Stetson held its own with Pioneer Football League power San Diego for 30 minutes on Saturday, but the Toreros unleashed an avalanche of offense in a punishing ground attack to take a 51-7 victory, spoiling the Hatters' homecoming and snapping Stetson's 11-game home win streak.
 
The Hatters (6-3, 3-3) were without their top two receivers, a top running back and a stalwart on the defensive line, but trailed just 16-0 to USD at the break. The Toreros (7-2, 6-0) moved to within one win of another PFL title by piling up almost 400 yards of offense in the second half.
 
USD extended its winning streak against PFL teams to 35 straight, a streak that dates back to the 2015 season.
 
USD amassed a total 610 yards of offense, including 353 rushing and 257 passing. The Toreros' defense limited the Hatters to 56 yards through the air, while Stetson picked up 172 yards on the ground.

Stetson was without receivers Justin Jordan and Steven Burdette as well as running back Jareem Westcott on offense and defensive lineman Fermon Reid on defense. Despite the loss, the Hatters played well in the first half and had a fighting chance at the start of the second half. The Stetson defense came up with several big stops on USD drives in the first half, limiting the Toreros to three field goals and just one touchdown.
 
The Stetson defense allowed two more touchdowns in the third quarter to give Toreros a 30-0 lead as USD began to wear down the Hatters over the final 30 minutes. The Toreros' defense forced Stetson into five three-and-outs in seven Hatter drives in the second half, forcing the Stetson defense to remain on the field for much of the half as the USD offense took control.
 
Stetson's lone sustained drive of the second half resulted in the Hatters' lone touchdown of the game. With the score 37-0 early in the fourth quarter, the Hatters orchestrated a five-play, 77-yard drive that ended in a six-yard touchdown run by redshirt sophomore quarterback Alex Piccirilli with 10:58 to play.
 
USD proceeded to score two more touchdowns later in the fourth quarter to pull away.
 
Graduate quarterback Gaven DeFilippo started the game and completed five-of-16 passes for 26 yards and two interceptions. Piccirilli entered the game midway through the third quarter and completed three-of-eight passes for 30 yards. Stetson's shorthanded receiving core was led by redshirt freshman Justin Curtis, who caught four passes for 34 yards. The Stetson running game was led by Piccirilli with 74 yards and a touchdown, while freshman running back Jalen Leary ran the ball 18 times for 73 yards.
 
Defensively, Stetson was led by senior linebacker Colby Duncan with nine tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Redshirt junior defensive back JJ Henderson added six tackles, two pass breakups and an interception, while senior defensive back Reggie Gantt, senior defensive back Jalon Scott and redshirt junior linebacker Collintino Andrews had five tackles each.

USD was led by on offense by graduate running back Jojo Binda, Jr., who ran for 227 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown, while redshirt sophomore running back RJ Gonzalez ran the ball four times for 36 yards and scored three touchdowns. Redshirt senior quarterback Reid Sinnett completed 18 passes on 34 attempts for 257 yards and two scores.
 
Defensively, the Toreros were led by redshirt junior defensive lineman Nick Friedel and redshirt senior safely Bryan Kelly with nine tackles each.
 
The Hatters have two games remaining this season, and next week will be their 2019 home finale as Stetson will take on Davidson College at 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.