Stetson football coach Brian Young knew when he added Concordia University from Ann Arbor, Mich., to the schedule for the start of the 2022 season that his team would have its hands full.
 
He was right.
 
After watching the visiting Cardinals, who are ranked sixth in the nation among NAIA teams, march down the field for a touchdown on their opening possession, the rest of the Hatters knew they were in for a battle as well.
 
The Hatters battled through the early deficit as well as the loss of their starting quarterback to down Concordia 24-14 on Saturday night at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium.
 
Stetson relied on its defense to slam the door on the Cardinals for the majority of the night, and sophomore quarterback Brady Meitz made the most of his first opportunity to play by throwing for 350 yards, including a school-record 98-yard touchdown pass to junior Quinton Lane in the second quarter to put the Hatters in front to stay.
 
Meitz, a native of Cumming, Ga., was forced into action late in the first quarter when graduate starter Alex Piccirilli went down with an injury. He got his feet wet with a five-yard completion to Lane to set up a 36-yard Cameron Gillis field goal with 59 seconds left in the first quarter.
 
Defensive standout Rassie Littlejohn got the ball back for Stetson early in the second quarter with the first of his two interceptions in the game, but his leaping catch left the Hatters at their own two-yard line.
 
On the first play after the turnover, Meitz fired deep down the left sideline, hitting Lane in stride in front of the Concordia bench, with the Cardinals' coaches and players watching helplessly as Lane went the distance for the first touchdown of the season, and the first in Meitz collegiate career.
 
Stetson pushed its lead to 17-7 at halftime after junior Jalen Leary capped a nine-play drive on the next Hatters possession, scoring from two yards out.
 
It was another interception, this one by sophomore David Stubbs, in the third quarter that set up the final Stetson points. Following the interception, sophomore Kaderris Roberts blasted through the right side of the line and down the sideline for a 42-yard run to the Concordia four.
 
Three plays later, Leary headed for the goal line, but officials determined he fumbled before crossing into the end zone. Fortunately, Lane was on the spot to recover for the touchdown.
 
Concordia made the final score a little closer with a late touchdown that got help from a pass interference call and a roughing the passer penalty. Cardinals' quarterback Gavin Brooks made a perfect throw to Harmon Devries over solid coverage for the score.
 
Overall, the Stetson defense allowed just 311 yards of total offense, with 139 of those coming on the two scoring drives. The Hatters had four interceptions, including one by Ja'Veon Ensley, and had two sacks among six tackles for loss.
 
Meitz led the Stetson offense, completing 26-of-38 passes for 350 yards as the two Hatters quarterbacks combined to throw for 384 yards. Lane was on the receiving end of 10 of those passes for 130 yards while sophomore Nazeviah Burris had nine receptions. Overall, 12 different Hatters caught at least one pass.
 
Stetson added 134 rush yards to the offensive total, giving the Hatters 503 yards of total offense.
 
Junior Davion Maxwell led the Stetson defense with eight tackles, including 1.5 for loss.
 
The Hatters will continue their month-long September home-stand next Saturday against Louisiana Christian College. That game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start.
 
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.