Football games between Hillsdale College and the University of Indianapolis always tend to have dramatic finishes. Saturday night's non-league clash in Indiana was no different.
A drive inside the UIndy 20-yard-line within the last 90 seconds of the game was stopped by the Greyhounds, resulting in a 24-19 loss by the Chargers, dropping their record on the season to 2-2. Hillsdale will now play four of its next six games at home, starting with next weekend's homecoming showdown with Grand Valley State.
Sophomore QB Mark LaPrairie guided the Chargers down the field, converting a couple of clutch third down plays late in the ballgame. But the team could not finish it off, as the Greyhounds sacked LaPrairie on a roll out pass on fourth down with 1:10 left in the fourth quarter.
Six of the past eight meetings between these schools have been decided by one score or less.
Sophomore placekicker Steven Mette was the Chargers' sole source of points in the game's first three quarters. He became the first Charger in more than 20 years to kick four field goals in a regulation game, nailing kicks from 34, 32, 31 and 26 yards to keep the team within striking distance of the Greyhounds, who were playing their home opener.
After Hillsdale forced a UIndy field goal, the team finally broke through to the end zone when LaPrairie connected with junior Alex Fogt on a 4-yard touchdown pass with 8:41 left to make it a five-point ballgame. The Chargers got a stop on their next defensive possession, setting up what would end up being the final drive of the game.
LaPrairie was 25-for-47 for 249 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in the game. He also rushed for 33 yards on the night.
Four different players had 30 or more receiving yards for Hillsdale, led by 62 from junior John Haley. Senior Evan Bach caught 5 passes for 55 yards, while redshirt-freshman Taylor Cone hauled in 3 passes for 40 yards, all in the first half.
The running back combo of Jack Wiseman and Wade Wood each played well, combining for 134 yards on the ground. Each player had a run of 18 yards or more, and their tough running helped the Chargers to an 11-minute advantage in time of possession.
Defensively, the Chargers allowed the Greyhounds to score touchdowns on their first two possessions, but made good adjustments from there, holding UIndy to 10 points over the game's final 44 minutes.
Senior Tim Moinet, along with Justin D'Agostino and Auston Koneval, were Hillsdale's top tacklers on the night with 9 each. David Galginaitis had a tackle for loss, while Seth Kellicut and D'Agostino teamed up to force a lost fumble by the Greyhounds in the second half.
Photo courtesy of the University of Indianapolis athletic department