Schedule
Truman St. (1-1, 0-0 GLVC) at Hillsdale College (2-0, 2-0 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 17 | Frank "Muddy" Waters Stadium | Hillsdale, MI
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Hillsdale Roster | Truman Roster | 2022 Hillsdale Stats | 2022 Truman Stats | G-MAC Schedule | G-MAC Standings | Game Notes
Last Week
Hillsdale once again overcame a halftime deficit in its home opener, outscoring visiting Walsh 28-3 in the second half to roll to a 35-17 victory and improve to 2-0 on the season. Sophomore wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa continued his red-hot start to the season by catching eight passes for 189 yards and three touchdowns in the victory, and senior tailback Michael Herzog rushed for 134 yards, the most by a Charger since 2019, and two touchdowns to help propel Hillsdale to a seventh-straight victory over the Cavaliers.
Scouting the Opposition
The Chargers enter the third week of the season with revenge on their minds, facing a Truman State squad in the G-MAC/GLVC Crossover that handed them not one but two losses last season.
The Bulldogs are a very different team offensively from last year without star running back Cody Schrader, who led NCAA Division II in rushing yards last season with 2,108 and is now playing at DI University of Missouri. Replacement backs Shamar Griffin and Jake Tuttle have not had similar success on the ground so far, though it's early in the season.
In Schrader's absence, Truman has leaned more heavily on junior quarterback Nolan Hair, a third-year starter. Hair had an uneven debut in a 20-19 loss to Davenport to open the season, but was excellent in a week two win at South Dakota Mines, throwing for 228 yards and three touchdowns, and should continue to grow over the course of the campaign.
The Bulldogs spread the ball around effectively through the air, with receivers Tate Crane and Zach Zerwig making significant contributions so far. Truman also has a weapon at the tight end position in Chris Kerr, who's already caught two touchdown passes on the season.
Truman is blessed up front with an experienced offensive line, as all five starters return from a strong group last season to give the Bulldogs an excellent foundation at a critical position group.
While Truman's offense has had its ups and downs so far, the Bulldog defense continues to set the tone for the team as one of the top units in the GLVC. Several players return from a strong unit last year, including leading tackler Isaiah Estes, playmaking defensive backs Peyton Carr, Ben Thomas and Ben Watson, and top pass rushers Ulysses Ross and Jack Marth. Truman's top-notch defense will be a big test for a Hillsdale offense that has been impressive so far.
On special teams, Truman returns punter Taylor Cornish, who's averaging a solid 40.5 yards per attempt, and have a new field goal kicker in Grant Ross, who's 1 of 2 with a long of 45 so far.
The Series
Truman St. is 3-0 all-time against the Chargers, including two victories last season. The Bulldogs held off a late comeback attempt to win 38-24 in week 3, and also took a 34-17 victory in the America's Crossroads Bowl in December in Hobart, Indiana. The two teams' first meeting came in 1966, when Truman (then Northeast Missouri State) won a 26-13 contest.
Other Notes
- While both of the Chargers' 2021 All-Americans graduated this past spring, several decorated players return for Hillsdale this fall, led by sophomore wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa, a second-team All-G-MAC player and the Chargers' leading receiver in 2021. Junior tight end Michael Harding, sophomore cornerback Jackson Gillock and sophomore placekicker Julian Lee also return after earning third-team All-G-MAC honors in 2021.
- A huge part of the success of the Chargers defense last year came from forcing turnovers – interceptions in particular. Hillsdale led all of NCAA Division II last season with 20 interceptions in regular season contests – with Notre Dame (OH) only surpassing them thanks to extra postseason opportunities to add more to their tally. Hillsdale has continued that trend through the first two weeks of the season, forcing and recovering two fumbles and also intercepting three passes so far.
- Sophomore wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa is off to an impressive start to the season. His 346 total receiving yards and five touchdowns lead not only the G-MAC but all of NCAA Division II in both stats. His 189-yard, three touchdown performance in Hillsdale's win over Walsh last week helped earn the second G-MAC Offensive Player of the Week honors of his career.
- Senior tailback Michael Herzog missed the last two seasons while recovering from a devastating knee injury, but he's making up for lost time now that he's back on the field. His 222 rushing yards lead all G-MAC players so far through two games, and he scored the first two rushing touchdowns of his career in last week's win against Walsh. His 134 yards against the Cavaliers were the most rushing yards by a Charger player since David Graham's 161 yards on the ground against Concord on Oct. 5, 2019.
- The Charger football program continued to shine academically this past season, with graduated Hillsdale seniors Cole Johnson and Alex Anschutz becoming the first football players in Charger history to repeat as CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. In addition, 57 of Hillsdale's 119 players received Academic All-G-MAC honors for posting a 3.3 or better cumulative GPA.
- The Charger football program has long been known for its strong family tradition, and that continues in 2022 with a set of brothers in the starting lineup. On the offensive line, twin brothers Nick Affholter and Benjamin Affholter (Quincy, MI/Reading) will hold down interior line spots for the second straight season. Both are the sons of Brad Affholter, a multi-year starter on the Charger offensive line in the mid-90s. There are several other sibling duos on the team – twin brother Josh Lee and Sam Lee (Toledo, OH/Central Catholic) join the squad as freshmen this year, and sophomore tight end Ben Hinrichs is joined by his younger brother, Christian (Escondido, CA/Classical Academy). Along with those sibling pairs, several other players on the roster have older brothers, fathers or grandfathers who suited up for previous Charger teams.
- With 124 wins to date, Otterbein is third all-time in career coaching victories at Hillsdale, trailing two Charger Athletics Hall of Famers in Frank "Muddy" Waters (138) and Dick Lowry (134). If he maintains his current career pace of wins per season, Otterbein would pass Waters for the all-time record in the fall of 2024.