DELAND, Fla. – Stetson Football found itself on the wrong side of another game decided in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, this time to Drake, 24-17, Saturday afternoon at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium.

The Hatters' (3-4, 1-3 PFL) slump now goes to three PFL games after winning the league-play opening game against Morehead State on September 24. Drake (1-8, 1-5) snap a 14-game win streak dating back to last season.

The Hatters got on the board after five plays from scrimmage following the opening kickoff. Stetson booted the ball away, but a fumble caused by SU's Micah Adams then recovered by Jordan Williams at the Drake 31 put Stetson on the attack. Five plays later, the home crowd erupted as Brady Meitz found Kaleb Costner for the tight end's second career score, 7-0 Hatters.

Drake's answer was swift and methodical. After receiving the kickoff and a return to the 33 yard-line, the Bulldog offense put together a 12-play 67-yard drive and with a good extra point tied the game at seven with 8:04 reading on the first quarter clock.

The teams then traded field goals as each team scored on all drives started in the first quarter, the final field goal by Drake occurring at 11:28 left on the second quarter clock, 10-10.

The defenses added with a little help from missed field goals and missed opportunities helped keep that score through halftime. Stetson with the ball following Drake's field goal started marching down the field but stalled out following an incompletion on fourth down at the Bulldog 28, turning the ball over on downs.

Drake's offense pushed by back down the field with a nine-play 46-yard drive to the Stetson 34. The Bulldogs rushed the kicking unit onto the field as the decision was made with around 16 on the play clock. DU snapped the ball in time, the kick was through and split the uprights, except that the visitors called timeout before the snap with the play clock close to expiring. Luke William's next attempt had the distance but pulled to the left keeping the score where it was.

The sides traded punts until Drake ran out the clock with each team still at 10.

The defenses were on display to start the second half with Stetson going three and out, with Rassie Littlejohn making his third interception of the year on 4th and 5.

Another drive stalled for the Hatters and Marshall Golick's punt was blocked with the Bulldogs falling on the ball at the Stetson 21-yard line. SU's defense answered the bell again, giving up zero yards to the Drake offense. Williams trotted out again, this time for a 38-yard attempt, which Williams pulled to the left again.

Meitz and the Hatter offense started to click on the ensuing possession. After gaining four first downs, Meitz was forced to scramble on a third and eight. Drake's Connor Groff caught Meitz from behind and jarred the ball loose that subsequently fell right in front of Linden Howe who recovered it for the Bulldogs at their own 25.

DU took the ball on an 11-play 75-yard drive capped off by a Dorian Boyland one-yard touchdown rush. A mishandled snap by Jackson Williams led to his pass being intercepted by Ethan
Hull on the point-after-touchdown attempt, but the Stetson linebacker could only prevent the score before going down, 16-10 with three ticks left on the third-quarter clock.

The Hatter offense answered on the ensuing drive with Meitz slinging the ball all over the field. Four completions later, Michael Carley was celebrating his second touchdown of the year. PAT was good, and the Hatters went up 17-16 with 12:49 left in the game.

Drake was forced into a quick three and out as the Hatter offense went back to work. Third-down conversion pass to Carley, two plays later Meitz-to-Brewer first down at the Drake 31-yard line. A sack and false start would force the Hatters backyard to lead to a punt, but Golick pinned the visitors inside their own 10 with 7:01 left.

The Drake run-based offense was shelved after the first play, except in short-yardage scenarios. A third and eight looked to be blown up but Christian Galvan got the edge and picked up nine before Hull forced him out of bounds. Three plays later, Boyland picked up four yards on a third and three. As time started becoming a factor, Luke Bailey threw a third-down prayer toward and Colin Howard with the receiver making the catch with Micah Adams only able to tackle the wide out preventing a touchdown. Galvan scored on the next play with 95 seconds left in the game. The Bulldogs converted a two-point conversion for a seven-point advantage, 24-17.

Stetson was stopped in four plays after returning the kickoff to their own 38 with DU kneeling to run out the clock.

A point of contention brought up by the coaching staff was third-down efficiency; the Bulldogs went 12-for-19 on third down.

Meitz eclipsed 250 passing yards for the sixth time [251] this year. Distributing the ball all over the field, nine players made at least a reception, headed up by six by Carley for 89 yards and a touchdown. Kaderris Roberts headed up the rushing attack with 57 yards on nine attempts.

Hull broke double-digits on tackles for the third time this season, making 15 on Saturday to go with combining on a tackle-for-loss. Fermon Reid [11] and Micah Adams [10] each also broke two digits for total tackles. The Hatters forced 14-quarterback hurries

The Hatters will go on the road for back-to-back games with the two top teams in the PFL with going to Davidson and St. Thomas. This week, the away trip is to Davidson, North Carolina, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. The Wildcats will be coming off a bye week.
 
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.