DAYTON, Ohio – A precarious fourth-quarter seven-point lead turned into a road loss for Stetson as they dropped a PFL contest to Dayton, 23-20, Saturday afternoon at Welcome Stadium.
 The Hatters (3-3, 1-2 PFL) drop another PFL game after winning the opener against Morehead State. Dayton (5-2, 3-1 PFL) picks up its second win in a row and fourth in their last five.
Both defenses held serve in the first quarter with six consecutive punts, the seventh occurred in the second quarter, between the teams with the longest drive amounting to 36 yards. The sides amassed 87 total yards in the first frame off of quick pursuits and clean tackles. The quarter had two tackles for loss, both by the Flyer defense.
The Hatters broke out in front in the second quarter. A 10-play 64-yard drive lead to Cameron Gillis putting a three on the board for the visitors. Dayton's response was shortly thereafter with a 73-yard kick return on the following kick off from Luke Brenner; Alex Alteus made a touchdown-preventing tackle at the Stetson 21-yard line. The Hatters stiffened up and stuffed the Flyers three straight plays, forcing a net-negative drive after Majeste' Hansberry recorded a sack on third down.  UD's Sam Webster converted three from 39 yards to tie the game at three.
Stetson looked to regroup but gave up the lead on the following drive. On third play of the ensuing drive, second and 10, Hatter quarterback Brady Meitz was trying to throw out of pressure, Logan Dalton high-pointed the ball and returned the interception for a touchdown for a 10-3 advantage.
Meitz bounced back on the following drive. Four completed passes, including a 17-yard completion to Quinton Lane and a 21-yard completion to Michael Carley. Jalen Leary carried for 46 yards on the drive, 36 on one attempt and a two-yard touchdown rush, 10-10. The score held through the end of the half.
Getting the ball to start the second half, the Hatters immediately took advantage. Meitz rolled out to the left and fired for Lane deep, connecting and the Hatter offense was celebrating a touchdown 13 seconds later and what would become a 17-10 lead.
The Flyers put together a drive to respond, recording three first downs, but a sack by Ja'veon Ensley put UD behind the sticks. A fourth down incompletion ended the Flyer possession at the Stetson 37.
The Hatter came back out and put together a methodical offensive attack with short passing until Meitz connected with Lane over the top to convert a fourth and five with a 34-yard bomb to the Flyer six-yard line, but SU had to settle for a field goal after three stops from UD's defense, 20-10.
Another good kick return from Dayton's Brenner gave the Flyers a start in Stetson territory, on the 44. The Hatter defense stopped Dayton, but not before they moved into field goal range, cutting the deficit back to a single score, 20-13.
SU's offense managed one first down on the following drive but two incompletions and a five-yard completion meant the Hatters gave it back to Dayton in a single-score game. On the first play from scrimmage, the Flyers' Shane Hamm caught Derek Willits in space on a crossing route. Fifty-two yards later, UD was in the red zone. Two plays following that, it was first and goal from the one. Dayton's Hamm scored on the next play off a quarterback sneak [20-20].
After a Stetson three and out, put together a 13-play 50-yard drive with two third down conversions notching a 22-yard field goal from the Hatter five-yard line, putting the home side up 23-20 with 6:02 left. The 13-play drive took seven minutes and 29 seconds off the clock.
The Hatters picks up a first down on the next drive but a sack on third and six, made the prospect of going for it on fourth down unfeasible and SU was forced to let the defense try to force a stop or turnover. The Flyers leaned on Jake Chisholm and UD was able to run 3:42 and three SU time outs off the clock to maintain the three-point win.
Meitz racked up 353 passing yards with a touchdown and interception. Leary picked up 51 yards of Stetson's 70 rushing yards. Three receivers notched four catches, headed up by Lane with 142 yards and a touchdown. Kaderris Roberts took his four catches for 48 yards, including a 38-yard long.
The Hatters outgained the Flyers 423 to 267. Hansberry notched 13 tackles on the day with a sack for a three-yard loss. C.J. Davis tallied eight tackles with one TFL. Alteus recorded seven tackles with 1.5 per loss. Rassie Littlejohn wrapped up six flyers with a pass break up. Ja'veon Ensley was a force on the defensive side of the ball with five tackles, 2.5 for loss, a sack and a half with a pass break up.
The Hatters return to DeLand for Homecoming against Drake. That game will take place Saturday with kickoff at 1 p.m. Stetson will also recognize the Hall of Fame class of 22 at the game.
 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS (PDF). Get in on the conversation on social media by following Stetson Athletics on  Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For video content, visit our YouTube channels: Stetson Hatters, Stetson Athletics and, for live events, Hatter Vision.