Jacksonville, Fla. – In what could only be described as an old-fashioned slobber-knocker, the Stetson football team held off homestanding Jacksonville on Saturday afternoon at D.B. Milne Field for a 27-24 victory.
 
The Hatters improved to 6-2 overall on the season with the win, 3-2 in Pioneer Football League play, while the Dolphins fell to 2-7 overall, 0-5 in league play.
 
After a sluggish first half in which there were no touchdowns scored, the Hatters and Dolphins started throwing haymakers in the second half. Stetson took a 9-3 lead into intermission on the strength of three Jonny Messina field goals – from 19, 23 and 21 yards. The only points for JU in the half came on a 25-yard kick by Zachary Benwick.
 
Stetson got the ball to open the second half, but it was JU quarterback Calvin Turner, Jr., who made the first big play of the game. The Hatters held Turner to just 58 rush yards in the first half, and limited the Dolphins to just 86. Those numbers dropped when Turner was sacked by Hunter Stephens on the first play after a Stetson punt, but he made up for that by going 78 yards for a touchdown on the next play.
 
With the extra-point, the Dolphins had their first lead of the day at 10-9 just three minutes into the third quarter.
 
After Stetson failed to move the ball on its next possession, the Hatters defense did its job, forcing a JU punt. The Dolphins got a break on the play when the 26-yard punt from Derick Stumph hit Stetson's Connor Becker in the back. Bryan Bowen recovered for the Dolphins to give JU the ball at the Stetson 43.
 
Three plays later it was fullback Garnett Nicolas who blasted through the middle of the Stetson defensive line, rumbling 30 yards for another Jacksonville touchdown and a 17-9 Dolphins lead.
 
The Hatters didn't flinch at the sudden turn of events, and graduate quarterback Gaven DeFilippo went right to work. He hit Becker for a six-yard gain, then ran for 21. He turned to Becker again for six more yards, then ran for nine and another first down at the JU 24. That was where the drive stalled, until fourth down, when DeFilippo connected with fellow graduate Jeremiah Nails for a 24-yard TD strike to cut the JU lead to 17-15.
 
DeFilippo then hit Max Draper for a two-point conversion to tie the game at 17.
 
Stetson had the ball again to start the fourth, with DeFilippo driving the team to the JU 12 before the Dolphins forced another field goal. Messina's 29-yard kick put Stetson back in front 20-17 with 12:08 to play.
 
That lead lasted just three plays. JU had not completed a pass through three quarters but, facing third and five from their own 36, Turner found BJ Byrd all alone in the Stetson secondary, and completed a 40-yard throw that turned into a 64-yard touchdown. The PAT put Jacksonville back on top 24-20.
 
DeFilippo and the Hatters responded again in short order. A 17-yard pass to Nails for things started and then, facing second and 18 after a sack, the same duo hooked up again as Nails, a Lawrenceville, Ga., native bulled through multiple JU defenders right in front of the Stetson sideline and ignited his teammates with another 17-yard gain.
 
With third and one at the JU 29, Leary finally broke loose for a big run, taking the ball right through the middle of the Jacksonville defense for a 29-yard touchdown and a 27-24 Stetson lead.
 
The Dolphins got the ball two more times. Stetson forced a JU punt, their eighth of the game, on the first possession and then, with just 1:20 left on the clock, forced the Dolphins to try a long game-tying field goal. Benwick's 53-yard attempt never had a chance, falling short and rolling through the end zone to seal the Stetson win.
 
Stetson finished with 405 yards of total offense in the game, with DeFilippo accounting for 297 of those – with a career-high 116 rushing yards to go with 19-of-38 passing for 181 yards. The Hatters played virtually the entire game without senior Steven Burdette, who was injured on the third play of the game. Nails stepped up with four catches for 61 yards and the one TD catch. Leary turned in a workhorse performance with 112 yards on 21 carries, handling the load without Jareem Westcott, who did not play as a result of an injury.
 
Turner, as expected, was the main man for the Dolphins, rushing for 160 yards on 24 attempts. He also complete four of his nine passes, for 88 yards, all in the fourth quarter.
 
Hunter Stephens led the Stetson defense with nine tackles, including a sack and a share of another tackle for loss. He also forced a fumble. JJ Henderson, who wore jersey number 37 for the first time in honor of late teammate Nick  Blakely, had eight tackles, including 1.5 for losses.
 
Caysaun Wakeley led the Jacksonville defense with 10 tackles, with one tackle for loss.
 
The Hatters will be back on the friendly grounds of Spec Martin Stadium next Saturday when Stetson hosts PFL leader San Diego. The Toreros (6-2, 5-0) have won seven consecutive games this year after a 49-7 victory over Drake on Saturday. They will bring the third longest conference win streak in FCS history, 34 games, to DeLand. It will be Homecoming on the Stetson campus and kickoff is scheduled for noon.
 
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.