Schedule
Findlay (3-4, 2-2 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (4-3, 3-2 G-MAC) | 2 p.m. ET Saturday, Oct. 22| Frank "Muddy" Waters Stadium | Hillsdale, Michigan
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Hillsdale Roster | Findlay Roster | 2022 Hillsdale Stats | 2022 Findlay Stats | G-MAC Schedule | G-MAC Standings | Game Notes
Last Week
Hillsdale snapped a two-game losing streak in emphatic fashion, dominating Northwood 41-7 on the road to improve to 4-3. The Chargers put up a season-high 496 yards of total offense in the victory, led by 159 yards and three touchdowns on the ground for senior tailback Michael Herzog. Quarterback Luke Keller added 214 yards and two passing touchdowns through the air, while the Charger defense held Northwood to just 202 yards of total offense.
Scouting the Opposition
The defending G-MAC champions, Findlay has endured a rough season so far in 2022, losing four of its first five games, and entering Saturday's contest looking up at the Chargers in the G-MAC standings.
That said, there's no denying the Oilers have played a tougher schedule than Hillsdale so far, with matchups against G-MAC title contenders Ohio Dominican and Ashland, as well as defending NCAA DII national champion Ferris State, in their first seven contests, and will present a serious challenge to Hillsdale on Saturday.
Findlay enters Saturday's contest riding the momentum of back-to-back wins, displaying both offensive balance and a stingy defense in two dominant victories over Northwood and Kentucky Wesleyan.
The Oilers have a dangerous rushing attack offensively, led by sophomore Garrett Clark, who was a third-team All-G-MAC tailback as a freshman and has been one of the conference's top rushing threats so far in 2022. He has an excellent complement in fellow sophomore tailback Jayden Farmer, who's combined with Clark for nearly 1,000 yards rushing and seven touchdowns in seven games.
That run game helps take pressure off senior quarterback Jeremy Hunt, a DI grad transfer from Louisiana Monroe who's started every game so far for the Oilers. Hunt has been erratic at times and is completing just 52.1% of his passes, but when he's on-target, he's a weapon, throwing for 1,348 yards and 11 touchdowns already this season.
Junior Tanner Schroeder has been Findlay's top receiver, with 35 catches on the year, but freshman Bryan Hunt has been the big-play threat, with five of his 12 catches going for touchdowns, and tight end Mike Rigerman also is a big part of the offense, with 19 catches and three touchdowns as well.
Findlay has developed a reputation for great offensive line play during its time in the G-MAC, and this year's group still has talent, led by senior and returning first-team All-G-MAC player Ben Farrar.
Defensively, Findlay has been a mixed bag. The Oilers have been one of the league's top pass defenses, leading the G-MAC in interceptions and sitting in second in pass yards allowed, but have been gashed on the ground, giving up a league-worst 176.9 rush yards per game.
Senior safety Kijana Caldwell, a second-team All-G-MAC player in 2021, leads the Oilers with three interceptions, and Marqis Stokes, Johnny Harris and Jeremiah Jackson are all key secondary players as well.
In the front seven, returning first-team All-G-MAC linebacker Grey Brancifort leads Findlay in tackles, while junior defensive lineman Dalton Rockhold has been a key player as well. The Oilers returned two extremely talented rush ends this season in Ervin Besingi and Reggie Micheaux, but neither has made much of an impact so far. If either can work their way back into the lineup, they could be difference-makers for Findlay in the final four games of the season.
Sophomore kicker Austin Snyder is one of the G-MAC's best, converting all 22 PATs and going 9 of 12 in field goals with a long of 48 so far. Tanner Schroeder is the primary punter and is averaging 38.4 yards per punt to date.
Findlay is led by first-year head coach Kory Allen, who took over for the successful Rob Keys this offseason. Allen has spent 16 prior seasons with the Oilers as an assistant coach, most recently as the offensive coordinator before taking the top job.
The Series
The Oilers are one of the oldest foes still regularly on Hillsdale's schedule, with meetings all the way back to 1963. The Chargers lead the series 18-13-1, with a 34-29 victory on the road last season in their most recent meeting. Prior to that, Findlay had won six of seven meetings over the last decade. The Oilers, along with Ashland and newcomer Northwood, have a claim to be Hillsdale's biggest still-active rivalry 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.
- Hillsdale had an impressive team outing offensively against Northwood, racking up 496 yards of total offense, the most since the Chargers recorded 499 yards in a 45-24 win over Alderson Broaddus on Oct. 13, 2018. The Chargers' 273 rushing yards were also the most by a Charger team since Hillsdale's 310 against Lake Erie on Sept. 21, 2019, and Hillsdale's 41 points were the most scored by a Charger team since Hillsdale put up 56 in a win over Alderson Broaddus on Nov. 2, 2019.
- Senior tailback Michael Herzog continued his breakout season on Saturday, putting up the most rushing yards (159) and rushing touchdowns (3) by a Charger player since 2019 in Hillsdale's win over Northwood, and earning G-MAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. His 680 rushing yards are third in the G-MAC through six games, and 24th nationally among all NCAA DII players.
- Sophomore wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa is having an impressive season to date. His 808 total receiving yards and nine touchdowns lead not only the G-MAC but also rank highly nationally, as he is tied for second among NCAA DII players in receiving touchdowns, and is fifth in receiving yardage. TeSlaa received G-MAC Offensive Player of the Week honors twice in three weeks earlier in the season, for a 189 yard, three touchdown game against Walsh on Sept. 10, and for a 177 yard, two touchdown contest against Missouri S&T on Sept. 24.
- Hillsdale has been able to put consistent pressure on the quarterback this season, totaling 16 sacks through seven games so far. Sophomore Riley Tolsma is third in the G-MAC with 5.5 sacks, and senior Kyle Kudla is close behind in fifth with four sacks.
- Kudla, in his third season as a starting linebacker for Hillsdale, is having his best year to date. The Avon, Ohio native earned G-MAC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance in the team's 17-10 win at Missouri S&T on Sept. 24, finishing with eight tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a pass breakup. On the season, Kudla's 64 total tackles lead the G-MAC and tied for 27th nationally at the NCAA DII level, and his nine tackles for loss are tied for third in the G-MAC.
- 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 126 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.