After tropical storm Nestor poured over DeLand on Saturday morning, pushing the scheduled start time of the Stetson football game back three hours, the Hatters poured on the points and easily raced over the Dayton Flyers 38-21 at Spec Martin Stadium.
 
After beating Butler University for the first time ever in its previous game, the Hatters beat another team they had never before beaten with the win over the visiting Flyers.
 
The win improves the Hatters to 5-1 overall this season and 2-1 in Pioneer Football League play, while Dayton falls to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the PFL. The Hatters have now won 11 consecutive home games.
 
Stetson got out to a 14-0 lead early and led from start to finish. Stetson's first two touchdowns were one-yard passes by graduate quarterback Gaven DeFilippo to senior wide receiver Steven Burdette. The first touchdown came with 6:07 remaining in the first quarter, while the other one was scored with 12:01 remaining in the second quarter.
 
Dayton got to within 14-7 with 10:07 remaining in the second quarter on a 20-yard scoring pass from Jack Cook to Adam Trautman, but the Hatters scored again with 50 seconds left before halftime on a two-yard run by DeFilippo for a 21-7 lead at intermission.
 
Stetson extended its lead to 24-7 early in the third quarter on a 37-yard field goal by redshirt junior kicker Jonny Messina to complete a drive that started after Stetson recovered a Dayton fumble on the kickoff to start the half.
 
The visiting Flyers scored again with 10:45 to go in the third quarter on a 44-yard pass play from Cook to Jake Chisolm to make the score 24-14 with 10:45 to go.
 
The Hatters answered with two more touchdowns in the third quarter to break the game open. Freshman running back Jalen Leary scampered down the sideline on an 81-yard touchdown run with 6:35 remaining, before DeFilippo threw his third TD pass of the game, a 10-yard throw to senior tight end Tony Gilotti, to put the Hatters ahead 38-14 with 2:30 to go in the third quarter.
 
Dayton scored on the first play of the fourth quarter, but the Stetson defense shut down any hopes of a comeback, forcing turnovers on downs on three consecutive possession. The Flyers' fourth quarter drives included a 13-play, 62-yard, drive that faltered at the Stetson 17, with the other possessions ending at the Stetson 44 and the Stetson 49.

Offensively, Stetson got a big game out of Leary who ran for 220 yards and scored a touchdown. He set a new Hatter modern era record for most rushing yards in a game, while also setting the mark for the most against Dayton this season. Meanwhile DeFilippo completed 23-of-36 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns. Burdette led the receiving core by making eight catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns, while freshman Conner Becker caught four passes for 57 yards. Graduate wide receiver Jeremiah Nails caught six passes for 51 yards in the win.
 
The Stetson defense, which limited Dayton to a season low 21 points, was led by senior defensive back Jalon Scott with eight tackles, two pass breakups and a quarterback hurry. Redshirt sophomore Dwight Lawrence had six tackles and four pass breakups. Senior linebacker Colby Duncan, who had coverage duties on Troutman all afternoon, had five tackles, including two for loss, while senior defensive back Peter Katz and redshirt senior Jamieson Craske added five tackles each. Craske also had a sack. Freshman Jaylon Johnson added four tackles, two pass breakups, a quarterback hurry and an interception for Stetson.
 
Cook completed 29-of-57 passes for 382 yards and three touchdowns for Dayton while sophomore running back Jack Chisholm ran the ball seven times for 62 yards and caught five passes for 89 yards, plus a touchdown. The Flyer defense was led by Junior safety Brandon Easterling with 13 tackles.
 
The Hatters will now go on the road for the first time since September 14, play the next two games away from home. Stetson will travel to Valparaiso next Saturday, with kickoff against the Crusaders set for 1 p.m. ET.

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.