessions by the Crusaders, the Hatters went right back to work, driving 55 yards in 10 plays. Stetson reached into its bag of tricks on another fourth and goal, with Cole Mazza, who returned to action after missing the last four games, throwing a jump pass to Rob Coggin for the touchdown.
“His leadership and the things he can do are big,” Hughes said of Mazza. “He was still a little rusty, but his presence on the field can't do anything but help us.”
Overall, the Hatters finished the day with a season-high 182 rushing yards. Freshman Arkee Brown, who made his first start, led the way with 60-yards on 16 carries. Mazza had 32 yards on seven attempts in his first game back.
In addition to Brown, sophomore Darian Wright also made his first start in the game.
“The nice thing is that we have some depth right now,” Hughes said. “We want to make sure those guys get an opportunity to play and the competition is only going to make everyone better.”
After a mostly pointless second quarter, the Hatters found the end zone on defense for the first time this year when Chris Atkins intercepted a Ryan Clarke pass and returned the pick 34 yards for a touchdown. It was Atkins' 12th career interception and the second he has returned for a score.
Following the defensive score, the Crusaders put together their only scoring drive of the half. Valpo needed nine plays to cover 75 yards, with Clarke hitting Jean Rene from 17 yards out for the score.
The second half was all about field goals for the Hatters as James LaGamma connected from 27 and 19 yards and Grant Amick was good from a school-record 50-yards out.
The Hatters put the game away late when Chance Jackson dove into the end zone from five yards out to account for the final points of the day.
Valpo tacked on a touchdown in the closing seconds, capping an eight-play drive with a one-yard TD run by receiver Jarrett Morgan.
“The defense played pretty well, they got a turnover and score, and we got a turnover on special teams as well,” Hughes said. “Overall, I am really pleased with effort and any time you can win on the road it is good.”
The Hatters will return home to Spec Martin Stadium next Saturday to face another of the top teams in the PFL when San Diego comes to town. The Toreros are 4-2 overall, and 3-1 in league play, going into their late Saturday game against Warner.
“Our goal has been to win the second half of the season and this is a big step toward that,” Hughes said. “We have a big one coming in next week with San Diego, a perennial conference power, so we will have our hands full. But, today the smiles are a little bigger and the steps are a little livelier. It will be easier to work hard this week with the win under out belt.”
