Hillsdale College Football looks to make it 3 in a row with home game against Lake Erie
HILLSDALE COUNTY — Hillsdale College football looks to earn their third consecutive win this weekend after winning a 35-33 showdown with Thomas More in Week 8.
Week 7: Hillsdale College football defeats Kentucky Wesleyan
At 3-5, the Chargers and coach Brad Otterbein have a shot to end the year with a winning record should they run the table in their last three games. This weekend, they host Lake Erie for Military Appreciation Day.
More Information: Hillsdale College football hosts Military Appreciation Day
Last Week
Two key stops on point-after tries would end up the difference maker as Hillsdale won a 35-33 road victory in their first-ever encounter with Thomas More University.
In a tough road contest on Saturday, the Hillsdale College football team seized control with a 14-point third quarter and got a critical stop on a two-point try with 31 seconds to play to outlast host Thomas More for the Chargers' third victory in four games.
Thomas More scored two fourth quarter touchdowns to erase a 35-21 deficit. But Hillsdale got big plays from multiple Charger players on each point-after try. The first one was a kick blocked by Hillsdale's Hunter Sperling. The second saw Hillsdale contain Thomas More quarterback Rae'Von Vaden on a 2-point after scramble. Vaden would lose control of the football and have to jump on it to recover.
Hillsdale's Kyle Riffel had the onside kick recovery with less than 30 seconds to play to seal the victory.
Charger senior Garrit Aissen had 217 passing yards and tied his career high with four touchdown passes. Freshman Shea Ruddy had two touchdown catches of 33 yards and 28 yards. Senior tailback Michael Herzog had 75 yards and a touchdown.
Lake Erie at Hillsdale Game Day Information
Team 131 hosts Lake Erie for another G-MAC showdown at 2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 28. It is both Parents Weekend and Military Appreciation Day for the Chargers.
Hillsdale is 9-1 all time against Lake Erie, including a 35-31 comeback victory last season on the road against the Storm. The game will have a live, free webcast to view on the Hillsdale College athletic website.
Pull up the football schedule and click on the VIDEO link for Saturday’s broadcast. Jim Measel and Dan Bisher return for their 23rd season handling the telecasts of Charger football. Local radio coverage is also provided by WCSR 99.5 the Dale, and WRFH, Hillsdale’s on-campus, student-run radio station.
Scouting Lake Erie
The Lake Erie storm currently sit at the bottom of the G-MAC standings with an 0-6 conference record and a 1-7 overall record.
D.J. Boldin is in his second season as the head coach of Storm football. He previously was an offensive assistant and wide receivers coach in 2021.
The Storm have averaged 12.88 points a game in 2023 and have given up 39 points on average to their opponents. The Storm have only scored 13 touchdowns this season in comparison to the 42 they have given up so far.
Grad student quarterback Xeavier Bullock and senior Keed Kpoto are the two leading rushers for the Storm. Bullock had 265 total rushing yards and two touchdowns this season. Kpoto had 205 rushing yards. Raphael Jones Jr. had ran for 143 yards and three touchdowns.
Bullock has completed 116-of-235 pass attempts for 1,482 yards and five touchdowns this season. He has thrown seven interceptions. Senior wideout Jovohn Tucker had caught 30 of those passes for 566 yards and three touchdowns.
The team has given turned the ball over 13 times this season compared to the seven opportunities they have had getting turnovers. Senior linebacker Jorge Sanchez is a playmaker for the Storm on the defensive side of the ball, with a team-high 54 tackles, 4.5 for loss, and two interceptions, while defensive back Euvoski Cunningham has 44 tackles and three pass breakups as well.
Rsoters: 2023 Lake Erie College Football
Notes
Senior tailback Michael Herzog only needs 154 rushing yards in the next three games to become the first charger running back to go over 1,000 yards in a season since 2019.
Senior tight end Michael Harding earned a prestigious honor by being named a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation's William V. Campbell Trophy in September.
Harding, a three-time All-G-MAC tight end, was nominated for the award, considered by many to be the academic equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, both for his outstanding play on the football field and his impressive achievements in the classroom.
The Chargers have a budding start-in-the-making at linebacker this season. Redshirt freshman linebacker Jacob Vance didn't play in two of Hillsdale's first three games this season, but since the Findlay game he has recorded 39 tackles and two sacks in five games.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Hillsdale College Football looks to make it 3 in a row with home game against Lake Erie
