An impressive fourth quarter drive had the Hillsdale College football team on the verge of a critical road victory in its 2021 season opener on Saturday.
But Hillsdale saw its hopes of starting the season with a victory get snatched away with under 90 seconds to play in a 14-10 loss at Michigan Tech.
Trailing 7-3 with 10:36 to play in a physical, defensive contest, Hillsdale went on a 12 play, 70 yard drive that took five minutes and 44 seconds off the clock and put the Chargers back out in front in the fourth quarter.
Junior quarterback Luke Keller made two impressive completions to keep the chains moving -- a 20-yard pass to sophomore tight end Michael Harding that got Hillsdale to the Michigan Tech 25, and a 19-yard completion to Alec Foos that converted a 4th and 5 and put the Chargers at the Tech 1-yard line.
Keller capped the drive with a quarterback sneak for a touchdown that put the Chargers ahead 10-7 with 4:45 to play and gave Michigan Tech likely just one chance to answer.
One chance, unfortunately, was all the Huskies needed. Michigan Tech drove 65 yards in eight plays, finishing with a 23-yard fade route from quarterback Will Ark to Hunter Richards in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown with 1:14 to play.
Hillsdale got the ball back with 89 seconds to try and concoct a game-winner, but couldn't find the down-field completion it needed to even the score, with a fourth down interception by the Huskies sealing the loss.
The ending stings for the Charger defense, but can't fully erase what was an otherwise excellent day for Hillsdale on that side of the ball. With the Charger offense sputtering to minus-six total yards and zero first downs in the first half, Hillsdale's defense kept the Chargers in the game, holding Michigan Tech scoreless and to just 77 total yards of their own in the same frame.
That gave Hillsdale's offense time to regroup, and after the half, some tweaks to the Chargers' formations helped Hillsdale get going. The Chargers gradually built up steam on the ground, scoring the first points of the game on a 20-yard field goal by redshirt freshman Julian Lee with eight seconds to play in the third quarter, after an 11 play, 73 yard drive.
Tech answered back with a 43-yard touchdown pass from Will Ark to Jordan Janssen with 10:36 to go in the fourth quarter to take a 7-3 lead at that point, and set the stage for the late drama.
Senior linebacker John Pearson (pictured above) led Hillsdale with two sacks on back-to-back plays and also finished with six tackles. Senior defensive tackle Nate Chambers also had a huge outing, finishing with 10 tackles, a tackle for loss and 0.5 sacks, and senior defensive end Kyle Parran chipped in a sack as well.
Senior Alex Anschutz and junior Zach Herzog each finished with 10 tackles as well for the Chargers to tie Chambers for the team lead, junior Kyle Kudla added eight tackles, and junior Josh Peroni led the Hillsdale secondary with five pass breakups as well.
Offensively, Keller was 6 for 15 for 98 yards and two interceptions, though both turnovers came on desperation heaves at the end of the first half and end of the game, respectively. The junior quarterback also led the Chargers on the ground, rushing for 27 yards on 20 carries and scoring Hillsdale's only touchdown.
Senior wide receiver Konnor Maloney finished with two catches for 58 yards, including a 31-yard circus catch that helped set up Lee's third quarter field goal, to lead the Charger receivers.
Hillsdale (0-1) has no time to dwell on the loss, as perhaps the Chargers' most daunting opponent on the schedule in 2021 is up next. Defending GLVC champion Indianapolis comes to town on Saturday, September 11 for the Chargers' home opener. The Greyhounds are ranked 15th in the AFCA Preseason Division II Coaches Poll and are expected to be one of the top contenders in Super Region 3. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. and the game is both the annual Business and Industry Night at Hillsdale College, and the Chargers' Victory Day, where Hillsdale makes local children with special needs part of the experience, both leading up to the contest and on gameday itself.
Photo by Jaycie Burger