Jarius Brown, left, and Danny McManus take a break from Dartmouth College football practice Monday. Brown is one of the Big Green's 11 Floridians and hopes to return to the Sunshine State for Saturday's scheduled opener at Stetson University in DeLand. (Valley News - Tris Wykes) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. Purchase a reprint »
Jarius Brown, left, and Danny McManus take a break from Dartmouth College football practice Monday. Brown is one of the Big Green's 11 Floridians and hopes to return to the Sunshine State for Saturday's scheduled opener at Stetson University in DeLand. (Valley News - Tris Wykes) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. Purchase a reprint » Credit: —Tris Wykes

Hanover — Dartmouth College football coach Buddy Teevens said on Monday he anticipates his team’s season opener at Stetson University will be played as scheduled on Saturday in DeLand, Fla.

“We’re hearing they’re going to open school (today), so my expectation is we’re playing,” Teevens said on Monday at about 6:30 p.m., after his team’s practice.

About an hour later, however, a post on Stetson’s Facebook page carried an announcement by school president Wendy Libby. It read that Stetson’s DeLand and Gulfport, Fla., campuses will be closed at least through Wednesday.

“The DeLand campus is in good shape, with minor damage and downed trees,” read the post. “The primary issue at both campuses will be the restoration of power, and we understand that Duke Energy is focused on critical-need areas, including hospitals and emergency services.

“Once power is restored, it will take one to two days for the university to schedule dates for reopening residence halls and restarting classes. Last year, after Hurricane Matthew, it took the university a full week to return to normal.”

According to the Florida Power & Light Company, nearly 64 percent of the roughly 177,000 customers in Volusia County, where Stetson’s main campus is located, were without power as of 9 p.m. on Monday.

Stetson plays football at a 6,000-seat municipal stadium that’s also the home of DeLand High School and was built in 1941. Spec Martin Stadium underwent renovations when Stetson revived football in 2013. The Hatters dropped the sport in 1956.

Teevens said he has recently communicated with Stetson head coach Roger Hughes, a former Dartmouth assistant and Princeton head coach. Teevens said he was told the Hatters are scheduled to fly home this morning.

The Pioneer League team fell to 0-2 last weekend with a loss at Marist, in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and has been staying at a New Jersey hotel.

Ivy League football teams play 10 games per season and are not eligible for the NCAA playoffs. The last time Dartmouth played only nine contests, it went 1-8 in 2001; the school canceled its season opener with Colgate in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C.

Dartmouth’s flight to Florida is scheduled to leave on Friday from Portsmouth (N.H.) International Airport at Pease, a joint civil and military facility on the site of a former Air Force base. The Big Green has oceanfront hotel reservations in Daytona Beach and is slated to open the home portion of its 10-game schedule the night of Sept. 23, when it hosts Holy Cross.

Dartmouth, which shared the 2015 Ivy League title, finished last in 2016. The Big Green was 1-6 in league play, losing two Ivy games by two points and another by three points. The offense returns nine starters and the defense six, although it appears starting running back Miles Smith, last year’s rushing leader, and starting tight end Cam Skaff won’t be available this weekend because of injury.

Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com or 603-727-3227.