DELAND, Fla. — Stetson football heads across the country this weekend for another early-season challenge, traveling to California for a Saturday night matchup against No. 11/11 UC Davis at UC Davis Health Stadium.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Pacific Time and 10 p.m. Eastern, with the game streaming live on ESPN+.

The Hatters enter the weekend at 1-2 following three non-conference contests to open the season, including two away from DeLand. Saturday will give Stetson its second matchup against a nationally ranked opponent in the opening four weeks and mark the first meeting in program history between the Hatters and Aggies.

Saturday begins the longest trip of Stetson's young season as the Hatters travel more than 2,500 miles from DeLand to Northern California.

The game will be Stetson's third road contest in the opening four weeks and its second against a nationally ranked FCS opponent. The Hatters began the season at No. 3 South Dakota State before returning to DeLand to defeat Webber International and making the short trip to Daytona Beach last week for the first-ever meeting with Bethune-Cookman.

Stetson will see California twice during the 2026 season. Following Saturday's matchup in Davis, the Hatters will return to the Golden State on Nov. 21 to close the regular season against Pioneer Football League opponent San Diego.

The Hatters enter the weekend averaging 360.0 yards of total offense per game while producing nine offensive touchdowns through their first three contests. Six different Stetson players have already reached the end zone, with the offense showing the ability to create explosive plays through both the passing and rushing attacks.

Stetson will look to bounce back after falling 43-18 at Bethune-Cookman last Saturday in the first football meeting between the two Volusia County programs.

The Hatters struck first at Daytona Stadium when redshirt freshman Trey Hess connected on a 40-yard field goal. Stetson stayed within one possession throughout the opening half and put together a seven-play, 51-yard scoring drive late in the second quarter, capped by Troy Flowers' 3-yard touchdown run to send the Hatters into halftime trailing 14-10.

Stetson finished with 315 yards of total offense, including 192 through the air and 123 on the ground. Quarterback Thomas von Grote completed 15 of 31 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown while also adding 36 rushing yards.

Landon Farco turned in his best performance as a Hatter, catching five passes for 95 yards. Farco hauled in receptions of 31 and 28 yards during the afternoon before closing his performance with a 27-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter, the first touchdown of his Stetson career.

Flowers paced the ground game with 72 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, while senior captain Wyatt Rogers caught five passes for 55 yards and added the two-point conversion following Farco's score.

Defensively, Damontez McDowell led the Hatters with seven tackles, while Alex Yearwood finished with six stops and a sack. Stetson forced consecutive punts during the second quarter and remained within four points at the break before Bethune-Cookman pulled away in the second half.

Junior quarterback Thomas von Grote has settled into the starting role during his first season in DeLand and enters Saturday having thrown for more than 600 yards and four touchdowns through his first three starts.

His breakout performance came in Stetson's home-opening victory over Webber International. Von Grote completed 19 of 24 passes for 318 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, helping the Hatters pile up 500 yards of total offense in the 45-10 victory.

The junior displayed the ability to stretch the field throughout the afternoon, connecting with Flowers for an 81-yard touchdown on the opening possession, Rogers for a 46-yard score in the second quarter and Shawne Jones for a 22-yard touchdown in the third.

Von Grote followed with 192 passing yards and another touchdown at Bethune-Cookman and has now thrown a touchdown pass in each of Stetson's last two games.

The passing game has also displayed balance. Rogers, Flowers, Jones and Farco have each caught a touchdown, giving Stetson four different scoring targets through the opening three contests.

Troy Flowers has emerged as one of Stetson's most versatile offensive weapons, providing the Hatters with production both out of the backfield and as a receiver.

The junior has totaled 252 yards from scrimmage through three games, combining 128 rushing yards with 124 receiving yards. He has also scored in both phases of the offense with one rushing touchdown and one receiving touchdown.

Flowers' biggest play of the season came just 1:26 into the home opener when he took a pass from von Grote 81 yards for a touchdown. He finished the victory over Webber International with three catches for 101 yards while adding 31 yards on eight carries.

Stetson turned to Flowers more frequently on the ground last week at Bethune-Cookman. He carried 12 times for a season-high 72 yards, including a 29-yard run on the Hatters' opening drive, before scoring from three yards out late in the second quarter.

Stetson's offense has received contributions from throughout the skill-position group during the opening three weeks.

Rogers leads the Hatters with 13 receptions and 192 receiving yards. The senior captain produced Stetson's first 100-yard receiving game of the season against Webber International, finishing with five catches for 123 yards and a 46-yard touchdown.

Farco has quickly added another option to the rotation. After seeing limited action early in the season, the junior broke out at Bethune-Cookman with five receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown and now has six catches for 106 yards through two appearances.

Jones has added seven catches for 86 yards and a touchdown, while Michael Dempsey has eight receptions out of the backfield. The variety of contributors has allowed von Grote to spread the football around, with six different Hatters recording at least five receptions through the opening three games.

Stetson can also change the look of the offense with quarterback Chris Stephenson. The junior leads the Hatters with 186 rushing yards and three touchdowns on just 22 attempts, averaging 8.5 yards per carry. His season has been highlighted by two 57-yard touchdown runs against Webber International.

Stetson has received production from all three levels of its defense through the first three games, with a mix of veterans and younger players emerging around the football.

Freshman defensive back Dylan Kelly leads the Hatters with 23 tackles through his first three collegiate games. He introduced himself with 12 tackles in the season opener at No. 3 South Dakota State, earning Pioneer Football League Freshman of the Week honors following his collegiate debut.

One week later, Kelly recorded the first interception of his career against Webber International, ending a scoring threat at the Stetson 10-yard line and helping the Hatters hold the Warriors scoreless through the opening three quarters.

Linebacker Shug Bentley enters Saturday with 21 tackles, second on the team. The junior is coming off a 2025 season in which he led the Hatters with 75 stops and entered this fall as a Phil Steele Preseason All-Pioneer Football League Second Team selection.

Damontez McDowell has added 18 tackles and led the Hatters with seven stops last week at Bethune-Cookman. Barrett Kennedy has provided disruption near the line of scrimmage with a team-high 2.5 tackles for loss, while Yearwood has recorded two tackles for loss and a sack.

The Hatters have also received early contributions from several other defenders, including Jahlani Clarke, Casey Bending, Nycere Jacobs and Alex Yearwood, as the unit continues to develop through a challenging non-conference schedule.

Punter Brett Gonda has continued to give Stetson a reliable option in the field-position battle.

The sophomore is averaging 43.6 yards per punt through the opening three games with a season-long of 56 yards. Four of his punts have traveled at least 50 yards, and his ability to drive the football has helped the Hatters change field position when offensive possessions stall.

Gonda entered the year as a Phil Steele Preseason All-Pioneer Football League Third Team selection after handling the primary punting duties for Stetson in 2025.

UC Davis welcomes Stetson to California with a 2-1 record and the No. 11 ranking in both the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and AFCA FCS Coaches Poll. Saturday will mark the Aggies' first home game of the season after opening the year with three consecutive road contests.

The Aggies have already experienced three dramatically different games. UC Davis opened the season at Portland State and erased a 21-point halftime deficit to earn a 31-24 victory, scoring 31 of the final 34 points. The following week, UC Davis rolled to a 49-17 win at San Diego before stepping up to face No. 17/17 FBS opponent SMU last Saturday, falling 56-10 in Dallas. 

Quarterback Treynor Cleeland has directed the Aggie offense, completing 55 of 96 passes for 664 yards and seven touchdowns through three games. Cleeland threw five touchdown passes in the victory at San Diego after opening the season with 287 yards and two scores against Portland State.

Samuel Gbatu Jr. has been his leading target with 22 receptions for 296 yards and three touchdowns. UC Davis has also received production from the running back combination of Matteo Perez and Jordan Fisher. Perez has rushed for 159 yards on 17 carries, including a career-high 123-yard performance and a 79-yard touchdown at San Diego, while Fisher has 148 rushing yards and three touchdowns. 

Defensively, UC Davis has been particularly effective against the run, allowing 109.3 rushing yards per game through its opening three contests. Porter Connors and Brayden Rosa share the team lead with 14 tackles, while Jaden Few has recorded 3.5 tackles for loss.

The Aggies have become a consistent national contender under third-year head coach Tim Plough. UC Davis won a school-record 11 games and reached the NCAA FCS Playoff quarterfinals in Plough's first season in 2024 before finishing 9-4 and returning to the quarterfinal round again in 2025. 

Saturday will also be UC Davis' 2026 home opener. The Aggies have won 10 consecutive home openers, with their last loss in their first home contest of a season coming in 2015.

Saturday will mark the first football meeting between Stetson and UC Davis, with neither program having previously faced the other. 

It will be Stetson's second consecutive game against a first-time opponent after meeting Bethune-Cookman for the first time last weekend in Daytona Beach.

The matchup will also represent Stetson's first game against a member of the Big Sky Conference since Sept. 16, 2023, when the Hatters traveled to Bozeman to face No. 3 Montana State. 

Saturday's game will kick off at 7 p.m. Pacific Time and 10 p.m. Eastern from UC Davis Health Stadium in Davis, California.

The game will stream live on ESPN+ with Scott Marsh handling play-by-play duties alongside analyst Scott Gordon.

Live statistics and a link to the broadcast will be available through the Stetson Football schedule page on GoHatters.com.

Updates will also be available throughout the game on Stetson Football's social media channels.

Following Saturday's matchup, Stetson will have a week away from competition before beginning Pioneer Football League play at home against Marist on Saturday, Oct. 3. The game will kickoff the day after the annual tradition of HatterFest downtown that Friday night.

Kickoff at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. The matchup will begin a stretch of conference play for the Hatters after opening the season with four consecutive non-conference contests. 

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.