The Hillsdale College football team put itself in a position to win on the road on Saturday at Kentucky Wesleyan.
But the Chargers couldn't fully capitalize on opportunities in the second half to seize control, and in the end the Panthers made Hillsdale pay, scoring 14 fourth quarter points to take a 31-27 victory in the final minutes of the game.
Hillsdale had a 21-17 lead to start the second half, and twice got the ball deep into Kentucky Wesleyan territory with a chance to seize the momentum of the game with a touchdown, but both times were forced to settle for field goals.
Late in the third quarter, the Chargers drove to the Kentucky Wesleyan 19 on a 15 play, 51 yard drive that took nearly seven minutes off the clock, but Hillsdale was unable to convert on third and short in the red zone to start the fourth quarter, setting up a 36-yard field goal by Julian Lee that put Hillsdale up 24-17.
Kentucky Wesleyan tied the game up on a 10 play, 75 yard touchdown drive on the next possession, but after a short Hillsdale drive stalled, the Chargers got another chance to seize control, as redshirt freshman safety Vince Francescone picked off KWC's Christian Arrambide on the first play of the Panthers' next drive, returning it all the way to the KWC nine yard line and giving Hillsdale first and goal in a tie game with 8:22 to play.
Once again, however, Hillsdale was unable to fully capitalize on the excellent field position, going three and out. The Chargers were able to retake the lead on a second field goal by Lee, from 26 yards out, but the 27-24 advantage with 6:03 to play left the door open for the Kentucky Wesleyan offense to pull ahead late.
The Panthers did just that, marching 75 yards in eight plays, and scoring the game-winning touchdown with 1:37 to play on a 33 yard passing touchdown on third and four.
Trailing 31-27, Hillsdale got the ball back two more times with a chance to answer, but both times the Chargers were picked off to end the scoring threat.
It was a frustrating end to a roller-coaster night for the Chargers, who had opened the game looking crisp offensively. Hillsdale scored touchdowns on both of its first two drives, going 62 yards on six plays and just 3 minutes and 22 seconds of game clock on its first drive to answer an opening-drive touchdown by KWC, then taking a 14-10 lead on its next possession with a 12 play, 68 yard drive. Junior running back Caden Goggins punched in both touchdowns for Hillsdale, rushing for a five-yard score on the first drive, and a three-yard touchdown on the second.
The Chargers then got a big special teams play to take a commanding lead, as Evan Shafer blocked a punt on the Panthers' next drive. Sophomore Jack Robinson recovered the blocked punt and returned it 37 yards for Hillsdale's first special teams touchdown of the season, giving Hillsdale a 21-10 lead.
At that point, it looked like Hillsdale might blow the game wide open, but the Chargers would go on to score just six more points in the contest, as Hillsdale struggled for consistency with miscues and penalties both taking their toll as the game wore on. Hillsdale was flagged an uncharacteristically high seven times for 55 yards, including multiple holding calls offensively. The Chargers also missed an opportunity to add to their lead late in the half, as Hillsdale threw an interception up 21-17 with the ball on the KWC 26 and with one minute left in the half, well within field goal range and with plenty of time to take shots at the end zone.
Hillsdale was outgained 434 to 270 in total yardage but were able to stay in the contest to the end, a testament to the Chargers' ability to get contributions in all three phases of the game.
Senior Michael Herzog led the Chargers on the ground with 81 yards on 18 carries, while sophomore Isaac TeSlaa was the team's top receiver, hauling in six passes for 85 yards. Junior Tim Boyd caught four passes for 39 yards for Hillsdale, and quarterback Luke Keller finished 12 of 24 through the air for 135 yards and three interceptions.
Defensively, Jackson Gillock led the Chargers in tackles with eight, while Francescone, Trevor DeGroote and Kyle Kudla each chipped in seven tackles. DeGroote also teamed up with Zachary Tokie on Hillsdale's only sack of the night, and finished with two tackles for loss in the best performance of his career to date.
On top of two made field goals, kicker Julian Lee also hit all three of his extra points for the Chargers.
Hillsdale falls to 3-2 on the season with the loss, and 2-1 in G-MAC play. The Chargers return home for a critical contest against G-MAC unbeaten Tiffin at 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 8. It's homecoming for the Chargers, and a pivotal game for Hillsdale's G-MAC title hopes, as the Chargers can't afford to fall two games behind the Dragons in the conference standings.
Photo by Anthony Lupi