DELAND, Fla. – After a Hurricane Ian cancelation of the San Diego game, Stetson Football will retake the field Saturday to try to make it to 2-0 in the Pioneer Football League and four wins out of its first five as Marist comes to town and the Hatters play an impromptu fifth-straight home game.

SU (3-1, 1-0) hope to take another step toward the PFL title at home after Ian made travel to the west coast impossible for the DeLand, Florida based squad. The resulting cancelation from being unable to travel to San Diego gives Stetson a fifth-consecutive game at Spec Martin Stadium. The game, scheduled for a 1 p.m. start, will be broadcast on ESPN+ and Victor Anderson will be on the call.

In the modern incarnation, Stetson has never started conference play with two wins. The visiting Red Foxes also hold the all-time series lead at six wins to two; however, the Hatters have got both their wins in DeLand at Spec Martin Stadium. Marist has claimed victory once on SU's home field. The previous meeting, 364 days prior to tomorrow's game, saw the Red Foxes put up 34 points to SU's three.

The only previous time Stetson won its first PFL game to start a season, 2018, it was over the Red Foxes, 19-14 on September 22, 2018.

The Red Foxes (1-3, 1-1) have struggled out of the gates this season, dropping three of their four first games, including a PFL contest to St. Thomas last week, 38-24. The lone victory for MC was on the road in a Pioneer League matchup as Stetson's Saturday opponent went to Des Moines, Iowa and knocked off Drake 30-25.

The Red Foxes are lead through an air attack averaging 233 yards per game behind the arm of Brock Bagozzi. The sophomore from Solvay, New York has notched five of the six passing touchdowns for Marist, but has also thrown six interceptions. Baggozi has added a touchdown on the ground to help his cause. MC uses a tandem of Amin Woods and Glenmour Leonard-Osbourne for rushing with the former posting double the attempts [37] of the later [18]. Woods averages 34 yards per game with 137 on the season. Leonard-Osborne is notching 5.4 yards per carry with a long of 20 yards.

MC's defense has surrendered 423 yards per game this season. The Red Fox pass defense has held teams to roughly 230 yard per game through the air, but teams that have established the run have notched 224 [Georgetown] 226 [Columbia] and 242 [St. Thomas] yards on the ground. In the Marist lone win, Drake was held to 79 rushing yards.

The Hatter offense has been lighting up the PFL with sophomore quarterback Brady Meitz posting 327.75 yards through the air per game which ranks in the league's top spot. Redshirt junior running back Jalen Leary is in the top 10 of the PFL posting 49 yards per game on the ground, working in tandem with sophomore Kaderris Roberts. Sophomore Nazeviah Burris paces the PFL in receiving yards, receptions and yards per game. The Stetson wideout is in a three-way tie for first place in receiving touchdowns [3] in the PFL.

Graduate student dawg safety Ja'veon Ensley put on a defensive back clinic the last time he lined up at Spec Martin Stadium picking off two passes, including a one-handed highlight-reel pick six, and blocked a punt. The safety added to eight tackles with 1.5 TFLs in the 38-26 victory over Morehead State. That coupled with redshirt senior linebacker Majeste' Hansberry also adding eight tackles. The Hatters racked up three sacks bringing the total to eight on the season. The stiff defense held MSU to 87 rushing yards and 199 total yards. SU forced three turnovers and the aforementioned blocked punt by Ensley.

Saturday's contest will be the Mental Health Awareness Game in Partnership with Hilinski's Hope, a mental health awareness charity dedicated to the memory of Tyler Hilinski. For more information, be sure to check out hilinskishope.org.

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. 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.