Balanced Stetson defeats North Carolina Wesleyan 55-21

DELAND, Fla. (AP) — Gaven DeFilippo threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more and Stetson defeated Division III North Carolina Wesleyan 55-21 on Saturday.

Jareem Westcott had 111 yards rushing and Jalen Leary ran for 98 yards with a touchdown for the Hatters (3-1). DeFilippo was 21-of-24 passing for 176 yards and gained 51 yards on the ground.

Stetson, which entered the game averaging 542.7 yards per game, had a total of 524 yards — 271 rushing and 253 passing. The Hatters led 38-14 at halftime and added two touchdowns in the third quarter plus a field goal in the fourth.

The Battling Bishops (1-2) scored the game’s first 14 points — a DonielleTotten 21-yard pass to Tyler Roberts and a 45-yard run by Jeff Black. After gaining 110 yards on those two drives, NC Wesleyan managed just 215 yards the rest of the game.