POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y.— A fight to the bitter end! Stetson played a hard fought game with Marist College that came down to the final minute, but the Hatters fell in the end, losing 26-23 to the Red Foxes at Tenney Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
 
The loss drops the Hatters to 1-1 on the year and 0-1 in the Pioneer Football League. Marist improves to 1-1 and 1-0 in PFL play.
 
Marist used big plays to do in the Hatters. The Red Foxes scored three touchdowns, including one via a 45 yard pass, another via a 75 yard pass and the other a 54 yard run. Marist even connected on a 48 yard field goal which clanked off the crossbar before going over.
 
Marist jumped out to a 12-0 lead very early, and just 29 seconds into the game, took a 2-0 lead after blocking a Stetson punt which resulted in a safety after the ball rolled out of bounds inside the end zone.
 
Then on Marist's first two offensive drives, they used a 48 yard field goal and a 54 yard touchdown run to take a 12-0 lead with just 6:43 gone by in the first quarter.
 
The Hatters settled in and fought back. Stetson got on the board via a three play, 75 yard drive which took just 58 seconds off the clock and resulted in a four yard touchdown run by freshman running back Jalen Leary. The play was set up by a 65 yard pass by redshirt senior quarterback Gaven DeFilippo to senior wide receiver Steven Burdette.
 
In the second quarter, Stetson edged closer with a 20 yard field goal by redshirt junior Jonny Messina.
 
After Marist's offensive explosion to start the game, the Hatters limited the Red Foxes to just one first down and 44 yards of total offense over the next five drives, all of which resulted in punts. But with 10 seconds to go before halftime and the ball at the Stetson 45, Marist quarterback Austin Day found wide receiver Anthony Olivencia on a 45 yard pass downfield as time expired to make the score 19-10 at halftime
 
In the third quarter, Stetson got back to within two on a three yard touchdown reception by redshirt junior wide receiver Jeremiah Nails. Stetson then had a chance to take the lead on its next possession, but a 36 yard field goal attempt went wide left.
 
Stetson did eventually take the lead when Leary scored for the second time on the day via a six yard run. The drive started on the Marist six yard line after redshirt senior linebacker Jamieson Craske intercepted a pass, his second in as many weeks, and took it there.
 
However, the lead lasted only 58 seconds. On a third down and 10, Marist executed a 75 yard touchdown pass to go back in front with 8:52 to go in the fourth quarter. The touchdown gave the Red Foxes a lead they would not relinquish.
 
Stetson's final chance came with just under a minute to go. The Hatters, behind great hustle by redshirt defensive back JJ Henderson, forced a Marist fumble at the Stetson goal line, after a 51 yard run, and the Hatters recovered it in the end zone, leading to a touchback. But on the final drive, Stetson failed to get close enough for a game tying field goal and turned the ball over on downs.
 
Statistically, DeFilippo completed 35 of 60 passes for 301 yards, marking the ninth time in Stetson history, a Hatter quarterback threw for over 300 yards in a game. Junior wide receiver, Justin Jordan caught 11 passes for 75 yards, while redshirt freshman Justin Curtis caught seven passes for 88 yards. Burdette had four receptions for 81 yards. Sophomore running back Jareem Westcott led the ground game by picking up 78 yards on 16 carries. Meanwhile Leary picked up 53 yards on 11 carries to go along with his two touchdowns.
 
Defensively, senior defensive back Reggie Gantt led Stetson with eight tackles and a sack, while fellow senior defensive back Peter Katz had seven.
 
Stetson is back in action next Saturday when the Hatters host Western New England at 6 p.m.