STETSON (4-6, 3-4 PFL) vs. SAN DIEGO (6-4, 6-1 PFL)
Date	Saturday, November 20, 2021
Location	Spec Martin Memorial Stadium | DeLand, Fla.
Kickoff	1 p.m.
Tickets	Buy Now |  Know Before You Go
Broadcast	ESPN3
Live Stats	Live Stats
Game Information	Stetson Game Notes  |  USD Game Notes | Roster Card
Social Media	Twitter  |  Instagram |  Facebook

The Setup: The Stetson football team will close out a long year on Saturday with the last of 14 games over the last nine months when Pioneer Football League co-leader San Diego visits Spec Martin Memorial Stadium.
 
The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Evan Weston and Victor Anderson on the call.
 
Pregame ceremonies will recognize 15 senior players, two senior student staff members, two senior student trainers and eight senior cheerleaders.
 
The players who will be recognized prior to the game are: DB CJ Barney, OL Alex Brown, OL Billy Corte, DB Nate Cureton, WR Justin Curtis, DE Nolan DeFranco, OL Antonio Derry, OL Steven Godwin, OL Jordan Halfinds, LB Majeste' Hansberry, DB Dwight Lawrence, OL Nick Plunkett, DE Fermon Reid, DE Bryson Richards and LB Connor Wilson. The two student staff members are Colin Ibison (specialists/video) and Chad Jenkins (equipment) and the two student trainers are Isabel Albert and Erin Hunt.
 
The eight senior cheerleaders are: Teagan Adams, AJ Conage, Katie Ford, Alyssa Gorman, Emma Graybeal, Kirby Hall, Veda Kohler and David Wrenn.
 
Series History: The series between Stetson and San Diego goes back to 2013 and has been dominated by the Toreros. USD has won each of the eight games and only once, in 2014, was the game played to within one score. The Toreros have outscored the Hatters 361 to 80 with an average 35.1-point margin in the games. San Diego has averaged 549 yards of total offense per game in eight outings against Stetson while holding the Hatters to just 235.8 yards per game.
USD has scored 48 touchdowns in the eight meetings while allowing the Hatters just 10. Turnovers in the series have been relatively even, with Stetson leading the turnover battle 12-11. The only non-offensive touchdown scored in the series was an 84-yard fumble return for a score by Donald Payne in the 2016 game.
 
Game Preview: Stetson is playing for pride and for a chance to send those seniors out with a win in their final home game. The last time the Hatters won on Senior Day was in 2018 when Stetson defeated Valparaiso 45-31. Overall, Stetson is 2-6 in Senior Day games since restarting the program in 2013.
 
San Diego is playing for a chance to win or share the PFL title. After starting the season with four consecutive losses, the Toreros have won their last six games, all against PFL opponents, and they enter the game this weekend tied with Davidson for first place. USD needs a victory over Stetson and a Davidson loss to Drake in order to earn the PFL bid to the NCAA Championship. If San Diego and Davidson both win, the Wildcats will earn the NCAA bid thanks to their win over USD in head-to-head play. If both San Diego and Davidson lose, then the PFL title will be up for grabs among four teams.
 
Scouting USD: The Toreros have been up-and-down offensively all year behind graduate quarterback Mason Randall and senior running backs Terrence Smith and Emilio Martinez. Randall has thrown for 1,899 yards and 10 touchdowns this fall, spreading passes around to 14 receivers. Smith has rushed for 539 yards and four touchdowns while Martinez has 367 rush yards, scoring twice. On defense, senior safety Michael Hawkins leads the Toreros with 72 tackles, including 6.5 for loss, with two interceptions. Redshirt junior linebacker David Ambagtsheer has also recorded 70 tackles. Despite their winning record, the Toreros have been outscored on the season, averaging 24.2 points per game while allowing 26.1 points per outing. The total offense for USD is almost exactly the same as the total they have allowed, with a difference of less than two yards per game.
 
Noting the Hatters: Stetson had its best offensive game against a PFL opponent this season last week, piling up 516 yards against the Morehead State defense. It was the second-best total offense game of the season behind the 596 yards against Ave Maria. It was also the most total offense against a PFL foe since putting up 524 yards against Butler on Oct. 5, 2019, a stretch of 16 games.
 
Redshirt sophomore Rassie Littlejohn became the first player in modern program history to have three games with at least two interceptions with two picks last week at MSU. It was his second multi-interception game this fall after recording one in the spring. Interestingly, all six of his career interceptions have come on the road. Littlejohn had his two picks in the spring in the game at San Diego.
 
Fermon Reid added another sack in the game at Morehead State, giving him 16 in his career. He also recovered a fumble in the game before leaving with an injury.
 
The 36-35 loss to MSU was just the second 1-point game the Hatters have played since restarting the program in 2013. In fact, Stetson has played just three games in the modern era that were settled by less than a field goal. In addition to the loss to Morehead State, Stetson earned a last-second 23-21 victory over Drake in 2018 and took a 19-18 loss to Campbell in 2013.
 
Since 1905, and not counting the 27 ties in program history, the Hatters are 13-12 overall in games decided by less than a field goal. Stetson is 6-10 in 1-point games and 7-2 in 2-point games.
 
Redshirt sophomore Jalen Leary, who is coming off a 159-yard performance against Morehead State last week, enters the final game of 2021 needing to rush for 155 yards to surpass Cole Mazza and become the all-time leading career rusher in the modern era of Stetson football.
 
Redshirt junior quarterback Alec Piccirilli has rushed for more than 100-yards in consecutive games, the first Stetson quarterback to do that. If Piccirilli were to make it three straight games, he would tie Ryan Tentler for career 100-yard rushing games by a quarterback at Stetson.
 
Key Stat: San Diego has scored 70 points this year off opponent turnovers, including two interception returns for touchdowns and one fumble return for a score. On the other side, the Toreros have allowed six interception returns for scores this year. The Hatters have scored 45 points off opponent turnovers, with one interception return for a score, while Stetson opponents have scored 42 points off Hatters' turnovers, also with one pick six.
 
Up Next: The 2022 Stetson schedule is not yet complete, with the Hatters still looking for a season-opening game on September 3. The Hatters are scheduled to host non-conference games against Louisiana College and Princeton before starting the PFL schedule, which will include home games against Morehead State, Marist, Drake and Presbyterian and road games at San Diego, Dayton, Davidson and St. Thomas.
 
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.