One thing the Stetson Hatters learned during the 2017 football season is to take every day as it comes. That lesson turned into a mantra of sorts for the Hatters this summer as they have prepared for the 2018 season.
 
There has been no talk of lofty goals, team or individual, and there have been no grand predictions for what the coming weeks will hold for the Hatters. There has only been one goal, and it has been repeated over and over again.
 
"We are focused on getting ready to win game one," senior quarterback Colin McGovern has said. "We'll worry about what happens after that when the time comes."
 
It is the combination of that singular team focus, along with the influx of five new assistant coaches to the Stetson staff, which has resulted in the Hatters having had the best training camp in the programs' six previous years.
 
Head coach Roger Hughes senses a difference with this team.
 
"Confidence is an unbelievable elixir," Hughes said. "Any time you can get confidence going and start to build on that, the kids begin to believe they can't be stopped, and that is what ends up happening. Confidence is infectious."
 
The 2018 Hatters will have a chance to establish some confidence when they take to the field on Saturday night at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium against Point University (0-1). The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start and will be televised on ESPN3.
 
The game will be a "Green Out" with all Stetson fans encouraged to wear green in support of the Hatters. Fans will also be treated to new cooling stations throughout Spec Martin Stadium where cooling mist sprays and icy towels will be available for fans to help improve their enjoyment of the game.
 
On the field, it will be the sixth season in the return of Stetson football. The Hatters struggled to a 2-9 mark last year, a record that included three losses in the final minutes of play. That squad averaged less than 50 yards rushing per game while allowing almost 200 rush yards per outing.
 
The turn things around this fall, those numbers don't have to reverse, but they do have to get better.
 
On the offensive side of the ball, with 10 starters back to go with a host of other veteran players, the focus has been on execution in the scheme of new coordinator Stan Clayton, a former national champion at Penn State who doubles as the Hatters' offensive line coach. Stetson also added former Mississippi State assistant Scott Sallach as quarterbacks coach.
 
Those two new assistants – along with first year running backs coach Harry Richards, defensive line coach Jeremy Perkovich and defensive backs coach Thomas Wells – give the Hatters a fresh perspective on both sides of the ball. The new offensive assistants have also given Hughes, who has served in the role of OC and quarterbacks coach in the past, a chance to focus on the bigger picture with his team.
 
With all five starters back on the offensive line, quarterbacks Colin McGovern and Gaven DeFilippo should both be able to stay off the ground a little more this fall. The emergence of senior Matt Taft in the backfield should also help bolster the Stetson ground game, which was hurt by the 30 sacks the team allowed last fall.
 
With a better running game and protection, both quarterbacks should have more time to find 6-foot-9 senior tight end Donald Parham more frequently, especially with improved speed on the outside that will challenge every defense the Hatters square off against.
 
Not nearly as much experience returns on the defensive side of the ball, with only five starters back from last year. That side of the ball will benefit tremendously from the return of redshirt junior linebacker Jamieson Craske, who missed virtually all of last season with a hamstring tear.
 
Junior college transfers Jalon Scott (CB) and Tarren Smith (LB) add experience to go with senior returners Zane Smith (DT) and Jackie Jay Johnson (DB). Sophomore J.J. Henderson earned Pioneer Football League Defensive Freshman of the Year honors last year and is the only Stetson player on the preseason All-PFL squad this year.
 
Henderson, who became the first to return an unblocked punt for touchdown for the Hatters last year, will be back in the return game this fall with junior college receiver Steven Burdette and sophomores Justin Jordan (WR) and Juan O'Neal (DB).
 
The kicking game should be in solid hands again with redshirt sophomores Matias Gasc (P) and Jonny Messina (K) both back for their second seasons on the field. Redshirt junior Matthew Sweeney and freshman Brady Lawrence give the Hatters depth in the kicking game.
 
With back-to-back non-conference home games to open the year, followed by a trip to South Carolina for a tilt against future PFL foe Presbyterian, the Hatters have a chance to get off to a good start this fall before the team enters league play with a home game against Marist and a trip to San Diego.
 
But all of that will come with time. For the Hatters, these Hatters, there is only one game on the 2018 schedule that matters – Game 1.
 
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.