CLINTON, SC – Against one of the top offensive teams in all of college football, the Stetson defense set the tone Saturday afternoon as the Hatters rolled to a 56-14 victory over Presbyterian at Bailey Memorial Stadium.
 
Stetson improved to 4-4 overall on the year, 2-2 in Pioneer Football League play while dropping Presbyterian to 2-6 on the season. The Blue Hose are winless, 0-5, in PFL play.
 
The Hatters harassed Presbyterian quarterback Ren Hefley throughout the game. In the first half alone, he was sacked six times and intercepted twice as Stetson built a 28-0 lead by intermission. Presbyterian had just 99 yards of total offense in the opening half, with minus 26 rushing yards.
 
Stetson stopped the Blue Hose on six-of-seven attempts on fourth down in the half, helping the Hatters build their lead. The 10 sacks for the Hatters were a new single-game record, breaking the mark of seven that was set against Presbyterian back in the spring.
 
The onslaught continued in the second half as the Hatters added four more sacks and two more interceptions. Junior Majeste' Hansberry was the lynchpin of the Stetson defense, recording 10 total tackles, four of which were for loss with two sacks. He also had one of the interceptions. Sophomore safety Rassie Littlejohn had a pair of picks on his own.
 
The 16 total tackles for loss by Stetson tied the school single-game mark, set against Jacksonville in 2016. The four interceptions by the Stetson defense also tied the program mark. It was the third time the Hatters have recorded four picks in one game.
 
Graduate quarterback Alex Piccirilli got a measure of revenge against the Blue Hose in this game. In the spring meeting between the teams, Piccirilli completed just seven of 22 passes for 64 yards and two interceptions, both of which were returned for touchdowns.
 
He was almost flawless in the rematch, completing 20-of-32 pass attempts for 217 yards and three scores with no interceptions. He also ran the ball 10 times for 37 yards and a score.
 
Piccirilli got Stetson on the board just three minutes into the game when he capped a short, 27-yard, drive with a three-yard TD run. The Hatters got the ball after Hefley was sacked twice on the first possession of the game, with Fermon Reid and Jack Benzija combining on fourth down to turn the ball over.
 
Presbyterian, which had punted just six times all year, did so on its next possession, but Piccirilli led the Hatters on a six-play scoring drive, covering 51 yards, with the final 15 of those yards coming on a screen pass to Jordan Younge-Humphrey for the score.
 
The Hatters scored again in the second quarter after stopping the Blue Hose on a fourth down play. Stetson needed just seven plays to cover the 30 yards with Piccirilli connecting again with Younge-Humphrey on a 17-yards screen pass for the score.
 
Presbyterian's next possession lasted just four plays before freshman Alex Villas jumped in front of a Hefley pass and returned his first career interception 28 yards for a touchdown. It was the first pick six for the Stetson defense since JJ Henderson returned an interception 43 yards for a score against Morehead State on Nov. 3, 2018.
 
After the first two Stetson possessions in the third quarter failed to produce points, the Hatters struck quickly on their third chance. Piccirilli connected with freshman Nazeviah Burris on first down for a 44-yard gain to the Blue Hose 8. From there, Younge-Humphrey blasted through the middle of the Blue Hose defense for his third score of the game, and his second of the season the ground.
 
The Hatters took advantage once again when Presbyterian failed to convert on a fourth down, needing just five plays to cover 30 yards, with the final three coming on a pass from Piccirilli to freshman receiver Deven Thompson for his first career touchdown. That score made it a 42-0 game.
 
From there, things got wild over the final 3:22 of the third quarter. The Blue Hose finally got their offense going, using nine plays to cover 75 yards. Hefley connected with Jalen Jones for a 39-yard TD pass to end the shutout. Presbyterian went for two, but the Hansberry made a tackle behind the line to thwart the attempt.
 
After Presbyterian's on-side kick attempt was recovered by Michael Martinez, the Hatters went right back to work. A 20-yard pass to Kaleb Costner got Stetson in position for Jalen Leary, who had four carries on the drive, including the last one for a one-yard TD. Cameron Gillis converted the PAT kick, one of his record-tying eight in the game, to make in 49-6.
 
The Blue Hose came right back after putting the ball into the hands of backup quarterback Jake Davis. He completed a pass to Matthew Rivera for 33 yards and then handed the ball to Delvecchio Powell, who ran 32-yards for a Presbyterian score. Powell ran in the two-point conversion to cut the Stetson lead to 49-14.
 
Presbyterian appeared to be gaining momentum late in the quarter after recovering the onside kick. The Blue Hose were at the Stetson 29 yard line when the quarter ended.
 
Littlejohn made sure that momentum didn't carry into the fourth quarter when he intercepted a Davis pass at the Stetson nine yard line and returned the pick 91 yards for what appeared to be a Stetson score. The touchdown was erased by a penalty against the Hatters for a block in the back on the return, but the Hatters converted the turnover into points three plays later.
 
Leary did the honors for the second time, gaining 21 yards for a first down at the Presbyterian six before punch it in for the final points of the day.
 
Leary finished with 74 yards on 14 carries in the game, which would have led the Hatters, but freshman quarterback Marshall Skoloff got his first action of the season late in the game and ripped off runs of 60 and 14 yards to tie Leary with 74 yards.
 
The Blue Hose finished the game with just 30 total rushing yards. Presbyterian also did something they hadn't done all year – send in a punt team. The Blue Hose had punted just six times all year before the game against Stetson, all by the quarterback from a quick kick position. Freshman Acha Mbanwei had three punts against the Hatters.
 
Stetson will look to carry momentum from the victory over Presbyterian into the homecoming game against Dayton next Saturday, Nov. 6, at Melching Field. The Flyers also improved to 4-4 on the year with a 38-31 victory over Butler. Kickoff against Dayton at Spec Martin Stadium next weekend is set for 1 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
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.