Davidson scored four second half touchdowns to break open a close game and spoil Stetson's 2019 home finale 42-14 at Spec Martin Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
 
The loss was the second straight for the Hatters, who are now 6-4 on the season and 3-4 in the Pioneer Football League play. Davidson improved to 8-3 overall, 5-2 in PFL play.
 
Davidson never trailed in the game and held an almost 10-minute advantage in time of possession - 34:16 to 25:44 for the Hatters. Five of the six Davidson touchdowns on the day came on drives that went 85 yards or more. The Wildcats' scoring drives covered 85, 88, 91, 97 and 99 yards. The other Davidson touchdown was on a blocked punt.
 
Davidson used a 13-play drive, covering 88 yards, on its first possession, taking 6:25 off the clock. Junior running back Wesley Dugger capped the drive with a four-yard touchdown run.

Stetson answered right back to tie the game on a two-yard run by graduate quarterback Gaven DeFilippo to cap a 14-play drive. The Hatters' longest drive of the season took 6:33 off the clock.
 
Davidson went right back to work, completing a 97-yard drive that started in the first quarter and ended on a one-yard plunge by senior Jorell Story with 11:56 left in the half. The 11-play drive used 5:06 off the clock.
 
The Hatters tied the score later in the quarter when redshirt sophomore quarterback Alex Piccirilli, on his first pass after being inserted into the game, connected with redshirt freshman Justin Curtis on a 49-yard throw and run to knot the score at 14-14. It was Piccirilli's first career TD pass and capped a two-play drive that needed just 46 seconds to complete.
 
Stetson opened the third quarter by driving into Davidson territory, but stalled at the Wildcats' 38. Junior Matias Gasc punted the ball down inside the Wildcat one, giving the Hatters a chance to make a big play on defense. Instead, Davidson quarterback Tyler Phelps hooked up with tight end Jackson Sherrard for a 46-yard gain on first down, launching the Wildcats on a 14-play scoring drive.
 
Davidson converted on two fourth downs during the drive, including one after taking points off the board from a field goal when Stetson was flagged for an offsides penalty, giving the Wildcats a fourth and one. Dugger capped the drive with a one-yard TD run, completing a drive that took more than eight minutes off the game clock.
 
While that drive seemed to take the steam out of the Hatters, it was a blocked punt at the end of the next Stetson possession that put the game away. Gasc was unable to field a low snap cleanly allowing the Wildcats to crash in on him. Junior Harrison Hill blocked the punt and teammate Hunter Murphy scooped up the loose ball and went 15 yards for a touchdown.
 
Davidson continued its methodical offensive efficiency in the fourth quarter, posting scoring drives of 91 and 85 yards to put the game out of reach.
 
Jalen Staples scored on a 20-yard pass from Phelps with 9:09 to play to cap a seven-play, 91-yard drive, and then Aris Hilliard took a pass from Louis Colosimo 66 yards for a score with 4:08 left.
 
The Stetson offense had 152 passing yards in the game with DeFilippo completing 13-of-17 passes for 95 yards and Piccirilli completing two-of-three for 57 yards and a touchdown. The Hatters managed just 81 rushing yards in the game, the fewest in a game this season.
 
Curtis caught four passes for 78 yards and a touchdown to lead the receiving core. Freshman running back Jalen Leary led the ground attack with 12 carries for 37 yards, giving him 916 yards for the season and leaving him just six yards shy of the Stetson record for most rushing yards in a season. Leary needs just 84 yards to become the first Hatter in the modern era to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.
 
Defensively, senior linebacker Colby Duncan led the way with 12 tackles, while senior defensive back Peter Katz and senior linebacker Tarren Smith had eight tackles each.
 
The Davidson running game amassed 277 yards, and the Wildcats' ground game was led by Story who carried the ball 14 times for 91 yards. Davidson threw sparingly, but completed all five pass attempts for 203 yards. Phelps completed four passes for 137 yards and a touchdown.
 
Stetson will close out the 2019 season next Saturday at Morehead State. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
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.