The Stetson Hatters will square off against Pioneer Football League rival Davidson on Saturday at noon at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium in the final home game of the 2019 season.
 
For 21 members of the Stetson squad, that means it will be the final time they will take the field in front of the home fans.
 
The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Evan Weston and Victor Anderson on the call. Fans can also listen to the game on the Stetson Radio Network with Kenny Schierlinger and former Hatter Davion Belk calling the action.
 
Among the 21 Hatters who will be recognized during pregame ceremonies, 10 have the option of returning next fall as graduate students. The other 11 players complete their eligibility this fall.
 
The group includes graduate transfer Max Draper, who came to Stetson for his final year of eligibility from Eastern Illinois University. There is also a trio of junior college players from Mississippi – receiver Steven Burdette, linebacker Tarren Smith II and defensive back Jalon Scott – who have had a tremendous impact over their two seasons in DeLand.
 
The elder statesmen of the group include fifth-year seniors Jamieson Craske, Colby Duncan and Austin Perlman along with sixth-year graduate Gaven DeFilippo, who became a part of the Stetson program in 2014.
 
There are only three members of the group who are four-year seniors – DB Reggie Gantt, LB Peter Katz and TE Tony Gilotti.
 
The other 10 players who will be recognized – brothers Bryce and Chase Blackmon, punter Matias Gasc, tight end Kyle Godlweski, kicker Jonny Messina, linebacker Tyler Mirabella, defensive tackle Shane Parton, defensive back Gerardo Rodriguez, offensive lineman Jacob Sullivan and defensive end Jason Winston – all have the option of returning for the 2020 season.
 
While Senior Day is always an emotional time for players, parents, coaches and fans, the Hatters are focused on finishing strong and having a chance for a second straight eight-win season. To do that, Stetson will have to slow down one of the best running teams in the nation.
 
Davidson ran for more than 500 yards, the most ever against a Stetson team, last year in the Hatters' 56-53 victory – and the Wildcats did that without star running back Wesley Dugger. A junior from Henrico, Va., Dugger has rushed for 875 yards and 18 touchdowns this year, running his career totals to 3,247 yards and 42 touchdowns, both school records.
 
But he is not the only potent runner in the Davidson attack. The Wildcats have nine different players who have rushed for more than 100 yards this year and they have a total of 37 rushing touchdowns. That ground attack has allowed Davidson to lead the PFL in first downs gained, fewest first downs allowed and time of possession. The Wildcats also lead the PFL in both rushing defense and scoring defense.
 
The Hatters come into the game with an offense that has been hamstrung by injuries in recent weeks. After leading the nation in total offense and all-purpose yards per game for the first six weeks of the season, Stetson has average just 303 yards of total offense per game over the last three weeks. After averaging almost 49 points per game for the first six weeks of the year, Stetson has managed just 14 points per game over the last three, having scored just four touchdowns with seven field goals.
 
Stetson has also turned the ball over seven times in the last three weeks while having forced just two.
 
The Hatters have been especially hard hit by injuries at receiver where both Burdette and junior Justin Jordan have missed considerable playing time. As a result, the Hatters will be looking to a trio of young receivers – Justin Curtis, Connor Becker and Quinton Lane – to carry the load along with veteran Jeremiah Nails, who has the most experience of the group and has leadership experience as a former team captain.
 
Freshman Jalen Leary has been forced to carry the load on the ground with sophomore Jareem Westcott slow to recover from an earlier injury. Leary comes into the game this week as the fourth leading rusher in the PFL, just ahead of Dugger with 879 yards. He needs just 44 yards to break the modern season rushing record at Stetson and is closing in on becoming the Hatters' first 1,000-yard runner.
 
On defense, Duncan needs just six tackles to move past Jeb Boudreaux into second on the Stetson career list. He and fellow linebackers Craske, Smith, Mirabella and Hunter Stephens will be the key to stopping the Davidson ground attack, with dawg safeties Gantt and Katz filling in on run support.
 
Stetson Notes

• On Thursday a pair of Hatters were named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team for District 4. Graduate QB Gaven DeFilippo and sophomore long snapper Colin Wray will move on to the national ballot for the 2019 CoSIDA Academic All-America team, which will be announced in December.
• Stetson will try to start a new home win streak after seeing its 11-game streak come to an end last weekend.
• The loss to San Diego dropped the Hatters to 4-3 in the modern era on homecoming. Stetson is 17-10-2 in homecoming games since the first such game, against Florida Southern, a 52-0 victory in 1930.
• The 51 points scored by USD last weekend were the fifth most allowed in a game by the Hatters in the modern era. It was the most points allowed by the Stetson defense since surrendering 53 to Davidson last year.
• The 7 points scored by the Hatters against San Diego last week were the fewest in a game this year and the fewest in a game since back-to-back outings with 7 points (vs San Diego) and 6 points (against Butler) in the final two games of the 2017 season. Stetson has been held to 10 or fewer points in a game 17 times since restarting the program in 2013.
• USD rushed for 353 yards against the Hatters last week, which was the third most in a game in the modern era. Davidson set the mark last year, rushing for 519 yards on 72 rush attempts.
• The Hatters are now 7-14 in the month of November in the modern era. Overall, Stetson football has a 98-70-14 record in November. 

Series History

• Davidson is one of just two current members of the PFL that Stetson had played prior to disbanding its program in the late 1950s.
• Stetson leads the all-time series 6-4 with the first game having been played in 1912. The Hatters won that game 21-6 in DeLand.
• The programs met three times in the 1950s with Davidson winning each meeting - 19-13 in 1954, 25-13 in 1955 and 43-7 in 1956.
• The Hatters are 5-1 against the Wildcats in the modern era of the series. Stetson has averaged 33.0 points per game against Davidson while the Wildcats have averaged 27.3 points per game.
• Four of the six games in the modern series have been decided by six points or less with the largest margin being 13 points.
• In addition to having played a series of very close games, the recent games in the series between Stetson and Davidson have been very offensively explosive. Last year was the high-water mark with both squads surpassing 600 yards of total offense in the game.
• Over the six games in the modern series the Hatters have averaged 445.2 yards per game (168.2 rushing and 277.0 passing) while Davidson has averaged 418.0 yards per game (236.3/181.6). The series has been so close that in only two of the six games has the team with the most total offense won the game.

Ticket Information

• Tickets for Saturday's game are available through the Stetson Athletics Ticket Office, which is open at the Edmunds Center from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. during the week. The ticket windows at Spec Martin Stadium open at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
• Single game tickets for Stetson football start at $20 for general admission seating.
• All Stetson University students receive free admission with a valid student ID card. Students can also catch a free ride to the stadium from the ATC starting at noon.
• For information on tickets, visit GoHatters.com/tix or call 386-738-4287.

 
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.