STETSON (4-4, 2-3 PFL) vs. Dayton (4-4, 3-3 PFL)
Date	Saturday, November 6, 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  |  Dayton Game Notes | Roster Card
Social Media	Twitter  |  Instagram |  Facebook

The Setup: The Hatters return home to Spec Martin Stadium for a homecoming game against Dayton on Saturday. The Homecoming game, which is sponsored by Watson Realty, is part of a big weekend on the Stetson campus. Not only is it homecoming, but prior to the game on Saturday morning the University will officially inaugurate President Christopher F. Roellke 14 months after he took office as the 10th president of the University. Dr. Roellke will take part in the pre-game coin-toss.
 
In addition, the newest class of inductees into the Stetson Athletics Hall of Fame will be recognized at halftime. The group of seven inductees includes a trio of women's basketball standouts - Shanasa Sanders, Sasha Sims and Victoria McGowan - along with women's golfer Alexandria Buelow-Jacobsen, men's tennis star Maksim Levanovich, softball standout Meredith Owen-Swindle and baseball star Patrick Mazeika.
 
The homecoming tradition for Stetson football dates back to 1930, which is the first time the event is mentioned anywhere in the university's archives. Stetson is 17-10-2 in homecoming games since that first game against Florida Southern, a 52-0 victory.
 
Stetson has played 21 different opponents for homecoming including Florida State in 1948 (an 18-7 loss) and East Carolina in 1952 and 1953 (a 19-19 tie and a 40-6 loss). The biggest homecoming victory was 73-0 over Florida Southern in 1933. This is the first time Dayton has served as the Hatters' opponent for homecoming.
 
Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Tom James on the call along with former Western Kentucky and Miami Dolphins quarterback Brandon Doughty providing analysis.
 
Preview: The Hatters (4-4, 2-3 in the PFL) and the Flyers (4-4, 3-3) are both in the middle of the Pioneer Football League standing heading into the final month of the year. Stetson is coming off a game where the Hatters put everything together in a dominant 56-14 victory over Presbyterian while Dayton is coming off a 38-31 win over Butler.
 
The Hatters' defense piled up a program record 10 sacks in the win last week. Stetson had six sacks by halftime and tied the old record of seven early in the third quarter. The defense also broke the modern program record with 17 tackles for loss. Eight different Stetson defenders chipped in with at least one TFL in the game and one TFL was credited as a team tackle. The four interceptions recorded by Stetson also tied the modern program record.
 
Offensively, Stetson also tied the mark for most points scored in a PFL game with 56. The only thing that didn't go as planned for the Hatters in the win was a pair of missed field goals.
 
Scouting the Flyers: Dayton is led by senior quarterback Jack Cook, who ranks among the top three in the PFL in pass efficiency (2^nd, 133.3), passing touchdowns (3^rd, 10), passing yards (3^rd, 1,904), yards per completion (1^st, 13.31) and points responsible for (3^rd, 118). The Flyers' captain, he holds the program career record with 60 career TD passes.
 
Junior running back Jake Chisholm helps carry the offensive load, averaging 86 yards per game on the ground. A preseason All-American, he led all of FCS in all-purpose yards in 2019, averaging 204.3 yards per game. That duo has continued to enjoy success this year despite the fact that the Flyers' offensive line is made up entirely of freshmen and redshirt freshmen. That group has allowed just six sacks in eight games, ranking fifth in all of FCS. Chisholm was the PFL offensive player of the week this past week for his performance in the win over Butler
 
On the defensive side, senior safety Brandon Easterling leads the Flyers with 72 tackles. He was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award as the top defender in FCS in 2019 and is on the watch list for the award this year.
 
The Flyers are averaging 127.3 yards per game on the ground this year while allowing 147.4 yards. Dayton has also been out-gained through the air, averaging 239.1 yards while surrendering 296.9 yards per game. Dayton is allowing 32.4 points per game this year while the Hatters are surrendering 30.6 points per outing
 
Key Stat: The Dayton football team has not been shutout in a game since October 16, 1976, a stretch of 495 games, which is the longest active streak in college football. The Flyers also own the fifth best winning percentage in the FCS going back to 2000, having won 73.3 percent of their games over the past 20-plus seasons.
 
Hatters Notebook: Among the many Stetson defenders to shine in the win over Presbyterian, linebacker Majeste' Hansberry shined the brightest. He led the Hatters with 10 tackles, including a team best four for loss, two of which went for sacks, and he also had an interception. Hansberry also made a stop for loss on a two-point conversion try.
 
Freshman Alex Villas made his first collegiate interception count, returning the pick for a 28-yard touchdown. It was the first pick six for the Hatters since JJ Henderson returned an interception 43 yards for a score against Morehead State on Nov. 3, 2018.
 
Rassie Littlejohn became the third Stetson player in the modern era to record two or more interceptions in a game twice. He joins with Chris Atkins and Ryan Powers, two members of the original 2013 squad, to have a pair of multi-pick games.
 
In addition to Villas scoring his first touchdown, redshirt freshman receiver Deven Thompson also recorded his first collegiate score.
 
Those scores were part of a performance that tied the Stetson record for points scored in a Pioneer Football League game. The mark of 56 points was originally set on October 27, 2018, at Davidson.
 
Offensively, graduate quarterback Alex Piccirilli played a near flawless game, throwing for 217 yards and three scores while also running for 37 yards and a score. His performance came almost seven months since he was intercepted twice (both for touchdowns) and completed just seven passes for 64 yards against the Blue Hose during the spring season.
 
Two Hatters made their season debuts last week. Freshman quarterback Marshall Skoloff is the fifth different player to take a snap at QB for Stetson this year. He ripped off a 60-yard run on his second play and added a 14-yard run on the next Stetson possession. To cap things off, he became the fifth different Hatter to punt, getting off a 36-yarder on a quick kick.
 
Moise Satine, a transfer running back from Samford, was set to be a major contributor for Stetson in the spring before suffering a serious knee injury. He made his debut for the Hatters in the game at Presbyterian, playing on the hands team on kickoffs and getting three rush attempts for seven yards late in the game.

Series History: The Hatters have squared off with the Flyers on the gridiron four times, going back to 2013, with Dayton holding a 3-1 series lead. The first meeting came in 2013 when the Flyers dominated the young Stetson team, rolling to a 49-7 lead before coasting to a 49-20 victory.
 
The teams met again two years later and the gap narrowed, but Dayton had little trouble in earning a 27-14 victory.
 
Stetson made its first, and to-date only, trip to Dayton in 2016 and, playing without All-American Donald Payne and with receiver Darian Wright at quarterback in the second half. The Hatters kept it close before falling 21-10.
 
It was the Hatters who dominated the last meeting, in 2019. Gaven DeFilippo threw for 254 yards and 3 touchdowns while Jalen Leary rushed for a program record 220 yards on just 19 carries as Stetson took a 38-21 victory.

Up Next: The Hatters will hit the road for the final time this year next week when they travel to Kentucky to square off against Morehead State. The Eagles enter play this weekend as one of three teams in the PFL with just one loss. They travel to face another one-loss team this weekend when the square off against San Diego in what is likely an elimination game in the chase for the PFL title. 
 
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.