DAVIDSON, NC – For a long time after the conclusion of the 2015 season, the Stetson football program – coaches and players alike – did a lot of soul searching over what went wrong.
 
A 20-17 loss to Davidson on Senior Day to end a 3-8 season was not the primary reason for the reflection and self-evaluation, but the Hatters' performance in that game opened the door for the work the team put in during the months that followed.
 
The Hatters will have a chance to see if the program has instilled a successful culture change in the 10 months since that game on Saturday. The 2016 game between Stetson (1-2, 0-1) and the Wildcats of Davidson (2-2, 0-1) is scheduled for a 1 p.m. kickoff from Richardson Stadium on the Davidson campus.
 
The game will be televised in areas of North and South Carolina by Time Warner Sports as well as through the Davidson web site at DavidsonWildcats.com. The game will also be broadcast in Florida on the Hatters Radio Network with Pete Blais, Luke Mauro and Brandon Kravitz on the call.

The game against Davidson last year was filled with hurdles for the Hatters. It was the first Senior Day, which included extreme emotion. There was also a five-hour delay in the game at halftime due to severe weather. But the primary hurdles were self-inflicted. 

"We just didn't play well," Hatters coach Roger Hughes said. "We turned it over too many times and, frankly, we were over-confident. Regardless of who we are playing and regardless of their previous record, we have to bring our 'A' game every time. We figured out that we took them too lightly because we had some success against them and had beaten them twice in a row.
 
"I think the kids felt they could just show up and win, and it was a great lesson for us to learn. It was not one we wanted to learn in that way, but it was a good one for them to learn. It was probably a catalyst for a lot of the changes that our kids were willing to embrace going forward. That has a chance to make this team very special."
 
With that lesson in mind, the Hatters had to quickly turn the page from a disappointing loss to Jacksonville last weekend. Much like in that loss to Davidson last year, it was turnovers that cost Stetson, but the team also didn't perform as expected.
 
"I am still irritated about the way we played in that first half, especially offensively," Hughes said. "The players looked at the film and realized that, with a couple of tweaks, that could have been a much different game. The turnovers certainly hurt us, and there were a couple of key penalties."
 
While the sting of that loss still hurts, the Hatters had what Hughes called a "great week of practice" in preparation for the trip to Davidson.
 
"People we out there bouncing around, having fun," Hughes said of practice. "There were a lot of smiles. I don't want everything to be serious all the time. I want them to be loose, but focused. There were very few mistakes today (Thursday), which always helps me sleep better at night. I think they bounced back. There was no moping around and feeling sorry for themselves. We debriefed from the JU game, identified the problems, and set about solving those problems."
 
Some of the issues last week revolved around communication issues on offense, both from sophomore quarterback Gaven DeFilippo and from others, as well as protection problems.
 
"We didn't protect very well," Hughes said. "One of the reasons we didn't protect is that our guy didn't block their guy. There were some technique and there were some situations where people didn't do what they were coached to do.
 
"One of our receivers would run the wrong route because there was a lack of communication outside when we changed the play. It wasn't on every play, because there were plenty of plays where we looked really good. There were just enough of those kinds of plays to get us behind the chains to where we couldn't recover."
 
After focusing on correcting those mistakes, the Hatters turned their attention toward a Davidson team that has used big plays to grab chucks of yardage. In the loss last year the Wildcats had runs of 54 and 37 yards and multiple pass plays of more than 20 yards against the Stetson defense.
 
Through the first four games this year Davidson has two pass plays of more than 60 yards and several others in the 20 to 40 yard range.  Receivers Cam Cheuvront and Scott Jaris are averaging 19.6 and 21.5 yards per reception, respectively.
 
"Against us, they tend to get the ball out very quickly," Hughes said. "One of the things we like to do is pressure the quarterback, so they have simplified what they do and have just tried to throw it to an uncovered guy as quickly as possible.
 
"They also have had some one-on-one matchups, thrown the ball up, and their guys have won the match. Our guys have not been able to come down with the football. They do a good job of making sure we don't get home with our blitzes, which means there is added pressure on the corners, who are playing man-to-man."
 
The Hatters will have an added weapon in the secondary this week with junior Eric Martin, who missed the first two games of the year and saw his first action last week.
 
"Eric had some off the field incidents that we had to get straightened out," Hughes saud. "To his credit, he handled it with a lot of class and did everything that we asked. As it turns out, the things that he was accused of never happened. He never complained. It made Eric realize how precious football is and it made him realize how much he loves the game.
 
"When he came back I told him he would have to work his way up. He got on the scout team and he took every rep and never complained one time. I couldn't be more proud of how Eric handled it and, because of how he handled things, we were able to get him back on the field earlier. His physicality, coupled with his quickness, makes him a formidable corner."
 
Offensively, the Hatters did have their first 100-yard rusher of the year last week, but the negative of four lost turnovers and penalties to kill drives left the Hatters with a bad taste in their mouths.
 
"The kids see that the little things are what we need to concentrate on to get better," Hughes said. "Clearly, if we do the little things right, then we should have a chance to win every game we are in."
 
Hughes said handling the distractions that come along with the first road trip of the year is a key for the Hatters this week, as is adjusting to playing on field turf for the first time.  But the bigger keys will come once the game starts.
 
"It will come down to the same things that win or lose games all the time – turnovers and explosive plays," Hughes said. "We have to limit their explosive plays and create some of our own, and we have to hang on to the football. We also have to create turnovers on defense, and that includes three-and-outs. If we can do that, and our defense gives us enough possessions, then hopefully we can put together some drives."
 
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.