Homecoming is a special time of year on every college campus, and that is certainly the case this weekend when the Stetson football team hosts Marist for the Hatters' 2016 Homecoming game.
 
Kickoff between the Hatters and Red Foxes is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Spec Martin Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPN3 with Evan Weston and Cris Belvin on the call. The game will also be broadcast on the Stetson Hatters Radio Network with Pete Blais and Brandon Kravitz calling the action and Tracy Dent reporting from the sideline.
 
In addition to all of the Homecoming activities going on all over campus, the football game, which is being sponsored by Orlando-Sanford International Airport (@SFB_Airport), it will also be Military Appreciation Day. All active and retired military members, and their families, will be able to take in the game for just $5 each with a valid military ID.
 
Prior to the game the Stetson ROTC will present the colors and the "Stetson Men" choir will sing the national anthem.
 
Hatter Village will also be bustling with activities during the morning leading up to game time. There will be a carnival atmosphere with a ferris wheel, pirate ship, mechanical bull, various carnival games as well as cotton candy and popcorn. There will also be prizes available to fans in Hatter Village, not to mention a McDonald's sampling station.
 
After enjoying all of the pregame activities, fans should make sure to be in their seats at game time for what promises to be an exciting game pitting the Marist passing game, ranked second in the Pioneer Football League against the Stetson pass defense, which is best in the PFL and seventh in the nation.
 
Homecoming is also a special event for the players. The Hatters are a perfect 3-0 in their own homecoming games, and have made a habit of spoiling homecoming for other teams this year.
 
"I think, to our kids, it's a big deal," Hatters coach Roger Hughes said. "We've tended to play well during homecoming. I think there's a growing pride in what this program stands for. I think our kid's understand that homecoming really is for football. With all due respect to the English people, they aren't coming back for an English lecture, they're coming back to watch the football game. I think our guys feel a responsibility to play well and give those alums a good show when they come back."
 
The teams enter the game with matching overall records of 4-4. Marist has a 4-1 mark in league play while the Hatters are 2-3 in the PFL.
 
"We've got to keep the ball away from their offense," Hughes said. "Their offense is very productive and explosive. They've got three receivers who are very fast and a quarterback who creates things just like Johnny Manziel. You can't tackle him. He can scramble out of the pocket, he's great at creating and he can beat you with his feet."
 
Sophomore QB Mike White has thrown for 2,116 yards and 13 touchdowns this season, but has completed just 46 percent of his throws and has eight interceptions. He is second on the team in rushing, but the Red Foxes have allowed 29 sacks.
 
The Hatters showed last week that they are good at keeping an opposing offense off the field, limiting Dayton to just 50 plays. The Hatters also lead the nation in tackles for loss and are 32^nd in sacks with 2.38 per game. Against the Flyers last week, the Hatters had 10 tackles for loss and three sacks.
 
"That's what we do," Hughes said. "If you look at the TFL standings right now we have four of the top five in the league. So it's a credit to our defensive line. I think the move to transition Davion Belk to nose guard allowed us to get better people on the field all the time and he commands a double team many times and it's freeing up other backers that are blitzing.
 
"David Lazear had a couple tackles for loss last week and Jeff Fallabel had pressure in the backfield. While he didn't make the sack he got the quarterback out of position. I credit our defensive staff with scheming things up so we're having guys unblocked and the back of our defense is covering things up well enough so that we've got time to get there."
 
The back of the Stetson defense will get a boost this week with the return of two-time All-American Donald Payne and junior cornerback Dre Long. Both missed the Dayton game last week as a result of injuries suffered at Campbell.
 
"In Dre's case, he has been a really good cover guy so having him back this week is crucial," Hughes said. "With Donald, I've got to believe that some of those sacks the quarterback escaped from last week would have probably been sacks if he had been in because he's such a good tackler.
 
"For our team, psychologically, I thought it was good to show we could function post-Donald Payne. You know he's going to stop playing for us some time, so we will have to continue to play at a high level and I thought for the most part we did."
 
Both Payne and Long returned to practice this week with no restrictions.
 
Where the Hatters will face adversity is on offense. Stetson will start its third quarterback in as many weeks when sophomore Nick Andreas steps into that role. He replaces freshman Cole Martin, who suffered a broken finger on his throwing hand last week in his first start. Martin replaced sophomore Gaven DeFilippo, who went down in the Campbell game with a shoulder injury after starting the first seven games.
 
Of course, DeFilippo became the starter for the Hatters after junior Colin McGovern was lost for the year during preseason camp with a hip injury.
 
"It's certainly a unique situation," Hughes said. "Thank goodness we have recruited quarterbacks with the idea that we are going to take two every year so at least we do have quality depth. What you can't do is manufacture experience for them. Experience is definitely the best teacher for them. You know the more you see something the better you get at it.
 
Andreas had expected to redshirt this season after playing in four junior varsity games last fall. Instead, he will be forced into the spotlight for perhaps the biggest home game of the year.
 
"He's working very hard bringing himself up to speed," Hughes said. "He's been in the system a year and a half now, so he's got a great base of knowledge. The good thing is Marist's defense is similar to ours, they run a 3-3 stack, so he's probably seen more of this type of defensive front than any other front we face so it could work in his favor."
 
Hughes said the three injured quarterbacks have all been helping Andreas prepare for his debut performance. Come Saturday, the help will have to come from the other veteran players he will have on the field.
 
"Everyone around him is doing things to help him," Hughes said. "If they see he is not making the correct line protections or not seeing a certain stunt, they are reminding him and helping him through it. That's what it's going to have to be. We are all taking it upon ourselves to help him while he's in this learning curve. All of his teammates are elevating their game to help compensate for his lack of experience."
 
While the focus will naturally be on the play of the offense with a new quarterback, there is also a group of almost 20 seniors who have just 12 quarters of college football left to play. The goal going into the season was to give Stetson its first winning record since 1951, and that goal is still attainable.
 
"I think they are absolutely shocked at how fast it has gone by," Hughes said. "I think there is a sense of satisfaction that they feel because they are leaving a pretty good legacy and feel they were very instrumental in helping change the culture of the program. They've still got something to prove. One of our goals is to have a winning season and this game is crucial."
 
Hughes said the key to the game once again will be turnovers. There were none by either side in the game at Dayton last week, and the Hatters have to continue to protect the ball on offense and special teams while also creating short fields for the offense by getting the ball away from Marist.
 
"We've got to make sure we keep the ball away from their offense, because they can't score if we have it," Hughes said. "We've got to make sure when we're in the red zone, we score touchdowns. We can't come out with three points - we've got to score touchdowns because points are going to be at a premium. Every time we are down there we've got to take advantage of it."

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.