Box Score After two weeks of building confidence and momentum on the road, the Stetson Hatters returned home to Spec Martin Stadium on Saturday with hopes of keeping the good times going.
 
Four interceptions and two blocked kicks later, the Hatters suffered a 21-18 loss to visiting Valparaiso, allowing all of the momentum from early in the month slip away.
 
The loss dropped Stetson to 3-3 overall on the season, 1-2 in Pioneer Football League play. Valpo improved to 3-4 overall, 2-2 in conference play.
 
"That was a classic way to lose a game," Hatters coach Roger Hughes said. "We had turnovers, got kicks blocked, couldn't catch the ball and gave up double moves. That is a pretty textbook way to lose a game.
 
"I was proud of the kids' effort. This was my fault because I should have had them better prepared. We obviously didn't handle the adversity from early in the week like I thought we had. We did not play with the same type of enthusiasm and intensity throughout the game."
 
On a day when rain fell throughout most of the game, the Hatters were unable to get their running game going, and with the wet conditions, had a hard time catching the ball in the passing game.
 
Stetson was held to just 81 yards on the ground and, despite throwing for 246 yards, sophomore quarterback Gaven DeFilippo completed just 19-of-45 passes and was intercepted four times.
 
"Offensively, we were just out of sync – we just never could get any momentum going," Hughes said. "We couldn't run the football and we were dropping passes that we normally catch."
 
Even with the mistakes and the struggles on special teams, the Hatters had two chances in the final quarter to tie the score, thanks in large part to a defensive unit that refused to give up.
 
The first opportunity came after freshman Cam Adams had a 23-yard return of a Valpo punt, setting the Hatters up at the Crusaders' 31. Three plays later, after Stetson produced just three yards, senior Grant Amick came on to attempt a 45-yard field goal. His kick hit the cross bar and bounced back.
 
Following the missed field goal, the Stetson defense got the ball back for the offense three times. Twice Hatters possessions ended with interceptions, with both passes going off or through the hands of Stetson receivers.
 
Despite the setbacks, the Stetson defense continued to get the ball back for the offense, and gave the Hatters one final chance in the closing minutes of play. DeFilippo got the drive started with a 21-yard pass to Darian Wright, but three consecutive passes were off the mark, leading to a fourth down.
 
The Hatters got a reprieve when Valpo was flagged for pass interference on fourth down, giving Stetson life at the Crusaders' 45. DeFilippo connected with Jonathan Jerozal for 18 yards, but the Hatters again stalled, bringing up another fourth down, with less than a minute to play and no timeouts.
 
Amick again got the call, but his 47-yard attempt at a tying field goal was again just short.
 
"We hung in there defensively in the second half, played really well," Hughes said. "The game should have never come down to those field goals because we had the ball inside the two yard line early in the game and couldn't score a touchdown.
 
"We had our opportunities to win the game, but we didn't take advantage of them."
 
The Hatters drove the ball right down the field on their very first possession of the day, working their way to a third and goal at the one yard line before a false start penalty pushed them back to the six. An incomplete pass on third down led to a 23-yard Amick field goal and a 3-0 lead.
 
The Stetson defense began flexing its muscles early in the game, forcing a punt and getting an interception on the first two Crusaders possessions, but the Hatters failed to take advantage. Stetson gave the ball back on an interception and then failed to convert on a fourth and five from the Valpo 34 after Chris Atkins' 16^th career interception.
 
The Hatters scored on special teams late in the quarter when Valpo long-snapper Jonathan Coyne snapped the ball over the head of punter Alex Ng, who chased down the errant snap and kicked the ball through the end zone for a safety and a 5-0 Stetson lead.
 
Stetson got the ball back in Valpo territory after the safety, but was unable to take advantage. After the Stetson punt, the Crusaders found some success on offense, driving 82 yards in eight plays with quarterback Jimmy Seewald hooking up with fullback Griffin Norberg for a 38-yard touchdown.
 
The Hatters gave the ball right back on an interception right after the Valpo score and the Crusaders took advantage with a quick five-play drive to cover the 19 yards, with freshman running back Cody Boxrucker scoring from three yards out after doing a barrel-role over the top of the pile at the goal line, landing on his feet in the end zone.
 
In less than three minutes, the momentum of the game switched sides as Valpo took a 14-5 lead.
 
Stetson cut into the deficit late in the half when DeFilippo completed a short pass to senior Kegan Moore, who turned the completion into a 38-yard touchdown. The PAT left the Hatters down 14-12 at halftime.
 
With the teams in the locker rooms, the skies opened and the rain continued to fall, hard at times, throughout the rest of the game.
 
A mistake on special teams early in the third quarter allowed Valpo to extend its lead. Norberg broke through on a Stetson punt attempt and blocked Eric Fogle's punt, recovering the ball at the Hatters' six. Two plays later, Boxrucker was back in the end zone, giving Valpo a 21-12 lead.
 
The Hatters answered with a drive to the Crusaders' 10, but Amick's 27-yard field goal attempt was blocked.
 
The Stetson defense held Valpo inside the 10 yard line after the block, forcing a punt, and the Hatters needed just three plays to get to the end zone. Jerozal covered 22 of those yards, down to the one, on a pass from DeFilippo, before Cole Mazza punched in for the touchdown. Amick missed the PAT kick, leaving the Hatters with a three-point deficit.
 
Stetson's defense allowed Valparaiso to rush for just 56 yards in the game, and limited the Crusaders to 170 passing yards on 13-of-30 passing by Seewald. In the second half, the Hatters held Valpo to just 96 yards of total offense.
 
Donald Payne and Jeb Boudreaux again led the Hatters with 10 tackles each. Boudreaux had 4.5 tackles for loss in the game, including 1.5 sacks. Davion Belk added eight tackles, including three for loss and one sack. Overall, the Hatters had four sacks and 10 tackles for loss.
 
The Hatters will try to bounce back next week when they make their second trip to North Carolina, this time to face the Camels of Campbell. That game next Saturday is scheduled for a 4 p.m. kickoff.

About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.