The preliminaries are over to the Stetson football team. From now on, the focus for the Hatters is on taking one step at a time toward the ultimate goal, winning a Pioneer Football League title.
 
The Hatters will look to take their first step toward that goal on Saturday at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium when they host the Eagles of Morehead State (1-2). The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start and will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Tom James and Victor Anderson on the call of the action.
 
Stetson (2-1) is hoping to close out a four-game season-opening home stand with a 3-1 record after fall in to Princeton last weekend. The four consecutive home games mark the longest such stretch in the modern era. Since restarting the football program in 2013, the Hatters have posted a 23-31 record at Spec Martin.
 
Conference openers have not been kind to the Hatters in the modern era. Since restarting the program and joining the PFL, Stetson has won its first league game just one time, in 2018. That year the Hatters defeated Marist 19-14 at Spec Martin and went on from there to post a 6-2 record in league play to tie for second place.
 
It is also just the second time in the modern era that Morehead State will visit DeLand. The only previous trip to Spec Martin for the Eagles came during that 2018 season, and the Hatters took that game 48-24.
 
This will be the first time Stetson has ever opened PFL play against Morehead State, which has traditionally been a late-season opponent. In fact, with the exception of the game during the spring 2021 season, the Hatters and Eagles have met in November in five of the six previous games. Morehead State leads the all-time series against the Hatters 4-3 thanks to the last second, 36-35, Eagles victory last November.
 
The loss last year was a hard pill to swallow for the Hatters because MSU scored two touchdowns in the final 5:15 of the game, including the game-winner with just 20 seconds left on the clock. The Eagles no longer have the duo of quarterback Mark Pappas and receiver BJ Byrd at their disposal, but have started the 2022 season by putting more emphasis on the running game.
 
Sophomore quarterback Grady Cramer has completed just over 50 percent of his pass attempts through three games, and is averaging just 158 passing yards per game. The sophomore running back tandem of Chance Harris and James Louis have combined to average 5.4 yards per carry and have allowed the Eagles to rush for more than 100 yards in each of their first three games, with two of those games being lopsided road losses to Mercer and Montana State by identical scores of 63-13.
 
Defensively, the Eagles have surrendered more than 540 yards of total offense per game. Opponents have thrown for 922 yards and 10 touchdowns while also rushing for 706 yards and seven scores. Big plays have been the issue, with the Eagles' opponents having scored 10 times on plays of more than 30 yards, including a 62-yard pick six, a 93-yard kickoff return and a 67-yard punt return for touchdowns.
 
The Hatters have proven they can move the ball through the air as sophomore quarterback Brady Meitz has completed 74-of-121 pass attempts for 1,047 yards and six scores, but the Hatters are averaging just 70.3 yards per game on the ground. Part of that comes from the nine sacks Stetson has allowed through three games.
 
Keeping Meitz on his feet so that he has time to get the ball to his group of play-making receivers will be a priority for the Hatters to be successful. Stetson also has to cut back on the number of penalties that have both slowed the offense and caused the Hatters to deal with long fields.
 
On the defensive side for Stetson, the Hatters' trio of dawg safety Davion Maxwell and linebackers Ethan Hull and Majeste' Hansberry have played well, as expected, but the emergence of linebacker Alex Alteus as a big-play maker in the backfield, and dawg safety Ja'Veon Ensley's play all over the field have been nice additions.
 
The game this weekend has been designated as the Extra Yard for Teachers game. Fans are being encouraged to bring school supplies for donation to local elementary schools in order to be entered into a drawing for free tickets to University Studios Orlando. The Extra Yard for Teachers Program is a partnership with the College Football Playoff Foundation.
 
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.