Two weeks ago, the Hillsdale College football team was 0-3, while Tiffin was 3-0, ranked 12th in the nation and the favorites to win the 2021 G-MAC title after capturing the previous two crowns.
How quickly things can change.
The Chargers won their second-consecutive game and snapped a 12-game Tiffin winning streak in conference play with a stunning 24-21 road win on Saturday, improving to 2-3 overall and 1-0 in G-MAC play.
Hillsdale pulled off the upset despite having just 12 first downs to Tiffin's 19 and 258 yards of total offense to Tiffin's 330 thanks to a great defensive effort. The Dragons committed four turnovers and had brutal 18% third-down conversion and 29% fourth-down conversion rates as the Chargers held a powerhouse Tiffin offense to just two touchdowns, with the Dragons' third score coming on a punt return.
The Chargers' defense stood especially tall with the game in the balance in the fourth quarter. After the Dragons cut a 24-7 Charger lead to 24-21 late, Tiffin had two chances with under four minutes to play to tie or win the game, and both times Hillsdale got critical fourth down stops short of field goal range to protect the Charger lead and secure the victory.
Hillsdale seized an early lead on the road, forcing three first half Dragon turnovers and turning them into 10 points to take a 10-7 lead into halftime. On Tiffin's opening drive, senior safety Joe Schneider picked off a Nick Watson pass to end a serious scoring threat, and on the next position, Charger redshirt freshman cornerback Jackson Gillock picked off Watson again to set up a 41-yard field goal by Julian Lee that gave Hillsdale a 3-0 lead.
Early in the second quarter, the Charger offense would capitalize on another short field, going 56 yards in 13 plays and capping the drive with a one-yard touchdown run by redshirt freshman Jack Robinson.
Tiffin cut into the deficit with a passing touchdown shortly before halftime, and it looked like the favored Dragons had finally seized the momentum. But it was Hillsdale who took full control of the game in the third quarter. On the Chargers' first possession of the half, a 65 yard run by Robinson to the Tiffin 1 yard line set up a Garrit Aissen quarterback sneak for a touchdown to extend Hillsdale's lead at the 11:45 mark of the third quarter.
With a 10-point lead, the Chargers went for the knockout blow on the next possession. After Hillsdale's defense forced a Tiffin three-and-out, Hillsdale went 61 yards in eight plays, capped by a misdirection screen pass from Aissen to H-Back Kyle Nyboer that the sophomore took into the end zone from 18 yards out to extend Hillsdale's lead to 24-7.
As befitting a two-time champion, Tiffin refused to go quietly. The Dragons answered with an 80-yard touchdown drive of their own to cut Hillsdale's lead to 10 early in the fourth quarter, then closed the gap further on a 76-yard punt return for a touchdown by Anthony Lowe that made it a three-point game with 5:36 to play.
But those two scores were all that Tiffin got, as the Charger defense held up to protect the victory over the final five minutes.
Schneider had a huge game for Hillsdale, finishing with eight tackles, two interceptions and a pass break-up, senior safety Alex Anschutz added a team-high 10 tackles, and freshman cornerback Jackson Gillock made eight tackles and picked off a pass as well.
Senior defensive end Kyle Parran had a strip-sack and finished with five tackles for the Chargers, and senior defensive tackle Nate Chambers finished with three tackles, two for loss, and a sack as well.
The Hillsdale offense didn't put up big numbers, but were effective enough to help the Chargers get the victory. Robinson finished with 96 yards on 18 carries, just missing his first 100 yard game, to lead Hillsdale's rushing attack, and Logan VanEnkenvort chipped in 54 yards on 10 carries as well.
Sophomore quarterback Garrit Aissen finished 7 for 21 for just 63 yards, but didn't commit a turnover and accounted for two touchdowns, one rushing and one passing, that proved critical in the victory.
Kicker Julian Lee hit all three extra points as well as the 41-yard field goal for the Chargers, and punter Jack Shannon averaged 46.5 yards on 10 punts, putting four inside the 20. His final punt, with 1:48 to play, pinned Tiffin inside the Hillsdale 3 with no timeouts left and played a significant role in the outcome.
Hillsdale is now 2-3 overall after back-to-back victories, and 1-0 in the conference, one of four G-MAC teams who got through the first week of league play with a victory. Despite their overall record, the Chargers are very much in play for the G-MAC title and will look to continue to remain unbeaten in conference play when they host Walsh next Saturday for a 2 p.m. kickoff.
Photo by Jaycie Burger '21