The old saying is that time heals all wounds, and that may be true, but for the Stetson football team the time off last weekend allowed for more than just physical wounds to heal.

After a mistake and turnover plagued outing at Mercer, the Hatters (1-1) needed to do a little soul searching before beginning preparations to open Pioneer Football League play this weekend at Drake (1-2). Stetson will take on the Bulldogs at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday with kickoff scheduled for 2 p.m. EDT.

The game will be video streamed by Drake and through Stetson's athletics web site, GoHatters.com. The game will also be broadcast on the Hatters Radio Network with Luke Mauro and Pete Blais providing coverage of the action.

Even thought this is just the second meeting between the two program, the Hatters and Bulldogs are very familiar with each other after closing the 2014 season on the same field. Drake escaped DeLand with a 27-15 victory over Stetson last November, but it took a 21-play drive in the fourth quarter to secure the victory.

That drive received a boost from a personal foul penalty early on, allowing the Bulldogs to convert on third and 16. It was the first of five third down conversions during the drive. Even after scoring at the end of the drive, the Hatters quickly moved into scoring position themselves before throwing an interception in the end zone.

It was those kinds of mistakes – both personal fouls and turnovers – that Hatters coach Roger Hughes has focused his attention on since the game at Mercer. In that game the Hatters were flagged for personal fouls six times and had five turnovers, helping spark the Bears' 34 point second quarter.

“We have tried to frame things with the perspective that we allowed those things to beat us,” Hughes said. “We had that penalty on third down in the fourth quarter where we didn't get off the field and we had that turnover down there when we had a chance to score.

“We are trying to get the mindset where it is not about the opponent, it is about us and it is about the way we play. Nothing was more evident than that in the game against Mercer. We had five personal foul penalties in the first half. Those were very costly. We didn't line up correctly a couple of times on defense and that cost us long touchdowns.”

Hughes said that both games – against Drake last year and against Mercer two weeks ago – are perfect illustrations of beating yourself with mistakes.

“Last years' game with Drake, and last week's game against Mercer, pointed out that we have to play hard, but we also have to play right,” Hughes said. “We have to understand and trust that the guy next to you is going to do his job and we don't have to try to help them.

“We just have to play smarter football. When you play better teams like Mercer and like the team we play this week, the fundamental, small, things are crucial. If you take a false step, these teams will beat you because you can't outrun your mistake. We have to be correct on the front end to make sure those mistakes don't happen.”

Of course, the week away from competition did allow for some of the Hatters to improve enough physically to have a chance to contribute this week. Chief among those returning from injury is junior cornerback Chris Atkins, who did not play in the game at Mercer, snapping his streak of 24 consecutive starts.

Also expected to be back at full strength is tight end Rob Coggin, who saw only limited playing time against Mercer.

“Rob is one of the guys that the time off really helped,” Hughes said. “He really looked good on Tuesday when we came back. He was a little sore (Wednesday), so we'll see how he does. I think he will be ready to go.”

The problem for the Hatters, and every team in the PFL, is that they are limited to just 56 players on the travel squad. That limit makes it extremely difficult to carry any player who might, or might not, be ready to compete.

“It makes for a unique puzzle that you have to put together,” Hughes said of the travel squad limit. “In the Ivy League, you travel 62. If we had that number or, like last week at Mercer we traveled with 64, there are a lot contingencies that you can account for. With 56, it is pretty tight.

“There are guys, like Glenn Adesoji, who is on the bubble simply because he hasn't practiced much. While we are excited to have him back, who do you take out? If he were to get dinged up, because he hasn't gone fully live yet, then all of a sudden you are scrambling and you have guys playing in places that they have never played. That is a great example of some of the decisions we have to make.”

Adesoji, who was a starter at cornerback all of last year, was medically cleared to return to practice last week after missing all of training camp. Because of the travel squad limit, however, he will have to wait until the Dayton game at home next week to make his 2015 debut. There are no restrictions on the number of players who can dress at home games in the PFL.

When the Hatters do look at the 2015 edition of the Drake Bulldogs, Hughes said he sees a big, physical squad that is loaded with veteran players. In fact, with the exception of a junior starter at right guard on offense and at defensive end on defense, the Bulldogs have seniors and fifth-year seniors starting at every other position.

Even at quarterback, where fifth-year senior Andy Rice missed the game last week at South Dakota, there is another senior, Cody Thibault, there to take his place. Rice is questionable again this week.

“That will be the biggest question mark for them because they are almost all seniors and fifth year seniors,” Hughes said. “They are strong and physical. They want to get you into a phone booth and smash you around. I am not sure we match up well from that perspective but, hopefully, we can find the matchups that favor us and can stay in the game with them.”

Defensive Focal Point

Hughes singled out two of the Bulldogs' pass catchers, tight end Eric Saubert and receiver Zach Zlabis, as points of emphasis for the Stetson defense. Saubert has 14 receptions through three games for 155 yards and two scores.

“They do a great job with their tight end, Eric Saubert,” Hughes said. “He is a great player and is their leading pass receiver. The other guy is Zach Zlabis. They both stood out in the game against North Dakota and made some really good catches. They do a great job in the passing game of utilizing their tight ends, and Saubert is 240-pounds and has great ball skills. Our corners don't match up physically, so our technique is going to have to be stellar.”

Keeping Things Fresh

During the 2014 season Hughes said he felt the team wore down toward the end of the year. To combat that fatigue this year, during the bye week he gave the team three days off from football activities.

“I thought we got a little stale toward the end of the season last year because we didn't give them a break,” Hughes said. “This year, our injury situation indicated that we needed some time off to rest, so we gave them three days off. We came back from that with fresher legs and a better attitude. Hopefully, that will carry us through the next nine games.”

News On The Injured

While the Hatters will get Atkins and Coggin back this week, several other players are still working their way back from injuries. In addition to Adesoji, there was good news on the future prospects for receiver Kegan Moore, offensive lineman Sean Gannon and fullback Mike Yonker.

“They are all making great progress,” Hughes said. “Hopefully the time off helped them as well and we'll see if we can get them back at some point this season. Mike is in the same boat as Sean Gannon. He wants to go now, but it is probably going to be another couple of weeks. That is much better than what we originally thought.”

Two of the others on the road to recovery are freshman defensive tackle Zane Smith and junior running back Cole Mazza. In a home game, or without the severe travel list restriction, both would likely play this week.

“This was Zane's first week back into full contact, so it may be a little more time before he is game ready,” Hughes said. “We'll have to wait and see on Cole. It will all come down to how he responds. He is a really tough kid.”

Next Man Up

With so many players dinged up, the Hatters will continue to employ a next man up philosophy, especially at running back where the talent pool is deep.

“We have great confidence in Jerami Singleton, who is probably our best blocker and pass protector,” Hughes said. “A.J. Washington has finally been able to stay healthy, and I am anxious to see what he does. I can't tell you how excited I am over what PJ Franklin has done. His attitude is so much better, his work ethic has been stellar and it would be great for him to get an opportunity to get in.”

At fullback, Craig Carrington will again get the nod, but converted linebacker Mason Johnson has impressed so far in his limited opportunities.

Keys To The Game

Two of the primary keys for the game at Drake come directly from the 'don't beat yourself' category – turnovers and penalties. The defensive key, in addition to creating turnovers, is limiting Drake's ground game while at the same time working to knock down play-action passes. The final key for the week is a little more esoteric.

“We want to get one percent better every day in everything we do,” Hughes said. “If we can get one percent better on the field, one percent better in the classroom and one percent better in our social lives, that is a lot of getting better. As a team, if we can focus on the small steps to get better then, by the end of the season, we will be a pretty good team.”