DELAND, FLA. –
Daniel Smith ran for 179 yards, the most ever by a Campbell quarterback, and the Camel defense forced five Stetson turnovers in a 49-21 road win in its Pioneer Football League opener at Spec Martin Stadium.
Campbell (2-2, 1-0 PFL) piled up 431 yards of total offense while limiting Stetson (0-4, 0-2 PFL) to 39 yards rushing.
Smith, a redshirt freshman from Leesburg, Va. making his first career start, ran for 179 yards and two touchdowns, adding 188 yards and two more scores on 14-of-29 passing. Smith's rushing total marked the fourth most overall by a Camel in the program's 10 seasons.
Campbell's 49 points were the program's second most ever scored in a PFL game, falling short only to a 56-14 win over Valparaiso in 2010.
Campbell scored on three consecutive possessions to jump out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter.
Smith scored the first two touchdowns with his legs, rushing for an 11 yard score to cap a nine play, 70 yard drive. Smith also went 4-of-7 with 62 yards passing on the march. After a Stetson 3-and-out, Smith broke through the line for a 50 yard TD run to make it 14-0.
Stetson fumbled the ensuing kickoff, with
Austin Pluckhorn knocking the ball loose and
James Blackman recovering ball on the Hatter 24. With a short field,
Montel Goods punched in the Camels' third touchdown of the opening quarter from two yards out, set up by a Stetson pass interference call.
With 16 seconds to go in the first,
Carlos Merritt added another Campbell score, stepping in front of a Stetson receiver and returning the interception 37 yards. The pick-6 was Campbell's first of two in the first half, with
Deontae Henderson adding a 71 return with 5:20 on the clock in the second quarter.
After a Campbell fumble, Ja'Vonta Swinton put Stetson on the board with a three yard TD catch (10:22, second).
Zach Roderick's 20 yard back shoulder grab from Smith with 1:31 to go finished off the first half scoring for the Camels, who outgained the Hatters 263-190 in the half to lead 42-7.
Goods notched his second TD of the night in the fourth, collecting a screen pass from Smith and running 45 yards to pay dirt. Stetson added a pair of touchdown drives in the second half.
Goods ran for 22 yards on 10 carries, adding the 45 yard TD catch.
Joshua Jones added 47 yards rushing on nine attempts for the Camels, who posted 243 yards on the ground as a unit. Roderick caught four passes for 51 yards, including his second quarter touchdown.
Merritt paced the Campbell defense with nine tackles and two interceptions, while Henderson made seven stops with a pick. CU totaled 10 tackles for loss in the win.
Colin McGovern passed for 268 yards and a touchdown for the Hatters on 26-of-41 attempts, tossing four interceptions. Donald Parham caught nine passes for 157 yards. Jeb Boudreaux led Stetson with nine tackles, including 1.0 for loss.
The Camels return to Barker-Lane Stadium next week, Sept. 30, hosting Morehead State. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
