After eight games that have been a roller coaster of ups and downs for the Hillsdale College football team, the Chargers are right where they hoped to be -- in a tie for first place in the G-MAC, with all of their goals for the season still very much in play as the eight conference teams hit the stretch run in the G-MAC title race.
With three games remaining, Hillsdale controls its own destiny for a share of the G-MAC title but must continue to execute and find ways to win against tough competition if it wants to stay in the race. That starts with a road trip on Saturday to an Ashland squad that's also banged up, but still talented, dangerous, and very much motivated by the possibilities that remain for their season as well.
Schedule
Hillsdale College (4-4, 3-1 G-MAC) at Ashland (3-4, 2-2 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Oct. 30 | Jack Miller Stadium | Ashland, OH
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Ashland Roster | 2021 Hillsdale Stats | 2021 Ashland Stats | G-MAC Schedule | G-MAC Standings | Game Notes
Last Game
The Chargers pulled off their second road shocker of the season on Saturday, stunning heavily-favored and G-MAC unbeaten Findlay in a 34-29 victory. Trailing 22-21 midway through the fourth quarter, the Chargers scored two touchdowns in the span of 90 seconds, then held off a late Oiler rally to take the victory and create a four-way tie atop the G-MAC between the Oilers, Hillsdale, Tiffin and Ohio Dominican with three games to play. Sophomore quarterback Garrit Aissen had a career day for the Chargers, going 28 of 38 for 388 yards and four touchdowns, and redshirt freshman receiver Isaac TeSlaa also made a major mark with 193 yards and three touchdowns on nine catches.
Scouting the Opposition
Expected to be one of the contenders for the G-MAC title, things have taken a sharp turn for Ashland since star quarterback Austin Brenner's injury early in a 34-24 loss to Ohio Dominican on Oct. 9. A close loss to Tiffin the next week put the Eagles' conference title hopes in jeopardy, though Ashland stayed alive in the race by winning a 42-41 shoot-out over Lake Erie last Saturday.
In Brenner's absence, the Eagles have leaned even more heavily on what is statistically the best rushing attack in the conference. The tandem of Gei'vonni Washington and Larry Martin have combined for over 950 yards and nine touchdowns and the Chargers should expect a consistent dose of both on Saturday.
Freshman Trent Maddox has stepped into the starting role at quarterback to replace Brenner. Though he's been up and down in two starts, the freshman had enough talent to beat out several others for the backup job and has access to some dangerous weapons, including receivers Garrett Turnbaugh, Jake McLoughlin and Malik Woodridge. Even with Brenner out, Ashland still ranks as the best offense in the G-MAC and will be especially dangerous at home.
Defensively, the Eagles have struggled with consistency, doing a decent job of holding opponents in check in terms of yardage but giving up a G-MAC worst 31.7 points per game.
Linebacker Michael Ayers is the focal point of the Eagle defense, leading the team with 76 tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles, while safety Justin Moore is second with 39 tackles and has three of Ashland's four interceptions.
The Eagles have been solid at preventing big plays but have struggled to generate big defensive plays of their own, tying with Lake Erie for the fewest sacks (7) and fewest interceptions (4) of any team in the conference to date.
Ashland's kicking duties are split between Jackson Welsch and Storm Elsesser, who'vecombined to go 2 of 3 on field goals with a long of 44. Brenner also served as the team's punter and in his absence Maddox and Cameron Blair have split the job in the last three weeks.
In the return game Justin Moore is dangerous on punt returns, with a 67-yard touchdown return earlier in the season.
Ashland is coached by a legend in Lee Owens, who has spent 38 years as a head football coach and 18 at Ashland, with a 125-58 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
After six years with no contest between the two, Hillsdale and Ashland renew their rivalry and the battle for the Traveling Trophy that's been given out since the two teams' first meeting in 1970. Ashland currently possesses the trophy after a 52-21 win on Oct. 17, 2015, the last time the two teams met when both were still members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Hillsdale leads the all-time series 25-19 and last beat the Eagles on Sept. 17, 2011, pulling out a 40-34 win in two overtimes.
Other Notes
- Hillsdale returns 18 starters from the Spring 2021 season, as well as its kicker and punter, giving the team an exciting amount of experience to draw on. All three of Hillsdale's first team All-G-MAC honorees are back – offensive lineman Cole Johnson, defensive tackle Nate Chambers, and safety Zach Herzog – as well as 10 of the Chargers' 11 All-Conference players overall.
- Sophomore quarterback Garrit Aissen had a game for the ages in Hillsdale's upset win over Findlay, going 28 of 38 for 388 yards, the seventh most yards by a quarterback in a single game in Hillsdale College history, and accounting for five touchdowns, four through the air and one on the ground. It was the most yards and passing touchdowns in a game by a Hillsdale quarterback since 2018 All-American Chance Stewart's 450 yard, four touchdown performance against Malone on Sept. 29, 2018.
- Like Aissen, redshirt freshman wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa also had a performance to remember, capturing G-MAC Offensive Player of the Week honors after catching nine passes for 193 yards and three touchdowns, all top marks in those categories for the G-MAC this season. His 193 receiving yards were the eighth most by a G-MAC receiver all time, and tied for the eighth most all-time in Charger football history, while his 81 yard touchdown reception in the second quarter was the longest receiving touchdown in the G-MAC this year and the longest by a Charger receiver since All-American Trey Brock's 82 yard touchdown catch against Indianapolis on Sept. 23, 2017.
- Senior wide receiver Alec Foos hauled in a season high 106 yards and a touchdown against Findlay as well. Combined with TeSlaa's 193 yard performance, the pair became the first Charger teammates to each go over 100 yards receiving in a game since Trey Brock and Konnor Maloney against Malone on Sept. 29, 2018.
- The Charger secondary has been turning other teams over all season long, with a G-MAC best 14 interceptions, good for second in all of NCAA Division II in that stat. Along with six fumble recoveries, Hillsdale's defense has 20 total takeaways this year, in the top 20 in the nation. Redshirt freshman Jackson Gillock is tied for second in the nation with five interceptions, and senior Joe Schneider is tied for 11th with four.
- Senior defensive tackle Nate Chambers is having a beastly season in his final go-around with Hillsdale this season. Chambers had 6.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss in his first three seasons combined entering the year, but in eight games he's added 6.5 more sacks and 11 tackles for loss to those totals, both marks that lead the G-MAC and place him inside the top 50 nationally in Division II in both stats.
- A standout for the previous three seasons for the Chargers, Alex Anschutz is making his final season his best yet. Hillsdale's STAR, a linebacker/safety hybrid position, is fourth in the G-MAC in tackles (78), and in the top 25 all of Division II in the stat. Anschutz is not the only Charger defender standing out – Zach Herzog, his teammate, is seventh in the G-MAC with 67 total tackles.
- The Charger football program brought home an impressive and historic award haul this summer. For the first time in program history, Hillsdale had three players earn CoSIDA Academic All-American honors – Johnson, senior safety Alex Anschutz and senior wide receiver Konnor Maloney, becoming just the sixth, seventh and eighth players in program history to receive the prestigious honor. All three return this fall. Additionally, 2021 graduate Joey Brenner was named the program's first G-MAC Scholar Athlete of the Year as well, and 79 of Hillsdale's 103 players posted a 3.0 or better GPA for the 2020-21 school year.
- The Charger football program has long been known for its strong family tradition, and that continues in 2021 with two sets of brothers in the starting lineup. Senior cornerback Matt Harding and sophomore tight end Michael Harding (Livonia, MI/Detroit Catholic Central) will start on opposite sides of the ball, following in the footsteps of older brother Steve Harding, who graduated from Hillsdale in 2014. On the offensive line, twin brothers Nick and Ben Affholter (Quincy, MI/Reading) will hold down the two guard spots. Both are the sons of Brad Affholter, a multi-year starter on the Charger offensive line in the mid-90s. There are two more sets of brothers on the team – Zach Herzog and his brother, Mike, a tailback, and Konnor Maloney and his brother Jacob, a defensive back. Additionally, H-back Calvin McNellie is joined by his brother, Carson, a student manager for the team in 2021.
- With 120 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.