Through the first four games of the 2021 season, the Hillsdale College football team has battled injuries, adversity and big deficits, and never stopped fighting.
That determination paid big dividends on Saturday, as the Chargers overcame 17-point first half deficit and injuries to its top two quarterbacks to pull out a 38-31 Homecoming victory over Missouri S&T that won't be forgotten for a long time.
Hillsdale outscored the Miners 21-7 in the second half and 14-0 in the third quarter to complete a comeback that began late in the first half.
Trailing 24-7 to the visiting Miners midway through the second quarter, and with starting quarterback Luke Keller out with a leg injury, the Chargers found a way to get back in the game, putting together a nine-play 62 yard drive that led to a 30-yard field goal by Julian Lee to cut into the deficit.
Then, with S&T driving and looking to add to their lead before halftime, Charger cornerback Matt Harding intercepted a pass by S&T quarterback Luke Hertzler at the Hillsdale 10 and ran it back 89 yards to the S&T one-yard line, setting up a goal-line plunge by backup quarterback Jake Burger that cut the Miners' lead to seven at the half.
To open the third quarter, Burger directed a 10 play, 71 yard drive and finished it with another one-yard quarterback keeper to tie the game at 24 apiece with 10:02 left in the third.
The Miners answered back with a seven play, 78 yard drive to retake the lead, 31-24, and on the ensuing possession, Burger was injured on a running play, forcing the Chargers to insert third-string quarterback Garrit Aissen into just the second game of his career.
Aissen answered the challenge, completing a nine-yard pass to Austen Williams for his first career completion on his first play of the game. The sophomore from Luxemburg, Wisconsin calmly directed a 72 yard, 11 play drive ending in a one-yard touchdown run by Jack Robinson that tied the game at 31-all early in the fourth quarter.
With the game all-even, a big special-teams play proved to be the turning point. On a S&T punt from their own 33 after a three and out on the ensuing possession, Hillsdale redshirt freshman Bart Bixler blocked the punt attempt and Mason Dooley jumped on the loose ball to give the Chargers possession at the Miner 12.
One play was all it took for Aissen to take advantage of the short field, as the quarterback hit tight end Michael Harding over the middle for a 12-yard touchdown pass that ended up being the game-winning score.
The Charger defense played a big role in Hillsdale's second half domination. After conceding 247 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, Hillsdale allowed just 89 yards of offense and one score in the final two quarters.
Pressure up front played a huge role. Senior defensive tackle Nate Chambers led Hillsdale with nine tackles, three tackles for loss and two big second half sacks, and seniors Kyle Parran and Joe Royer combined for a third sack that helped set up the blocked punt. The fourth starter on the defensive line, junior Kendall Tobin, added 1.5 tackles for loss as well as the Chargers held S&T to just 102 yards on the ground.
Linebackers Jonathan Burton and Kyle Kudla each chipped in seven tackles as well and senior safety Alex Anschutz chipped in six tackles for the Charger defense.
Along with Harding's 89 yard interception return, redshirt freshman safety Sam Zemis also picked off a pass for Hillsdale as well.
Offensively, Jack Robinson led the Chargers with 86 yards rushing on 19 attempts, Luke Keller finished with 46 yards on nine attempts in a quarter and a half of action, and Jake Burger rushed 10 times for 23 yards and two touchdowns.
Isaac TeSlaa was Hillsdale's leading receiver, catching four passes for 58 yards, including a 13 yard touchdown reception in the first quarter that briefly gave the Chargers a 7-3 lead. Alec Foos added two catches for 27 yards and Austen Williams had three for 24 yards as well.
Burger finished as Hillsdale's leading passer, going 3 for 5 with 59 yards, while Aissen was 5 for 6 for 44 yards and the touchdown to Harding, and Keller finished 4 of 6 for 28 yards and the touchdown to TeSlaa.
As well as his 30-yard field goal, Julian Lee also went a perfect 5 for 5 on extra points as well.
The win is Hillsdale's first of the season, after three close and competitive losses against tough teams to start the year. It's an important momentum-builder for the Chargers, who face another tough task to open the G-MAC season next week, traveling to two-time defending G-MAC champion and 12th-ranked Tiffin for a 4 p.m. kickoff.
Photo by Anthony Lupi '22
