Continued problems with penalties and protecting the quarterback, along with an inability to get the running game going, spelled disaster for the homestanding Stetson Hatters on Saturday at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium.
 
Visiting St. Thomas scored on the first play they ran, and then kept the pressure on, taking a 38-7 victory over the Hatters in Pioneer Football League play.
 
The loss drops Stetson to 2-4 on the year, 0-3 in league play. The Hatters have now lost seven straight PFL games, tying the longest such streak for the program since returning to football in 2013. St. Thomas improved to 4-2 overall and 3-1 in its first season in the PFL.
 
The Tommies struck quick, with sophomore Hope Adebyo going 78 yards right through the middle of the Stetson defense for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. The PAT gave St. Thomas a 7-0 lead 19 seconds into the game.
 
The St. Thomas defense got into the act early as well. The Tommies sacked Hatters quarterback Justin Agner four times in the opening quarter, and harassed him into throw an interception that Tommy Shelstad returned 53 yards to the Stetson two. Agner made the tackle on the play, but was left prone on the sideline and did not return to the game.
 
Adebayo converted the turnover into his second TD run for a 14-0 St. Thomas lead.
 
Things continued to go against the Hatters when Alex Piccirilli fumbled on his first run at quarterback. The Tommies took over at the Stetson 29 and needed just two plays to cover the distance, with Adebayo doing the honors on a 12-yard run.
 
St. Thomas pushed its lead to 24-0 following a Stetson punt, driving 52 yards on seven plays with kicker Louis Hyde converting from 27 yards out.
 
The Tommies pushed their lead to 31-0 before halftime, using an 11-play drive to cover 59 yards. Quarterback Cade Sexauer dove in from two yards out for the score.
 
St. Thomas pushed its lead to 38-0 early in the third quarter after Stetson failed to convert on a fourth and one from their own 30. Two plays later Adebayo raced into the end zone from 14 yards out for his fourth touchdown of the day.
 
Stetson finally got its offense going by turning to the ground game. Piccirilli had four carries for 45 yards in a six-play drive, crashing over right tackle for the final six yards to get the Hatters on the board with 11:07 left in the third quarter.
 
The Hatters' graduate quarterback finished as the leading rusher for Stetson with 77 yards on 17 carries.  He completed 14-of-24 passes for just 94 yards in the game and was intercepted twice and sacked twice.
 
Adebayo led St. Thomas with 182 rushing yards on 20 carries, scoring the four touchdowns for the Tommies. Quarterback Case Sexauer completed eight of his 18 pass attempts in the game for 87 yards. He was intercepted once.
 
The Hatters will open a two-game road trip next week, with the first stop coming in Des Moines, Iowa, against Drake. They will follow up with a trip to Presbyterian before returning home on November 6 to face Dayton for homecoming.
 
Majeste' Hansberry led Stetson with 12 tackles in the game. Freshman RJ Williams chipped in with eight.
 
The Tommies recorded a total of 14 tackles for loss in the game, including six sacks. Shelsted had two of those sacks for St. Thomas for 21 yards in losses.
 
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.