Facing Truman State for the second time in 2021 in Saturday's America's Crossroads Bowl at the Brickyard in Hobart, Indiana, the Hillsdale College football team got off to a much better start but didn't get the finish it wanted in a 34-17 loss to end its season.
Hillsdale trailed 31-3 at the half in the first meeting, but held a 10-6 lead early in the third quarter of the bowl contest thanks to a much-improved defensive effort. Truman St. made three red zone trips in the first half but came away with just six points as the Chargers got critical stops on all three possession.
The Bulldogs struck first on their opening drive, hitting a 26-yard field goal to go ahead 3-0 six minutes into the game. Hillsdale responded with a 10 play, 40 yard drive that set up a 34-yard field goal by Julian Lee to tie.
Truman St. outgained Hillsdale 186-66 in the first half but were stopped short of scoring by valiant Hillsdale efforts on both of their red zone trips in the half. Midway through the second quarter, the Bulldogs set up first and goal at the Hillsdale 3, but Josh Peroni made a critical open-field tackle to stop Cody Schrader short of the goal line, and Zach Urda and Sam Zemis got the stop on third down to force a Truman St. field goal.
The Bulldogs had another chance to build their lead late in the first half, driving into the red zone with 49 seconds to play, but back-to-back sacks by Hillsdale junior defensive end Kendall Tobin ended the threat.
Hillsdale took advantage of the defensive stops immediately to start the second half, as sophomore quarterback Garrit Aissen connected on a 56-yard touchdown pass to redshirt freshman receiver Isaac TeSlaa with 12:59 left in the third quarter to give the Chargers a 10-6 lead, their first of the game and of the season against Truman.
That lead would prove to be short-lived, however, as Truman scored on a nine play, 63 yard drive on their next possession to retake the lead, the start of a 21-point scoring run that put the Bulldogs up for good. Hillsdale couldn't overcome two turnovers, one that gave Truman a short field to go up 20-10 in the third quarter, and the second that snuffed out a promising scoring drive that could have helped the Chargers cut into the lead.
Trailing 27-10 with 2:48 to play, Hillsdale senior Alex Anschutz gave the Chargers one final glimmer of hope, recovering a Truman St. fumble and returning it 88 yards for a touchdown that cut the Bulldogs' lead to 10. But Hillsdale couldn't recover the ensuing onside kick, and Truman tacked on an insurance touchdown on its next play from scrimmage to seal the win.
Aissen finished with 263 yards passing to lead the Chargers offensively, going 24 of 35 and connecting with TeSlaa on the touchdown but also throwing two interceptions. TeSlaa caught 6 passes for 81 yards as well for Hillsdale, Michael Harding added five catches for 46 yards, Austen Williams caught five passes for 43 yards, and senior Alec Foos grabbed four passes for 47 yards.
Logan VanEnkevot led the Chargers on the ground with 29 yards on seven carries.
Defensively, Anschutz closed a storied career with the fumble recovery touchdown, and finished with five tackles. Zemis was Hillsdale's leading tackler with 12 in the contest, junior Kyle Kudla added nine, and seniors Zach Herzog and Jonathan Burton each added seven. Senior Joe Royer added five tackles and a sack as well for Hillsdale.
The Chargers finish the 2021 campaign at 6-6 overall, their fifth straight season with a .500 or better record, and fall to 1-3 all-time in bowl games. Hillsdale has a bright future ahead, with significant returning talent, especially on the offensive side of the ball, but bids farewell to a 21-player senior class that played a major role on the 2018 G-MAC championship team, and will be sorely missed.
Photo by Anthony Lupi '22