DeLAND, Fla. — Stetson Football returns to the road Saturday afternoon as the Hatters travel to St. Paul, Minnesota, for a Pioneer Football League matchup against St. Thomas at O'Shaughnessy Stadium.

Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT. Stetson enters the weekend at 1-4 overall and 0-1 in PFL play, while St. Thomas sits at 4-2 overall and 1-1 in the conference.

Both teams enter Saturday looking to respond following conference losses last weekend. Stetson battled Marist to a 14-14 tie midway through the third quarter before falling 28-14, while St. Thomas returns home after a 55-21 setback at Presbyterian.

Stetson heads back on the road Saturday for its second Pioneer Football League contest of the season and its fourth road game through the opening six contests.

The Hatters began the year with trips to No. 3 South Dakota State, Bethune-Cookman and No. 11 UC Davis before returning to DeLand for last weekend's conference opener against Marist. Saturday's trip sends Stetson outside the state of Florida for the third time this season and marks its first visit to Minnesota since the 2024 campaign.

Stetson's early schedule has featured three road games, two nationally ranked opponents and just two appearances at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium. The Hatters will continue alternating between home and road contests through the end of October, returning to DeLand next weekend to host Presbyterian.

Through five games, Stetson is averaging 342.6 yards of total offense per game, including 244.6 yards through the air. The Hatters have totaled 1,223 passing yards and seven passing touchdowns while recording at least 299 yards of total offense in each of their last four games.

Stetson enters Saturday following its most productive passing performance of the season against Marist.

The Hatters completed 40 of 66 passes for 335 yards and two touchdowns against the Red Foxes, establishing season highs in passing attempts, completions and yards. The performance marked Stetson's second 300-yard passing game of the season after throwing for 320 yards and three scores in the 45-10 victory over Webber International.

Thomas von Grote has completed 105 of 169 passes for 1,099 yards and seven touchdowns through five games. He has surpassed 190 passing yards in four consecutive contests and has thrown multiple touchdown passes twice this season.

His season-high performance came against Webber International, when he completed 19 of 24 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns. He followed with 192 yards and a touchdown at Bethune-Cookman, 219 yards and a score at UC Davis and 273 yards with two touchdowns against Marist.

The passing game has also benefited from depth at the skill positions. Six different Hatters have already reached 100 receiving yards this season, while eight players have recorded at least seven receptions.

Senior captain Wyatt Rogers continues to pace Stetson's receiving corps and enters Saturday following his second 100-yard performance of the season.

Rogers caught nine passes for 103 yards against Marist, setting a season high in receptions while reaching triple-digit yardage for the second time. His afternoon included a 36-yard reception early in the fourth quarter that moved Stetson into the Marist red zone.

Through five games, Rogers leads the Hatters with 27 receptions for 341 yards and a touchdown. He has recorded at least five catches in each of the last four games and has accumulated 327 receiving yards during that stretch.

His season also includes five receptions for 123 yards against Webber International, highlighted by a 46-yard touchdown catch. Rogers is averaging 12.6 yards per reception and has accounted for nearly 70 receiving yards per game.

Rogers has led the way statistically, but Stetson continues to receive contributions throughout the receiving corps.

Landon Farco is coming off a season-high 10 receptions against Marist, finishing with 71 yards. The sophomore has totaled 19 catches for 205 yards and a touchdown in four appearances, including a 95-yard performance at Bethune-Cookman.

Shawne Jones provided both Stetson touchdowns against Marist, catching scoring passes of 10 and 11 yards. Jones has 11 catches for 118 yards in three appearances and is tied for the team lead with three total touchdowns.

Troy Flowers has remained one of the Hatters' most versatile offensive weapons. The junior leads Stetson with 363 all-purpose yards, totaling 158 rushing yards and 163 receiving yards while scoring twice.

Anthony Benzija has added 13 receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown, while Malachi Townsend has reached the 100-yard receiving mark on 11 catches. Gunner Chenier has also become more involved over the last two weeks, totaling seven catches for 54 yards during that stretch.

Stetson's defense enters Saturday following another disruptive performance around the line of scrimmage.

The Hatters recorded six tackles for loss, two sacks, seven pass breakups and six quarterback hurries against Marist. Through five games, Stetson has totaled 22 tackles for loss, six sacks, 17 pass breakups and 10 quarterback hurries.

Junior linebacker Damontez McDowell continues to lead the team with 34 tackles, while Shug Bentley follows closely with 33. Dylan Kelly has recorded 27 tackles in four appearances, while freshman Jahlani Clarke has added 26 and Nycere Jacobs has totaled 25.

Casey Bending has emerged as one of the Hatters' most disruptive players up front. The junior has recorded 20 tackles and is tied with Barrett Kennedy for the team lead with 3.5 tackles for loss. Bending finished with seven tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and half a sack against Marist.

Alex Yearwood leads Stetson with 1.5 sacks, while McDowell, Jacobs and Eli Durden have each recorded a full sack. The Hatters have registered two sacks in each of their last two contests.

The secondary has also continued to make plays on the football. Jahyden Clark leads Stetson with four pass breakups, Kelly and Julian Sampson have three apiece and Clarke has added two.

Stetson's punt unit enters the weekend following one of its strongest performances of the year.

Brett Gonda punted seven times for 327 yards against Marist, averaging 46.7 yards per kick. Three punts were placed inside the 20-yard line and two traveled at least 50 yards, including a season-long 66-yarder on Stetson's opening possession.

For the season, the Hatters are averaging 43.4 yards per punt and have recorded six punts of at least 50 yards. Gonda's performance against Marist helped Stetson repeatedly force the Red Foxes to begin drives deep in their own territory during the first half.

Stetson opened Pioneer Football League play with a 28-14 loss to Marist last Saturday at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium.

The defenses controlled a scoreless opening quarter before Stetson struck first. Jaxon Holloway forced a Marist fumble late in the period and Kah'mari Hill recovered at the Red Foxes' 17-yard line. Three plays later, von Grote connected with Jones for a 10-yard touchdown to give the Hatters a 7-0 advantage.

Marist responded with two touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 14-7 lead into halftime, but Stetson answered after the break.

The Hatters put together a 10-play, 75-yard drive that included four completions to Rogers and a third-down conversion to Chenier. Jones finished the possession with an 11-yard touchdown reception, and the extra point tied the game at 14-14 with 9:32 remaining in the third quarter.

Marist answered with two touchdowns later in the third to regain control, while neither team scored in the fourth quarter.

Stetson finished with 335 passing yards, 334 yards of total offense and 19 first downs while converting 10 of 21 third-down attempts. Rogers led the receiving corps with nine catches for 103 yards, Farco caught 10 passes for 71 yards and Jones scored both Hatter touchdowns.

Defensively, Bending finished with seven tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. The Hatters recorded six tackles behind the line of scrimmage, two sacks and seven pass breakups while holding Marist scoreless in both the first and fourth quarters.

Saturday will mark the sixth all-time meeting between Stetson and St. Thomas since the Tommies joined the Pioneer Football League.

St. Thomas has won each of the previous five meetings and enters Saturday averaging 37.0 points per game in the series.

The Tommies have produced several notable individual performances against Stetson in recent seasons. Former St. Thomas running back Hope Adebayo rushed for 197 yards against the Hatters in 2023, while former quarterback Andy Peters set a St. Thomas Division I-era single-game passing record when the programs met in DeLand last season.

Saturday sends the series back to O'Shaughnessy Stadium for the first time since 2024 as Stetson looks to earn its first victory against the Tommies.

St. Thomas enters Saturday at 4-2 overall and 1-1 in Pioneer Football League play. The Tommies have been perfect at O'Shaughnessy Stadium this season, carrying a 4-0 home record into Saturday's matchup.

St. Thomas opened the season with a 15-9 win over Winona State before falling 62-26 on the road at North Dakota. The Tommies responded with three consecutive home victories, defeating Northern Michigan 56-14, Southern Utah 28-26 and San Diego 50-17 before last weekend's loss at Presbyterian.

The Tommie offense has averaged 413.5 yards and 32.7 points per game through six contests. St. Thomas has been balanced offensively, averaging 179.5 rushing yards and 234.0 passing yards per game while producing 13 rushing touchdowns and 11 through the air.

The Tommies' biggest offensive performance came in their PFL opener against San Diego, when they rushed for 304 yards in a 50-17 victory. St. Thomas has scored at least 50 points twice this season and has surpassed 400 yards of total offense on average through the first half of the schedule.

Quarterback Nick Peipert has led the passing attack, completing 55 of 96 attempts for 894 yards and seven touchdowns. Peipert broke onto the scene earlier this season with 270 passing yards and two touchdowns against Northern Michigan and has developed into one of the Tommies' primary offensive options.

Anthony Policare has also seen significant action at quarterback, completing 37 passes for 443 yards and three touchdowns. As a team, St. Thomas has thrown for 1,404 yards and 11 touchdowns while averaging 7.9 yards per passing attempt.

St. Thomas has also been efficient in scoring territory. The Tommies have scored on 16 of 18 red-zone opportunities this season, including 14 touchdowns.

Defensively, St. Thomas has forced eight opponent fumbles and recovered six while also intercepting six passes. The Tommies have recorded 10 sacks this season and are holding opponents to a 33.8 percent conversion rate on third down.

St. Thomas is coming off its most difficult defensive outing of the season after surrendering 55 points at Presbyterian, but the Tommies had previously held Winona State, Northern Michigan and San Diego to 17 points or fewer.

Special teams has also provided production. St. Thomas is averaging 23.4 yards per kickoff return, and Eli Paulson and Mordeci Ford combined for 212 kickoff return yards last week at Presbyterian. Paulson finished with a career-high 107 return yards, while Ford added 105.

Saturday's game will kick off at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT from O'Shaughnessy Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The game will stream live on Midco Sports Plus, with Sam Ekstrom and Joe Moline on the call. 

Radio coverage will also be available through 1500 ESPN and The Varsity Network.

Live statistics will be available through GoHatters.com.

Fans can also follow updates throughout the afternoon on Stetson Football's social media channels.

Following Saturday's road matchup, Stetson returns to DeLand on Saturday, Oct. 17 to host Presbyterian at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium.

Kickoff against the Blue Hose is scheduled for 2 p.m. The contest will mark Stetson's first home appearance since opening Pioneer Football League play against Marist.

For information on tickets for the 2026 season, please contact the Stetson Athletics Ticket Office at tickets@stetson.edu or call (386) 738-HATS (4287). For updates on promotional activities and team information, visit GoHatters.com or follow @StetsonFootball on social media.

About Stetson Athletics
At Stetson University, student-athletes don't just compete—they thrive. Located in historic DeLand, Florida, between Orlando and Daytona Beach, Stetson offers the perfect blend of competitive athletics, academic excellence and an unbeatable Central Florida lifestyle. As the oldest private university in the region, Stetson supports approximately 500 student-athletes across 19 NCAA Division I sports. Nicknamed the "Hatters" after the institution's namesake John B. Stetson, a hat manufacturer who originated the modern-day cowboy hat, most Stetson athletic teams compete in the Atlantic Sun Conference, where they proudly hold the longest active membership since 1985. With top-tier facilities, personalized support and a welcoming campus community, Stetson is where students can grow, compete and succeed. Learn more at GoHatters.com or follow social media accounts @StetsonHatters.