San Diego, Calif. – After playing an almost perfect first half, the Stetson Hatters couldn't maintain the momentum in the second half of their game against Pioneer Football League power San Diego, falling to the Toreros 34-10 on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Hatters (0-4) took a 10-3 lead into halftime, but a pair of second half turnovers combined big plays from the USD (4-1) offense flipped the game. The Toreros scored 31 unanswered points in the second half, with 28 of those coming in the final 16 minutes of the game.
 
The Toreros had second half scoring drives of 73, 99 and 40 yards to take a 10-point lead and then put the Hatters away with a clock-killing late drive, covering 75 yards while using 7:28 off the clock. USD added one more score after Stetson turned the ball over on downs late to account for the final margin.
 
The Toreros piled up 342 yards of offense in the second half, finishing the game with 279 passing yards and 279 rushing yards. Quarterback Mason Randall completed 9-of-13 passes in the second half with two going for touchdowns after throwing a pair of first half interceptions.
 
Emilio Martinez, who set up the first USD touchdown with an 84-yard run, finished as the leading rusher with 122 yards on 20 carries.
 
Stetson quarterback Alex Piccirilli, who ran the Hatters offense efficiently in the first half, was harassed, hit and sacked six times in the second half, leading in part to the two interceptions. He completed just seven of 16 passes after halftime for 59 yards. The Hatters rushed for just 56 yards in the game.
 
One breakout star in the game for Stetson was sophomore safety Rassie Littlejohn.
 
Through the first three games this spring, it seemed as if Littlejohn was close to making interceptions several times. He took advantage of those chances in the first half, coming up with a pair of picks, plus a fumble recovery, to help Stetson to a 10-3 lead at halftime.
 
Littlejohn's heroics helped stop Toreros drives at the Stetson 21-yard line, the Hatters' 10 and the Stetson 26 late in the half. The first of those turnovers came after the Hatters had an eight-yard punt following the first Stetson possession of the game.
 
Stetson's defense held USD to just 116 yards in the first half, 24 on the ground and 92 through the air on just six-of-16 passing.
 
The Stetson offense didn't do much better on the ground, gaining just 25 yards on 19 carries in the opening half, but Piccirilli completed nine of his 13 passes in the half for 129 yards, including an 18-yard scoring strike to Quinton Lane that came right after a 40-yard completion to Connor Becker, who also had a 41-yard reception in the first quarter.
 
Becker finished with 138 yards on seven receptions, game-highs for either team.
 
Redshirt freshman Cameron Gillis got the scoring started with a 22-yard field goal with 1:17 left in the first quarter. The Toreros answered that with a 27-yard field goal by Brandon Eickert with 4:23 to go in the half.
 
After Jaylon Johnson returned the USD kickoff out to the 35-yard line, Piccirilli needed just six plays to move the Hatters down the first for their first touchdown in six quarters, with the passes to Becker and Lane doing most of the damage.
 
USD closed to within 10-6 on a 24-yard Eickert field goal mid-way through the third quarter.
The Toreros took the lead when Randall connected with Christian Brown for a six-yard touchdown, capping a 99-yard drive with 1:18 left in the third quarter. Terrence Smith scored on a four-yard run after the first Stetson turnover, and then Randall connected with Michael Carner for a 26-yard score. Smith rumbled in from 20-yards out for the final USD touchdown.
 
The Hatters will close out their spring schedule next weekend at Davidson. Stetson will be looking to avenge a 26-20 loss to the Wildcats from the first game of the year. That game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start from Richardson Stadium.
 
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.