Preview: After getting an unexpected weekend off last week due to a Covid outbreak within the Drake program, the Hatters will return to action on the field on Saturday at Presbyterian. It is the first trip to Clinton, SC, for Stetson football since 1956. The Hatters were scheduled to play at Presbyterian in 2018 and again in the fall of 2020 and were scheduled to host the Blue Hose in 2019. All three games in that series were canceled - the first two by hurricanes and the third by the Covid pandemic. The programs did finally square off on the field during the spring season. Both teams have new head coaches and significantly different coaching staffs since that game in April, and both have struggled this fall after dispatching lower division teams to open the year. While the Hatters have been hurt by penalties and sacks, turnovers have been the biggest nemesis for the Blue Hose. Presbyterian has turned the ball over 28 times in seven games with 18 interceptions and 10 fumbles lost. The Blue Hose, who rarely punt, have also turned the ball over on fourth down 32 times on 49 attempts. Expect and up-tempo game because both teams like to go fast on offense. Presbyterian ranks first in the FCS in passing offense, throwing for 439.1 yards per game and fourth in scoring offense at 41.1 points per game. Stetson comes into the game 25th in FCS in fewest passing yards allowed at 179.5 per game and 27th in total defense at 322.8 yards per game.
Key Stat: Presbyterian freshman receiver Jalyn Witcher leads FCS, and is second in Division I, with 10 touchdown catches so far this year and he is third in the nation with 814 receiving yards. He is also fourth in the nation with 7.6 receptions per game, but he is not the only target for Blue Hose quarterback Ren Hefley. An unbelievable total of 25 different Presbyterian players have recorded at least one reception this year and 22 different players have at least one rush attempt.
Hatters Notebook: For the second time this calendar year, Stetson had a scheduled game against Drake canceled due to a Covid outbreak. Back during the spring season, the outbreak was in Stetson's Tier I group, but last week it was within Drake's team. Under PFL rules for the fall, the cancellation goes as a forfeit for purposes of the PFL standings, but for NCAA team records it is considered a no contest.
The Hatters go into the game at Presbyterian looking to snap a seven-game on field Pioneer Football League losing streak that matches the longest for Stetson since joining the league. Stetson is 18-45 in PFL play over its nine years in the league.
Turnovers were costly for the Hatters last spring in a 26-3 loss to the Blue Hose. Presbyterian returned a pair of interceptions for touchdowns and also had an 88-yard kickoff return for a score in a 26-3 victory over the Hatters. Neither team had as much as 300 yards of total offense in the game and the Hatters had just 74 passing yards.
Stetson defensive end
Fermon Reid had a career game against the Blue Hose in the spring, posting a career-high 13 tackles with a modern program record six tackles for loss, including three sacks. He also forced a fumble and was credited with a blocked kick.
Stetson has struggled offensively against FCS competition. The Hatters are averaging just 102.25 yards per game on the ground over the last four games and 204 yards per game through the air while scoring just 9.5 points per game.
The Stetson offense surrendered six sacks against St. Thomas in its last outing, marking the fourth consecutive game the Hatters have allowed six or more sacks in a game. Going back to the spring, Stetson has allowed six or more sacks in each of its last five games against FCS opponents. Those sacks over the last four games have resulted in 152 lost yards, part of 210 total lost rush yards over those games on TFL. Prior to the recent stretch, Stetson had allowed six or more sacks in a game just three times in seven (2013-19) seasons.
As a result of the punishment, Stetson has had a quarterback knocked out of a game four times this season. True freshman
Marshall Skoloff is expected to serve as the primary backup to starter
Alex Piccirilli this week. Skoloff has not yet seen action in a game this year. Graduate
Justin Agner is not expected to play following an injury and fellow graduate John Seter has left the program.
Fourth-year running backs coach
Harry Richards will handle play-calling duties for the Hatters for the rest of the season, taking over after DP Eymon and Buddy Blevins left the team. To fill the void left by their departures,
Trent Wessel moved from coaching tight ends to coaching the quarterbacks,
Brandon Tate moved over from defense to work with the tight ends and help with the receivers and quality control assistant
Jake Martinez is now overseeing the receivers.
Series History: Stetson and Presbyterian first met on the gridiron in 1938 in Daytona Beach, Fla. The Blue Hose took a 7-6 victory that day. The teams met again in 1939 and played to a 12-12 time in Clinton, SC. The teams also played to a 6-6 tie in 1956. The programs squared off each year from 1946-49 with Presbyterian winning those games by a combined score of 65-19. After a four-year hiatus in the series, Stetson and Presbyterian renewed their rivalry in 1954 and played each of the final three seasons before the Stetson program was discontinued following the 1956 season. Presbyterian leads the all-time series 9-0-2.
Last Time Out: Continued problems with penalties and protecting the quarterback, along with an inability to get the running game going, spelled disaster for Stetson in a 38-7 loss to St. Thomas. The visiting Tommies scored on a 78-yard run on their first offensive snap, the first of three first quarter touchdown runs by Hope Adebayo on possessions that all lasted less than one minute. Adebayo finished with four TD runs in the game.
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.
