It is just 104 miles from Spec Martin Memorial Stadium in DeLand to D.B. Milne Field in Jacksonville. No two teams in the Pioneer Football League are closer geographically than Stetson and Jacksonville, but in Stetson's three years back on the gridiron, an on-field rivalry has been slow to develop.

That fact can be attributed, in large part, to the way the first three games between the programs have gone. None of the three previous meetings have been closer than three touchdowns, and the Dolphins have outscored the Hatters 116 to 45 overall. Stetson is hoping to turn that trend around when the teams meet on Saturday night in DeLand. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 and the Watch ESPN app with Evan Weston and Cris Belvin on the call. Fans in attendance at the stadium, or unable to watch online, can tune in to the Hatters Radio Network on WSBB AM 1230 in New Smyrna Beach, AM 1490 in DeLand and AM 1400 in Samford as well as WYGM AM 740 and FM 96.9 in Orlando. Pete Blais, Luke Mauro and Brandon Kravitz will have the call of the game with long-time central Florida radio veteran Tracy Dent on the sidelines.

The game will be a part of Friends & Family Weekend on the Stetson campus and will also be Cheer & Spirit day.

The Hatters and Dolphins have strong rivalries in numerous other sports due to both being long-time members of the ASUN Conference, but the gridiron rivalry has just not yet caught fire.

“We want to consider this game a rivalry,” Hatters coach Roger Hughes said. “To make it a rivalry, you have to beat the other team once in a while, and we haven't done that yet. The fact that we were close in our first year, but not very close the last two years, should give us some added incentive.”

This year's matchup between the programs will have some stark differences between the earlier contests. The primary difference will be the change in coaching staff the Dolphins had after last season. Long-time former coach Kerwin Bell has moved on to Valdosta State, taking with him his pass-first style of offensive attack.

In his place comes veteran Ian Shields, who employs what JU terms a “spread option” attack. The bottom line is that JU has gone from pass-happy, to run first in their offensive plan.

“They don't want to be called a triple option team, but the triple option is a play within the spread option,” Hughes said. “There is a lot of misdirection and there is a lot of Wing T components to it. They pull the guards, trap and counter, those types of things. It is one of those offenses where you can't have a lot of defense in. They force you to play assignment football with every formation and every motion, and they have a lot of them.”

While JU has been a pass-first team in the past, the Dolphins have had plenty of success running the ball, and their two senior running backs have been particularly successful against the Hatters. Ulysses Bryant has carried the ball 50 times in three games against the Hatters for 294 yards and two touchdowns. Frantz Caudio missed the 2015 game against Stetson, but had a career-day against the Hatters in 2013 and has rushed for 249 yards and a touchdown on just 29 carries in two game against Stetson.

“Bryant is a great back,” Hughes said. “He is a little heavier this year and they are using him at the B-Back, or fullback position. I think he is improving from game-to-game. Beyond that, they are using good skill with their receivers and tailbacks. Their quarterback doesn't make a lot of mistakes and he has a good enough arm to beat you, but he does a great job of running the option and has had some long runs as well.”

To counter the Dolphins' new option-based attack, the Hatters will have to adjust their personality on the defensive side of the ball. Stetson defensive coordinator Brian Young has never seen a blitz that he doesn't like, but he and the Hatters' defense will have to be more patient against JU.

“He has said in staff meetings this week that he has to be as patient as he has asked the kids to be,” Hughes said of Young. “He has told the other defensive assistants to keep reminding him that it is the nature of this game, and the way to stop this kind of offense is to remain patient and disciplined.”

The nature of the JU attack will force the Hatters to play assignment football, meaning that all 11 players will need to understand their responsibility on every play, and be where they are supposed to be at all times.

“We have been doing a lot of things without a ball to get ready,” Hughes said. “In reality, where the ball is against this offense shouldn't matter if everyone is where they are supposed to be.

“On the coverage side of things, they don't throw the ball much but, when they do, they get big chunks because they suck everyone up to stop the run. It is foolish to think they aren't going to move the ball, because they are. The key is we have to be able to control first down to get them behind the chains a little and force them to do things they don't want to do.”

A big part of the key to being successful on defense against JU will be having success on offense and keeping the ball out of the Dolphins' hands.

“Offensively, we aren't going to get many drives, so we have to be efficient when we have the ball,” Hughes said. “We have to get four yards per carry because keeping their offense off the field is good. When we get into the red zone, we have to score points because you don't get many opportunities against an offense like this.”

Sophomore quarterback Gaven DeFilippo has shown that he has a great grasp of the offense so far. He has excelled in three areas in particular – spreading the ball around to numerous receivers, avoiding sacks and minimizing turnovers.

He will have help keeping those trends alive this week with the healthy return of tackles Patrick Fogarty and Andrew Rogalski. Fogarty was injured early in the opener against Sacred Heart and missed the Warner game. Rogalski, who was already dealing with an injury, had to come in and play in that opener, but went out early in the Warner game.

“For us, it has been about getting better, and we are still fairly young in the offensive line and other places,” Hughes said. We are continuing to get better. We are also figuring some things out about our team. I think our receiving corps has done a much better job in their preparation for games and they have certainly done a better job on the perimeter of blocking for each other. Hopefully we can continue that improvement.”

Even with injuries up front, DeFilippo has only been sacked twice and his only interception was on a pass that was deflected into the air.

“We have done a great job of protection, but Gaven has also done a great job of getting the ball off. He is very reluctant to take a sack, but his courage to sit in the pocket and take a hit when he has to is remarkable. To this point, he has been able to take a licking and keep on ticking.

“He is a guy who would rather move his feet to buy more time and extend the play, but he had a bootleg in the last game where he pulled it down and gained 15 yards. If he is good enough doing that, then he is enough of a run threat. He is a very tough runner and, hopefully, he will continue to improve in that area as he gets more experience in the option phase of our offense.”

During their bye week the Hatters had some time to address some of the problems that have plagued the team so far this year, and in the past as well. The three biggest issues the team took steps to address were special teams play, unnecessary penalties and poor performances in the second half of games.

On special teams, the Hatters worked to improve protection on the PAT/FG and punt units after having kicks blocked in both areas this year. They also worked on the field to improve in the return game.

“We have been below average on kickoff returns so we have been trying to figure out who the right person is back there,” Hughes said. “The returner makes a huge difference on both punts and kickoffs, and we are trying to figure that out.”

The work to solve the problem with penalties and poor second half performances has come in both meetings and on the field.

“There are some guys who are in better shape physically than they were before the off week,” Hughes said. “More importantly, we sat down as a team and talked about how penalties hurt the team. We did in a setting where I called the guys out who had the penalties. I told them those things come about because your need to express yourself or your need for retaliation is more important than the team winning. I asked them to tell their teammates why that is. I tried to make them understand that everything they do affects everyone.”

The team also talked about the problem with second half performances.

“The beauty of the bye week is you get a chance to look at yourself to see what has worked and what hasn't,” Hughes said. “I think our kids are very aware of that problem. We have done some things at practice to segment it into quarters. At the end of our second break in practice, we talk about going into the third quarter and try to simulate coming out and being intense to start the third and fourth quarters.

“We are going to totally change our halftime routine so that we have a different feel. I think our kids are taking ownership of the fact that no one is pleased with how we have done in the third and fourth quarters and they are going to do everything they can to make sure it doesn't happen any more.”

While there was time for some internal reflection during the off week, the Hatters were also squarely focused on the start of PFL play with the game against JU this weekend.

“Defensively, it is all about discipline,” Hughes said of the key for the Hatters. “It is all about trusting your responsibilities and your techniques and not always believing your eyes. Be where you are supposed to be when you are supposed to be there and good things will happen. The whole thing is we have to generate some turnovers. There is no question that we have to maintain a positive ratio in the turnover battle.

“The fact that this is the first conference game is big. Any time you can get ahead of the chains in the conference race it gives you a little bit of a cushion. This is also another good opponent who is coming to our home field. I think we'd like to prove to our fans that we have matured as a team and gotten better. Hopefully we'll be able to make it a close game in the fourth quarter.”

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.