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Stetson football suffers 1st loss of year to FCS third-ranked Montana State

The Stetson Hatters took a long road trip this week, but it certainly wasn’t a relaxing vacation.

Playing in Bozeman, Montana — almost 2,400 miles from their DeLand campus — the Hatters received a 57-20 thumping from third-ranked Montana State for their first loss of the season Saturday.

The Bobcats (2-1) raced to 21 points in the first quarter and 41 in the first half. They scored on nine of their 10 drives that didn’t involve closing out a half.

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Stetson (2-1), which kicked off the year with victories over St. Thomas and Webber International, was kept off the scoreboard in the first quarter. It made two field goals in the second quarter to trail 41-6 at intermission.

In the second half, the Hatters found the end zone twice. Sophomore Kaleb Costner pushed in for a 4-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Junior Kaderris Roberts also tallied a short paydirt run — 1 yard — in the fourth and served as a bright spot with 67 yards rushing on just nine carries.

But even with the game in hand, Montana State continued its dominance. It added 16 points in the second half to seal the blowout.

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The Bobcats piled up 614 yards of offense compared to Stetson’s 280. They rumbled for 342 yards on the ground.

The Hatters will jump into their Pioneer Football League schedule next week. They host Butler at noon Saturday.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: College football: Stetson Hatters lose to FCS No. 3 Montana State