One streak continued and another ended Saturday night for the Hillsdale College football team, but the end result was nothing but positive.
In an entertaining and well-played game, the Chargers defeated 16th-ranked University of Indianapolis 30-24 before a crowd of more than 2,000 fans at Frank "Muddy" Waters Stadium. The win was the fifth in a row for the Chargers dating back to last season, but also ended a three-game losing streak to the Greyhounds. It was Hillsdale's first win over Indianapolis since Sept. 19, 2009.
Hillsdale did a ton right in this game, from the very opening moments of the season. Head coach Keith Otterbein called an onsides kick on the opening kickoff of the game, perfectly executed by senior Steven Mette and recovered by sophomore Trey VanAken. The tone was set from there, stating this Charger team wouldn't back down to anyone, even a nationally ranked foe.
Mette punched through a pair of field goals to spring Hillsdale to a 6-0 lead early in the second quarter. UIndy struck back quickly on a 40-yard touchdown pass to take a 7-6 lead. The back-and-forth nature of that exchange would ring true throughout the game.
Sophomore Joe Reverman, who finished with 76 rushing yards, dove in from a yard out to put Hillsdale up 13-7 entering halftime. In the game's first two quarters, Hillsdale held a 13-2 edge in first downs, and possessed the ball for more than 21 minutes.
However, the Greyhounds took momentum back in the third quarter. UIndy scored 10 points in a span of 1:28 to take a 17-13 lead. But the Chargers responded impressively with a pair of sophomores that nearly made history.
Quarterback Chance Stewart connected with wide receiver Trey Brock on a 60-yard touchdown bomb that put a sudden end to Indianapolis' momentum. The Stewart-Brock hook up, which fans got a glimpse of during last year's season-ending four-game winning streak, was never more potent than it was in this game.
Stewart threw for a career-high 320 yards, completing 29 of 42 passes with two touchdowns and no turnovers. He showed excellent poise anytime the Greyhounds applied pressure, and shrugged off a handful of potential sacks thanks to his strength and field awareness.
Brock was simply spectacular, making catches down the field, in traffic, anywhere he needed to be. He caught 13 passes for 197 yards and one score. It was the most receiving yards in a home game by a Charger in school history.
After Indianapolis retook the lead, the Chargers set the pace of the game to their liking in the fourth quarter. Stewart led the team on a 12-play, 64-yard drive that ate up nearly six minutes of clock, and ended on a one-yard scoring pass to tight end Drew Zwiers. It was Zwiers' first career touchdown reception.
The Hillsdale defense then rose to the occasion, forcing a three-and-out on Indy's next possession. That set up the offense for another long drive, this one taking 13 plays, 68 yards and running 7:17 off the clock. Mette kicked his third field goal of the game, a 20-yarder, to put Hillsdale up six with less than two minutes to go.
The defense then answered the bell for a final time, holding the Greyhounds without a first down on their final possession of the game.
Stewart ran the ball nine times for 28 yards, displaying some good skills on the option while also making sure to gain positive yards anytime his number was called.
Sophomore Austin Sandusky made his collegiate debut at wide receiver and hauled in 5 passes for 33 yards. Reverman and senior Ryan Potrykus each caught three passes.
Defensively, junior linebacker Jay Rose led the way with six solo tackles and 10 total stops. Dan Shanley was terrific in the first half, making most of his 7 total tackles. Wyatt Batdorff and Carter Wilson each contributed 4 stops for the Chargers.
UP NEXT: Hillsdale hosts Walsh University for the first time ever, next Saturday at 7 p.m.
PHOTO CREDIT: Carly Gouge
EXTRA POINTS: This was Hillsdale's first win over a nationally ranked opponent since Sept. 10, 2011 when it beat #4 Grand Valley State 34-31…Hillsdale held the ball for 42:04 compared to 17:56 for the Greyhounds…The Chargers ran 80 offensive plays compared to 38 for UIndy…This was Stewart's first career 300-yard passing game…Brock's 197 receiving yards were the most by any Charger player in a regular season game in school history…Zach Steinbrunner, Sandusky and Zwiers each made their first career receptions…Hillsdale also beat Indianapolis in a season opener back in 2004, a 49-43 victory in four overtimes.