A week removed from one of the most dramatic moments in program history, the Stetson Hatters will return to action on Saturday against in-state rival Jacksonville at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium.
 
The game, which is scheduled for a 6 p.m. kickoff, is the only home contest on the schedule for the Hatters in October. It is "Friends and Family" weekend on the Stetson University campus, it is the Hatters' annual "Pink Game" in support of breast cancer research and, thanks to the Stetson University Alumni Association, all students will once again be admitted free.
 
In addition to the free student admission, which will be available for each of the final three home games, all Stetson University students who check in on the Hatter Rewards App will have a chance at each of the final three games to compete for a $1,000 scholarship.
 
On the field, the Hatters (4-1) posted a landmark win last weekend with a 23-21 victory over Drake. It was Stetson's first win over the Bulldogs in four games. Stetson will try to keep the winning ways going against a Jacksonville (1-4) program that it has never beaten in five attempts.
 
Last year the Hatters had their best chance against JU come up just short when receiver Ja'Vonta Swinton was pushed out of bounds inside the one-yard line by Jacksonville's Garland Griffin on the final play of the season, handing the Hatters a 13-10 loss.
 
 That loss, and that play, pushed the Hatters during the off season to worker harder in the weight room, to be more accountable to their teammates and their coaches, and to focus on the little things that make the difference between winning and losing.
 
When Saturday's game kicks off, it will have been 343 long days since that final play of 2017.
 
For the Hatters to flip the script and earn that first win against the Dolphins, Stetson will have to limit the JU triple-option offensive attack. Marist provided the blueprint for stopping the Dolphins last week, allowing JU to have just four offensive possessions in the second half and by holding the Dolphins to just 5-of-13 on third downs and 0-for 2 on fourth down.
 
Stetson's defense comes into the game ranked first in the Pioneer Football League in opponent third down conversion rate at just 27.9 percent (17-of-61) and first in opponent fourth down conversion rate at 22.2 percent (2-of-9).
 
The Hatters are also third in the league in rush defense (157.2 ypg) and second in scoring defense (25.0 ppg).
 
Jacksonville comes into the weekend second in the league in rush offense (290.0 ypg) but is last in pass offense, having completed just 15 of 36 attempts on the year for 228 yards and no touchdowns.
 
The Dolphins are led offensively by sophomore quarterback Calvin Turner, Jr., who is leading the PFL – and is also ranked first in the nation – with an average of 150.0 yards rushing per game. He has been responsible for 58.3 percent of the total offensive output for Jacksonville this year.
 
In the overall series against JU, Stetson has been outscored by a total of 153-62. The Hatters have struggled offensively in games against the Dolphins, not just scoring. Stetson has been held to an average of fewer than 300 yards of total offense in the five games against JU.
 
The Stetson ground game, which has failed to rush for 100 yards in each of the last two games, will have to get back on tract if the Hatters are to have success this year. Stetson, which is plus four on the year in the turnover category, must also keep their history of success against JU in that department going. In the series, the Hatters have forced the Dolphins into 16 turnovers and hold a plus four advantage.
 
Stetson Notes

• Stetson has four players on its roster this year from Jacksonville while the Dolphins have three players from Volusia County. Hatters from the River City are Jareem Westcott, Colby Duncan, Jamal Wakefield and Jake Navin. JU players from Volusia County are junior LB Trevor Tufano (New Smyrna Beach), sophomore offensive lineman Charles Fordham (Daytona Beach) and junior receiver Mitchell Bailey (Deltona).
• Stetson earned its first victory, in four tries, over Drake last Saturday. The win means Stetson has opened a season with four wins in five games for the first time since the 1950 season. That team finished with an 8-2 mark.
• The victory over Drake was the 20th for Stetson since restarting the program in 2013. With four wins on the year, the Hatters are just one from tying the most in a season in the modern era of the program.
• Drake is the fifth PFL team Stetson has earned a win over since restarting the program in 2013. The Hatters also own wins over Campbell (2-3), Davidson (4-1), Marist (2-4) and Valparaiso (1-2). The Hatters are winless against Butler (0-3), Dayton (0-3), Jacksonville (0-5), Morehead State (0-2) and San Diego (0-6) since the rebirth of the program.
• Stetson defeated Drake despite rushing for just 73 yards against the Bulldogs. It is just the second win for the Hatters since restarting the program in a game when the team failed to rush for at least 100 yards. The other victory came against Brown last year. The Hatters are now 2-25 when failing to rush for 100 yards as a team.
• The Hatters also won despite being flagged for a program-record 122 yards in penalties. The previous high for penalty yards in a game was 116 against Ave Maria in 2015.

 
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.