Preview:Â The Hatters return home to Spec Martin Stadium this weekend to host the newest Pioneer Football League member, St. Thomas, for the first time. The Tommies, who were a power in NCAA Division III for years, are off to a good start in PFL play, having posted a 2-1 record so far. Stetson comes into the game having lost its last six PFL games, which is tied for the second longest such streak for the Hatters since restarting the program in 2013. A victory on Friends & Family Weekend would prevent Stetson from tying its longest league losing skid, which started with the last four PFL games in 2016 and carried through the first three games in 2017.
To end the losing skid, the Hatters have to focus on two things, eliminating penalties and protecting their quarterbacks. Both of those issues start on the offensive line, where nine of Stetson's school-record 16 penalties were thrown last week. The Hatters have also allowed 19 sacks over the last three games, by far the most during any three-game stretch since the program was re-started. In fact, since 2013, Stetson has allowed as many as six sacks in a game just seven times. One of those came during the spring against San Diego and three others have been the last three games.
In an attempt to address both the penalties and the sacks, there was some re-shuffling on the offensive line this week. Graduate
Alex Brown has moved to center after making most of his 30 career starts at guard or tackle. He will be flanked on either side by redshirt sophomores,
Steven Godwin at left guard and
Avery Samuels at right guard. Fellow redshirt sophomores
Billy Corte (left tackle) and
Antonio Derry (right tackle) round out the starting five. Between them, that group as a total of 82 starts for the Hatters.
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Key Stats: The game against St. Thomas promises to be a contrast in styles. The Hatters are averaging 415.2 yards of total offense per game while the Tommies are managing just 284.4 yards per game. Stetson's defense, which is second in the PFL and 35th in FCS against the run, is allowing just 123.4 yards per game. The St. Thomas offense averages just 158.2 yards per game on the ground.
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Series History: Not only is this the first meeting for Stetson against St. Thomas in football, it is the first against the Tommies in any sport. In fact, this is the first time a Stetson football team has ever faced a school from Minnesota.
While Stetson football has never played St. Thomas, the Stetson baseball and basketball programs have played the other St. Thomas, the one in Florida. The Hatters' baseball team posted a 4-0 record against those Tommies in the 1970s. while Hatters hoopsters won two meetings in the 1970s. The Stetson men's basketball team did played a single game against MacAlester College, which is also located in St. Paul, during the 1964 season, posting a 75-71 victory. Stetson's women's basketball team has played against the University of Minnesota twice, dropping games to the Gophers in 1998 (in DeLand) and again in 2015 (in San Juan, Puerto Rico).
Tickets:Â Tickets can be purchased online atÂ
GoHatters.com/tix or at the Spec Martin Stadium ticket windows starting one hour before the game. Stetson students are admitted free with a valid ID, while faculty and staff receive discounted pricing. Please call (386) 738-HATS for more information.Â
Friends and Family Weekend: Stetson University sets aside one weekend each fall to welcome the friends and family members of Stetson students to campus. Due to the ongoing Covid pandemic, there are no official events schedules around the weekend this year, but that doesn't mean there isn't plenty to do. In addition to the Stetson football game against St. Thomas, Stetson Softball is scheduled to take on Florida Tech on Saturday in a fall scrimmage while the Stetson volleyball team hosts Florida Gulf Coast at the Edmunds Center at 6 p.m. and the ASUN leading Stetson men's soccer team host rival North Florida at 7 p.m. at the ATC in an important league game.
In addition, the DeLand Cruisers Car Club will hold its monthly Downtown DeLand Cruise from 4-8 p.m. Saturday afternoon
Last Time Out: Despite making six trips into the red zone against Marist, the Hatters managed just three points in a 34-3 loss to the Red Foxes. The 16 penalties and six sacks derailed the Hatters on offense despite the fact that the Stetson defense held Marist to just 30 yards rushing, the second best total this year and in the modern history of the program. It was Stetson's fifth straight loss at Marist and dropped the Hatters to 2-6 overall against the Red Foxes.
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