On a nasty, wet and cold day, the Hillsdale College football team played a throwback game, complete with some nastiness in the trenches, to roll over visiting Kentucky Wesleyan 44-14 at home on Saturday.
With rain and swirling winds making passing a challenge, the Chargers won with power and force at the point of attack, rolling up 327 yards on the ground on 47 carries, for seven yards a rush.
It's the most rushing yards by a Hillsdale offense since the Chargers rushed for 383 in a 52-29 win over Lake Erie on Sept 12, 2015.
Hillsdale seized control in the second quarter, breaking open a 3-0 game with four consecutive touchdown drives to take a 31-0 edge.
After a 43-yard field goal by Julian Lee on Hillsdale's opening drive put the Chargers in front, Hillsdale struck paydirt again and again in the first half, punishing a series of Kentucky Wesleyan miscues. A short punt late in the first quarter by the Panthers gave the Chargers the ball at midfield, and Hillsdale opened the second quarter with a four-yard touchdown run by Michael Herzog to go up 10-0.
On the ensuing KWC possession, Hillsdale safety Vince Francescone picked off Panthers quarterback Christian Arrambide, giving the Chargers another possession at midfield. Senior tailback Caden Goggins took the very first snap of the drive 45 yards up the left sideline for another Hillsdale score.
Herzog added a 56-yard breakway touchdown run on Hillsdale's next possession to make it 24-0 Hillsdale. After back-to-back long rushing touchdowns, the Chargers caught KWC overplaying the run on the next possession and quarterback Garrit Aissen hit a deep shot 40 yards to freshman receiver Jonathan Metzger for a fourth consecutive Hillsdale score, giving the Chargers a 31-0 lead right before halftime.
While the Chargers gave up a long pass play for a touchdown to end the half, Hillsdale still went into the locker room with a 31-7 lead, and refused to give the Panthers any path back into the game in the second half. Hillsdale added two more second half touchdowns, an eight yard run by Herzog in the third quarter for his second touchdown of the game, and a four yard scoring run by senior Jack Robinson in the fourth quarter to give Hillsdale a 44-7 lead. Kentucky Wesleyan got a second touchdown late in the fourth to get out of single digits, but too late to mount any form of comeback.
Ten different players carried the ball for the Chargers in the victory, led by Herzog, who with 143 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries racked up his fifth-straight 100-plus yard rushing game and his second-straight game with three or moe rushing touchdowns. Goggins added 62 yards and a touchdown on five carries, and Aissen added 47 yards on 12 carries for the Chargers.
Despite challenging passing conditions on the day, Aissen finished 6 of 13 passing for 99 yards and a touchdown. Along with the 40-yard bomb to Metzger, Aissen also connected with Sam Lee three times for 29 yards, and with Shea Ruddy on a 26-yard pass as well.
While Hillsdale offense was the headliner, the Chargers defense had a standout game as well, holding KWC to well under their season average in total offense and allowing them to convert just two of 14 third downs. The Chargers sacked KWC's quarterback five times, led by true freshman Drake Badger, who got to the passer twice. Riley Tolsma and Neal Likens each added a sack as well, and Zac Tokie and Hunter Sperling combined for a sack.
Francescone had five tackles to go with his interception, and Kaden Evans added five tackles as well.
The victory is a big positive boost for the Chargers, who are 2-5 on the year but 2-3 in G-MAC play and with the three best teams in the conference in the rearview mirror on the schedule. The rest of the slate is a little bit lighter for Hillsdale and could present an opportunity to make a big late-season push if the Chargers can continue to play well. It starts, however, with arguably the toughest game the Chargers have left -- a road trip to a feisty 4-3 Thomas More squad that has one of the best defenses in the G-MAC so far this season. Hillsdale will play the Saints for the first time in program history next Saturday for a noon kickoff.
Photo by Hope Canlas