Schedule
#6 Ashland (7-0, 5-0 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (4-4, 3-3 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Oct. 29| Frank "Muddy" Waters Stadium | Hillsdale, Michigan
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Hillsdale Roster | Ashland Roster | 2022 Hillsdale Stats | 2022 Ashland Stats | G-MAC Schedule | G-MAC Standings | Game Notes
Last Week
Hillsdale jumped out to a 13-10 first quarter lead on visiting Findlay, but couldn't keep pace with the Oilers as big plays for Findlay in all three phases of the game helped them pull away for a 41-20 victory. The Oilers used a blocked punt returned for a score and a 71-yard rushing touchdown to pull away in the second half. Luke Keller had a strong offensive outing, going 23-35 for 244 yards and three touchdowns, including two scoring connections with receiver Isaac TeSlaa, while Julius Graber led the Charger defense with 10 tackles.
Scouting the Opposition
The Eagles enter this week as not only the top team in the G-MAC, but ranked in the top 10 nationally in every NCAA Division II poll, and have a resume to match those lofty rankings.
Ashland all but locked up the regular season G-MAC title with a 28-20 win over Tiffin last weekend, now holding a two game lead over the field with three to play, and are the top team in the conference statistically in virtually every category, boasting the league's best offense and defense in terms of both points and yardage.
Underpinning everything for the Ashland offense is a punishing running game led by a lethal one-two punch in running backs Larry Martin and Gei'vonni Washington, who have combined for 1,000 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns on the ground in seven games this season. Complicating things for opposing defenses is that senior quarterback Austin Brenner is a scary threat on the ground in his own right, making the Eagles' rushing attack even harder to defend.
As a passer, Brenner has improved each season and is an accurate (65.4% completion rate) and dependable thrower who can move the chains and keep defenses honest. Ashland has a solid receiving corps led by seniors Logan Bolin and Garrett Turnbaugh to help give the offense balance.
Brenner has played through injuries the last two weeks to deliver crucial victories for the Eagles, but has missed time this season. Backup Trevor Byczinski would get the first crack if Brenner is unable to go this weekend.
Returning first-team All-G-MAC player Nehemiah Cannon leads an experienced offensive line that's given up just 10 sacks so far this season.
Ashland's strong offense is paired with a dominant defense, which is conceding just 10.7 points and 222.1 yards per game this season. Linebacker and 2021 G-MAC Defensive Player of the Year Michael Ayers leads a unit that tops the G-MAC by virtually every standard. Deeb Alawan and Nick Cone are the top pass rushers for the Eagles with a combined 10 sacks, while cornerback Justin Moore is the top player in an equally loaded secondary.
AJ Rhodes and Storm Elsesser have split the kicking duties for the Eagles, going a combined 6 of 11 on field goals with a long of 45, while Brenner and Byczinski have split the punting duties and are averaging 40.8 yards per punt.
Ashland is coached by a legend in Lee Owens, who has spent 39 years as a head football coach and 18 at Ashland, with a 134-59 record in those seasons with the Eagles. He's directed Ashland to five playoff appearances, three overall conference championships, and two Division II playoff wins. A well-known offensive guru, Owens came to Ashland after a run of success at Division I Akron, helping turn that program into a winner in the MAC before returning to his alma mater in 2004.
The Series
The Chargers and Eagles are regular foes historically, with Hillsdale holding a 25-20 edge in a series that dates back to 1970. Ashland won the most recent meeting last fall, 28-17. The last Charger victory was in 2011, a 40-34 win that took two overtimes to resolve. The two teams play for the Traveling Trophy, awarded after each game to the winning team to keep until the next meeting.
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.
- The origins of the Traveling Trophy between Hillsdale and Ashland date back to near the series' beginning in 1970, and now honors a shared tie between the two schools in the form of Hillsdale College graduate Donald R. Mossey. A World War II veteran from Elkhart, Indiana, Mossey graduated from Hillsdale in 1951 after starring on the Charger football team. Mossey went on to become a successful entrepreneur in several fields, and played an important role on the Seminary Board at Ashland University, where he served for nearly 40 years, and on Hillsdale College's Board of Trustees from 1966 until his passing in 2010. The Traveling Trophy between the two schools was rededicated in his honor after his passing, and the tradition persists to this day.
- Sophomore wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa is closing in on becoming just the sixth player in Charger history to surpass 1,000 receiving yards in a season. His 915 total receiving yards and 11 touchdowns through eight games 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 sixth in receiving yardage. The sophomore already is tied for the fifth-most receiving touchdowns in a single season in Charger history, and is 10th in receiving yards with three games remaining.
- Senior tailback Michael Herzog continues to put up big numbers on the ground for the Chargers in his first season as a starter. His 733 rushing yards lead the G-MAC through eight games, and gives him a shot to become Hillsdale's first 1,000 yard rusher.
- Hillsdale has been able to put consistent pressure on the quarterback this season, totaling 18 sacks through eight games so far. Sophomore Riley Tolsma is third in the G-MAC with 5.5 sacks, and senior Kyle Kudla is close behind in a tie for sixth 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 73 total tackles lead the G-MAC and are tied for 27th nationally at the NCAA DII level, and his nine tackles for loss are fourth 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.