DeLand, Fla.— The Stetson football team got off to a slow start Saturday afternoon and was never able to make up the lost ground in a 41-13 homecoming loss to Dayton at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium.
 
The loss drops the Hatters to 4-5 overall on the season, 2-4 in Pioneer Football League play. The visiting Flyers improved to 5-4 overall, 4-3 in the conference play. Dayton led from the opening moments of the game.
 
Dayton's senior quarterback, Jack Cook, completed his first nine pass attempts in the game, and then gave the ball to junior Jake Chisholm in the red zone. Chisholm delivered, scoring four rushing touchdowns in the game. He scored on runs of five yards twice, once from 13 yards, and the final score of the day from three yards out.
 
The Flyers scored on each of their first three possessions, building a 21-3 early in the second quarter.
 
Stetson got on the board early in the second quarter, settling for a 35-yard field goal by redshirt freshman kicker Cameron Gillis to cap a 14-play drive that covered 73 yards. The Dayton defense forced the field goal by dropping Hatters' quarterback Alex Piccirilli in the backfield on third and goal from the three.
 
Dayton answered with a quick, four-play, drive to pull ahead 21-3. Cook connected with Luke Brenner on the first play of the possession for 48 yards, setting up Chisholm to do the rest.
 
Stetson showed fight as the clock ticked toward halftime. Alex Villas picked off a Cook pass near the end zone to get the ball back for the Hatters, and then Piccirilli got into a groove.
 
He hit Nazeviah Burris for 14 yards before Jalen Leary ripped a run up the middle for 43 yards to the Dayton 28. Piccirilli then hit Dominic Carlucci for a 10-yard gain and followed up with a 13-yard strike to Quinton Lane. The graduate quarterback did the rest, picking up four yards before running 11 yards for the touchdown.
 
Playing with momentum for the first time, the Stetson defense stood up and stopped the Flyers on a three-and-out, forcing a punt.
 
Piccirilli and the Hatters' offense went right back to work, converting on a pair of fourth down runs before hooking up with Deven Thomson on a 25-yard pass play to the Dayton four-yard line with two seconds left in the half.
 
Hatters coach Brian Young decided to keep his offense on the field, and the move appeared to play off when Piccirilli hit Burris in the end zone for an apparent touchdown. The play was erased, however, when Thompson was called for offensive interference.
 
Stetson called a timeout to avoid the half ending on the penalty, and kept the offense on the field. After an un-timed down in which offsetting penalties were called, the Hatters sent Gillis in, and he connected from 35 yards to cut the halftime deficit to 21-13.
 
Stetson got the ball to start the second half, and Piccirilli gave the home crowd life with a 35-yard run, but the Hatters were unable to keep the drive alive, and punted the ball away.
 
Dayton needed just four plays to dash the Hatters' hopes of a comeback, with Cook going over the top to redshirt freshman Sam Bubonics for a 67-yard touchdown.
 
The best scoring chance for Stetson in the second half came late in the third quarter when the Hatters got another long run from Piccirilli, but the Flyers put the drive to an end when the elder Bubonics brother, Joe, intercepted a pass at the goal line.
 
Dayton used to the turnover to start a six-play scoring drive that ended on the first play of the fourth quarter when Cook threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Brenner. The Flyers capped the scoring with a 10-play drive that was all about Chishold, who carried the ball eight times for 60 yards, with the finale five-yard run putting the game on ice.
 
Dayton out-gained Stetson 456 to 361 in total offense, including 328 to 196 through the air. Despite the four-touchdown performance from Chisholm, who finished with 119 yards on 23 carries, the Hatters out-gained the Flyers 165 to 128 on the ground.
 
Piccirilli completed 19-of-36 pass attempts for 193 yards and he rushed for a team-high 114 yards on 18 carries. Lane led Stetson receivers with 61 yards on three catches. 
 
Defensively, Stetson was led by redshirt sophomore linebacker Ethan Hull with 10 tackles. Fellow redshirt sophomore Rassie Littlejohn added eight tackles and also blocked Dayton's final PAT kick.
 
For Dayton, Cook completed 18-of-24 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns. Sam Bubonics had six catches for 143 yards for the Flyers. Junior safety Zack Rumpke led the Dayton defensive with 10 tackles and a sack.
 
The Hatters will be back in action next Saturday at Morehead State. The Eagles dropped a 10-3 decision to San Diego to fall to 5-4 on the year, 4-2 in PFL play. Kickoff from Jayne Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
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.