Schedule
Hillsdale College (2-1, 2-0 G-MAC) at Missouri S&T (1-2, 0-0 GLVC) | 7 p.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 24 | Bailey-Allgood Stadium | Rolla, MO
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Missouri S&T Roster | 2022 Hillsdale Stats | 2022 S&T Stats | G-MAC Schedule | G-MAC Standings | Game Notes
Last Week
The Chargers jumped out to a 13-0 halftime lead against visiting Truman State, dominating the Bulldogs in the first half as Hillsdale looked to avenge two losses to Truman in 2021. But the Chargers couldn't hold on to that lead in the second half, as Truman controlled the ball for 20 of the 30 minutes after halftime and wore down Hillsdale, scoring 21 unanswered points to pull out a 21-13 victory. Riley Tolsma led the Charger defense with 2.5 sacks, Kyle Kudla finished with 13 tackles and Isaac TeSlaa and Sam Lee each caught a receiving touchdown for Hillsdale.
Scouting the Opposition
Hillsdale makes the long road trip to Rolla, Missouri looking to bounce back against a Missouri S&T team that's had an up-and-down start to the season.
The Chargers pulled off a thrilling victory over the Miners at home last season, a 38-31 come-from-behind affair, but face a very different S&T squad this week – just three offensive starters return for Missouri S&T from that game, all on the offensive line, and five defensive starters.
Junior Max Conard is the starting quarterback for the Miners, and he did appear for one series in the Chargers' 2021 win. So far this season he's had moments of strong play overshadowed by inconsistency – currently he has 324 yards passing for two touchdowns and three interceptions on a 52.8% completion rate.
Conard's top targets are receivers Isaiah Wright and CJ Jarmon, who have each caught a touchdown pass this season, though S&T likes to spread the ball around, with six receivers catching between seven and three passes so far. At running back, 2021 kick returner Gideon Niboh has taken over the top spot and splits carries with sophomores Cameren Smith and Josh Sanders.
The bulk of S&T's offensive experience is on the line, led by senior Jorge Escalante, a returning first-team All-GLVC player. Jake Seidel and Cole Littrell are also returning starters for a unit that sets the tone for the Miners offense.
Defensively, S&T is led by another returning first-team All-GLVC player in senior linebacker Ben Straatmann, who leads the Miners with 30 tackles, three sacks and three fumble recoveries so far. The Miners have a strong secondary led by senior safety Stefan Camplin, while linebacker Nick Mattli and defensive end Bentley Hart also contribute to a productive pass rush for S&T.
On special teams, Parker Boyce has taken over both the kicking and punting duties. He's averaging an impressive 44.87 yards per punt so far, and is 1 of 2 on field goal tries with a long of 26.
S&T's young offense has struggled so far this season, ranking at or near the bottom of the GLVC in most categories, but the Miners' defense has been solid, and played a big role in the program's lone overtime win so far over Drake.
The Miners are coached by Andy Ball, who's in his first season in the lead role. Prior to being elevated to the head job this past spring, Ball was the program's offensive coordinator and associate head coach for four seasons under Todd Drury, and also spent time at Truman State, Missouri Western and Central Missouri prior to his time at S&T.
The Series
Hillsdale is 2-0 all-time against the Miners after winning a 38-31 contest against Missouri S&T last year during the Chargers' homecoming game. The two teams' first meeting came in 1968, when the Chargers beat S&T, then known as Missouri-Rolla, 24-16 in a midseason 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 three weeks of the season, forcing and recovering two fumbles and also intercepting four passes so far.
- Sophomore wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa is off to an impressive start to the season. His 395 total receiving yards and six touchdowns lead not only the G-MAC but also rank highly nationally, as he's tied for the national lead among NCAA DII players in receiving touchdowns, and is tied for third in receiving yardage. His 189-yard, three touchdown performance in Hillsdale's win over Walsh on Sept. 10 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 303 rushing yards lead all G-MAC players so far through three games, and is tied for 22nd nationally among all NCAA DII players
- In just his third game on the defensive line, sophomore Riley Tolsma had a performance to remember against Truman State, recording 2.5 sacks to help the Chargers stay in the game. Two of Tolsma's three sacks directly ended offensive drives for the Bulldogs, forcing them to punt. His 2.5 sacks are the most in a single game by a Charger since Dan Shanley recorded three against Kentucky Wesleyan in 2019, and he's currently tied for second in the G-MAC and 12th nationally in total sacks for the season.
- 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 Hinrichs (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.