DeLand, Fla.— The Stetson University football team saw more losing streaks snapped and new team records set as the Hatters earned their second win in a row as Stetson beat Davidson College 28-17 at Spec Martin Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
 
The win improved the Hatters to 2-5 overall and 1-3 in the Pioneer Football League. It marked the first Hatter home win against a PFL opponent since a 22-14 victory over Marist College in November of 2014. It also snapped a 10 game home losing streak against PFL teams and a seven game overall losing streak against teams in the PFL.
 
Stetson recorded its first non-blocked punt for a touchdown in its modern era when JJ Henderson returned a punt 81 yards for a score. The Hatters set another team record when sealing the win when Gordon Stetson scored on a 95-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter.
 
"We made the plays we needed to make to win the game, and that's the start of a great foundation for a program," Stetson head coach Roger Hughes said. "I think our learning curve got stifled early, so I think we are starting to achieve the things now that I thought we could've at the start of the season. We won two in a row here at home, and now we have to win one on the road."
 
In what was a tight battle from start to finish that saw both teams have leads, the visiting Wildcats scored first when Davidson quarterback Tyler Phelps ran in a four yard rush in the first quarter to make the score 7-0.


Stetson tied the score on the ensuing possession when sophomore running back Bryce Blackmon scored on a five-yard run that capped off a 12-play 79-yard drive.
 
Davidson retook the lead in the second quarter on a 22-yard field goal, and the Wildcats led 10-7 at halftime.
 
Stetson retook the lead midway through the third quarter when Henderson scored Stetson's first modern era non-blocked punt for a touchdown. The 81-yard punt return put the Hatters ahead 14-10 with 8:31 to play in the third quarter.
 
"The blockers on the punt did a great job creating the hole. They did the hard job, I did the easy part," Henderson said. "When I saw how they created the hole, I knew it was going to be a touchdown."
 
The Hatter lead lasted just over three minutes though as Davidson scored on the ensuing possession when Phelps ran for his second touchdown of the game, a 28-yard scamper that put the Wildcats up 17-14.
 
The Hatters retook the lead with 8:36 to go in the fourth quarter when junior quarterback Colin McGovern found freshman wide receiver Justin Jordan in the end zone to put Stetson up 21-17.
 
Stetson's defense denied Davidson from scoring the rest of the way. The Wildcats threatened in the waning moments of the fourth quarter. With just under two minutes to go, Davidson went for it on fourth and one from the Stetson five yard line, but a run play by the Wildcats was stopped as Colby Duncan made the tackle at the line of scrimmage to give the ball back to the Hatters with 1:59 to go.
 
Then on third down and 10, with just over a minute to play, Stetson blew by the Davidson defense for a 95-yard touchdown run, putting the Hatters two scores ahead.
 
Davidson's final drive in the last minute resulted in a missed 35-yard field goal attempt, to secure the Hatter win.
 
Offensively, McGovern completed 22 of 39 passes for 236 yards, plus a touchdown. Stetson ran for 102 yards on 10 carries, plus a touchdown. Junior tight end Donald Parham had eight catches for 121 yards, while Jordan had five catches for 53 yards, plus a touchdown. Junior wide receiver Ja'Vonta Swinton added four catches for 39 yards.
 
On the defensive side, graduate linebacker Jeb Boudreaux had 12 tackles and a quarterback hurry, while Duncan had 10 tackles plus an interception. Freshman linebacker Tyler Mirabella added seven tackles, while Henderson added six tackles and four pass breakups.
 
Offensively for Davidson, Phelps completed 20 of 33 passes for 186 yards, while rushing 10 times for 56 yards and two touchdowns. Wesley Dugger had 160 yards rushing on 27 carries, while William Wicks caught seven passes for 97 yards. Defensively, George Hatalowich led Davidson with 12 tackles.
 
Davidson is now 2-4 overall and 1-3 in PFL play. The Wildcats have now lost 11 in a row against PFL opponents.
 
Stetson is back in action next Saturday for a game at Morehead State with a kickoff time scheduled for 1 p.m.