Bethune-Cookman Wildcats football will host the Stetson Hatters at 4 p.m. Eastern time Saturday, Sept. 12, at Daytona Municipal Stadium in Daytona Beach for the 2026 home opener. The game will be the first football meeting between the programs. It also begins a four-game home stretch for Bethune-Cookman.
The matchup will stream on SWAC TV and will be available on YouTube.com/CatEyeNetwork and BCUAthletics.com/Radio. Stetson enters with a 1-1 record after defeating Webber International in its previous game. The Hatters were selected to finish 10th among 11 teams in the Pioneer Football League preseason poll.
Stetson brings productive offense
Through two games, Stetson ranks third in the Pioneer Football League with seven touchdowns and fourth with an average of 26.0 points per game. The Hatters are averaging 382.5 yards per game, including 500 yards in their previous outing. Junior quarterback Thomas Von Grote, a North Texas transfer, has completed 36 of 50 passes for 413 yards and three touchdowns.
Stetson has allowed 406.5 yards and 40.0 points per game. The Hatters have surrendered 266.0 rushing yards per game, the highest total in the Pioneer Football League. The matchup will place Bethune-Cookman against a Stetson team that has been productive offensively while allowing significant yardage.
Bethune-Cookman begins four-game homestand
Bethune-Cookman opened the 2026 season at UCF on Sept. 3. UCF scored 73 points and produced 560 total yards, while Jayden Williams returned an interception for a touchdown and Jaden Davis recorded an interception for the Wildcats. Bethune-Cookman scored its only touchdown with two seconds remaining when freshman Joel Morris passed to Kobe Stewart.
After facing Stetson, Bethune-Cookman will host Virginia-Lynchburg on Sept. 19, South Carolina State on Sept. 26 and Alabama State on Oct. 3. The Wildcats enter the fourth season of the Raymond Woodie Jr. era seeking their first winning season since joining the Southwestern Athletic Conference and their first since 2019. Bethune-Cookman finished 6-6 overall and 5-3 in conference play in 2025.
Bethune-Cookman defeated Florida A&M 38-34 in the 2025 Florida Blue Florida Classic and finished third in the SWAC East Division. Stetson’s football program began in 1901, was dissolved in 1956 and revived in 2013. The teams will meet for the first time at Daytona Municipal Stadium.
Source: Original report