37-0: The Shootout that Never Was

The Hillsdale College football program posted its first shutout in 11 years against, of all teams, Michigan Tech. If the wheels haven't officially fallen off of the Tech wagon, they are wobbling mightily. A point scoring machine that had reeled off 9 straight GLIAC wins going back to last year's Hillsdale game turned heads with a big win over Northwood. But ever since the upset of Northwood, Tech has scored just 6 points in its last two games.

Wow! Many thought this was going to be a high scoring affair, myself included. You know, a real shoot-out, one of those games that makes people across the country think nobody plays defense in the GLIAC. The Hillsdale Chargers played some serious defense today.

The Charger defense looked even more impressive than it did against Ashland. They helped their turnover ratio numbers immensely with 4 interceptions to be +3 on the day. That puts them at +10 on the year. Hillsdale was ranked #11 in the nation in turnover ratio entering the game. Palmer Schoening and Josh Hutchinson both ended big Tech drives with picks inside the 10 and at the goal line respectively. Tom Korte picked off a pass for the second week in a row. High school teammate Alex Mileskiewicz gave the Chargers a short field that led to the game's final points.

Korte getting 13 stops is par for every Saturday, but look at the yardage breakdown on those 13. 4 were for no gain. 3 were for gains of 1 yard. 5 were on 2 yard gains. 1 was for a 3 yard gain. Talk about stepping up and plugging the middle.

Early this season, Michigan Tech quarterback Steve Short was making a reputation for himself as one of the elite gunslingers in the GLIAC. Hillsdale held the sophomore to just 9 or 21 passing for 110 yards and the afore mentioned interceptions. The 110 yards is 134 less than the 244 the Huskies had averaged in passing offense so far this season. Usually a rushing threat, Short gained just 19 yards on 9 carries. Eric Weber took away 8 of Short's yards on the Charger's only sack of the day. Marvin Atkins was held to 79 yards rushing, 92 less than he gained against Grand Valley last week. The 219 yards of total offense surrendered by the Chargers is 189 less than what Tech had achieved per game so far this season. Most importantly, it is a huge improvement from last week's showing at Ferris State.

Marcellus Wade added 8 stops and Weber had 6 in a great effort from the Hillsdale defense.

On offense Mark Nicolet was again spectacular completing 34 of 47 passes for 376 and 4 touchdowns and 1 interception (just his 2nd of the season). The 34 completions are a Hillsdale record. This was Nicolet's 4th straight 300 yard-plus passing game. No Hillsdale quarterback had ever gone over 300 more than 2 games in a row until Nicolet had his 3rd in a row last week. So far this year he has recorded games of 227 (played just over 2 quarters in blow-out of Gannon), 376, 426, 335, and today's 376. Entering today's game Nicolet was 2nd in the country with an average of 341 yards per game. He was also 2nd in total passing yards with 1364 behind West Texas A&M's Keith Null. Null had another freakish day, completing 36 of 52 passes for 390 yards and 5 scores.

When a guy like Nicolet puts up big passing numbers, receivers are going to have big days. Head Coach Keith Otterbein told the local Hillsdale paper today, "In our Tiger personnel set, with three receivers and a tight end, are you going to stop (Matt) Patillo who’s catching the ball very well, are you going to stop (Nick) Gurica, are you going to stop (A.J.) Kegg, are you going to stop (Aaron) Waldie?" Tech seemed to prefer clamping down on Waldie as the D2 leader in receiving yards picked up 90 yards (nearly 50 off his per game average) on 9 catches but was kept out of the endzone for the first time this season. Gurica picked up the slack with a single-game Hillsdale record 13 grabs for 197 yards and 2 touchdowns. When both were covered, Nicolet found Patillo 6 times for 45 yards and 2 scores. 10 different Chargers caught passes Saturday.

The Charger offensive line had another dominant showing, giving Nicolet all kinds of time to work and plowing the way for Vinnie Panizzi's 82 yards on 17 carries and Billy Kanitz' 2 yard touchdown plunge in the 3rd quarter.

All-in-all it was another great day to wear the Charger Blue!

Webcast is ON!

Hillsdale College and B2 Networks will once again webcast the action from Muddy Waters Stadium this Saturday. Several members of the usual TV crew have a previously scheduled engagement, but a single camera feed and commentary from WCSR will take its place.

Click here to watch Hillsdale and MTU live.

D2football.com: Tony Nicolette's Gliac Column

Tony Nicolette
D2football.com
September 25, 2007

Michigan Tech (3-1, 3-2) at Hillsdale (3-1, 3-1)

While the fact that Tech lost to Grand Valley was not so much of a shock, Hillsdale not getting it done against Ferris was (in my mind) rather surprising. Both teams look to get things back on track this week and keep their GLIAC title and playoff hopes alive. Tech's defense has been shown to be weaker than they'd like, and Steve Short looked human last week for the first time in nearly a full season. Meanwhile, Hillsdale proved that even a red-hot offense is not a foolproof cure-all for overcoming mental errors, turnovers, and special teams breakdowns.

Tech Keys:
- Obviously, Steve Short needs to forget last week and do his thing. When he has his game together, he's darn near impossible to contain.
- Keep the running game going with Marvin Atkins. I think he's struggled with his health this year, but he looked impressive at times against GV. If he keeps getting healthier, his numbers should continue to get better.
- Play some "D". The Huskies have now given up more than 40 points three times this year. I know I harp on this, but you just can't expect to win every week (let alone more games than you lose) when you give up 30, 35, 40 or more points. One mistake by your offense and you're out the door with a loss. It's just a risky way to go.

Hillsdale Keys:
- Clean it up. Hillsdale really was the better team last week, but they had too many mistakes to overcome. If they can minimize the mental breakdowns and not give Tech any advantages (short fields, cheap scores, etc.), this is a very winnable contest for them.
- Watch the GV tape. While Hillsdale's defense is not as athletic as GV's defense from top to bottom, I'm sure they can learn what the Lakers were doing scheme wise to give Short trouble. GV did not put an overwhelming amount of pressure on Short, but they did confuse him and force him into bad decisions. This is the sort of thing Hillsdale should be able to replicate, at least to a certain degree.
- I say it every week, but it bears repeating: Mark Nicolet is playing great, as is the rest of the offense for that matter, so don't change a thing. Yards and points can be had against Tech's defense and I don't see anything that they are doing that is glaringly different/better than the other defenses that the Chargers have lit up this year.

Prediction: While I predicted Tech to be near the top of the league this year, I think their defense has really been "found out" the last couple of weeks, and I may have been a bit too high on them. Obviously, Hillsdale's offense is at or near the top of the GLIAC in just about every category. That combination does not bode well for the Huskies. While I believe that Tech can make a game of it, I think Hillsdale will just be too much at home - not to mention they're looking to make someone pay for a loss they feel like they shouldn't have suffered last week. Hillsdale 52, Tech 34.

Full Column

Tale of the Tape: Hillsdale vs. Michigan Tech

Here is how Michigan Tech and Hillsdale matchup. Featured are the national rankings in comparison to each other. Time and web space prohibit me from comparing all stats. View them all at the NCAA national stats page.

Click images for full-size.

Leading the GLIAC

After 4 games, The Chargers lead the GLIAC football statistics in several categories.

Team
1. Scoring Offense 47.8 points per game
1. Passing Offense 353.8 yards per game
1. Total Passing Yards 1415 yards
1. Passing Yards per Attempt 9.9 yards per attempt
1. Pass Efficiency 179.8
1. Third Down Conversions 31/59
1. Fewest Sacks 3
1. PAT Kicking 26/26
1. Touchdowns Scored 26
1. Rushing TDs 12
1. Passing TDs 14
1. Passing First Downs 61
1. Points Scored Kicking 35
1. Turnover Margin +7
1. Total Offense 502.8 yards per game
2. Yards per Play 6.6 yards
2. Fewest Interceptions Thrown 1
2. Passing Completion Percentage 65.7
2. Punt Returns 9.9 yards per return
2. Total Fumbles Recovered 6
3. Interception Return Yards 11.3 yards per pick
3. Total Offensive Plays 305
3. Total Offensive Yards 20011 (30 behind #1 MTU)

Individual
Mark Nicolet:
1. Passing yards per game 341 yards per game
1. Total Offense 358.5 yards per game
1. Passing Efficiency 185.9
1. Total Offense Yards 1434 yards
1. Total Passing Yards 1364
1. Passing TDs 13

Aaron Waldie
1. Receptions per Game 6.75 catches per game
1. Total Recetions 27
1. Receiving yards 144.2 yards per game
1. Total Receiving Yards 577
1. All Purpose yards 197.2 yards per game
1. Receiving TDs 9
2. Scoring 13.5 points per game
2. Scoring (TD) 13.5 points per game
2. Total TDs 9

Matt VanOver
1. Punting 46.8 yards per kick

Mark Petro
1. Scoring (kicking) 8.8 points per game
1. PAT kicking 100% 26/26

Alex Wojcik
1. Fumbles Recovered 2

Vinnie Panizzi
1. Rushing TDs 8
3. Scoring 12 points per game
3. Scoring 12 points per game

Tom Korte
2. Total Tackles 42

Nick Gurica
2. Punt Returns 9.9 per return

3 Day Sale: $10 off any T-shirt Order of $50 or More.

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So This Earth?

Wow! We Charger fans have been away for 3 whole weeks. The crash was awfully jarring. Oh well, we have 7 more chances to enjoy watching these guys get after it. Ugly game tonight. Of all the things we had done so right, we sure didn't tonight. All credit goes to Ferris. They took advantage and coulda packed up shop after the rough start to their season. It's only 1. We had better learn a lot from it.

Chargers fall 44-41 to Ferris State on last second field goal

After 3 entire weeks of being ecstatic over the amazing start the Hillsdale College football team put together during the first quarter of the season, things came crashing down in Big Rapids tonight.

There really is no way to get your brain around this one. Too many turnovers, too many missed tackles, and amazingly not enough points ended up biting the Chargers. It all began with a powerful first half by the Charger offense to the tune of 35 points. Mark Nicolet threw touchdowns to Aaron Waldie and Nick Gurica, while Vinnie Panizzi scored twice and Billy Kanitz banged in another.

Ferris was able to answer every score, helped a bit by 3 first half Charger fumbles. Two proved costly, once when Hillsdale gave it away at its own 15 and then on a fumbled kickoff that a Bulldog fell on in the endzone to tie things at 28.

Things skidded to a halt offensively as the teams played a scoreless 3rd quarter.

After Tom Korte picked off CJ Van Wieren in the 4th quarter, Mark Petro's 27 yarder put Hillsdale up 38-34.

Like it had all night, Ferris continued to battle back, scoring on a Kirk Covey 14 yard touchdown run with 2:24 left.

Hillsdale marched efficiently down the field but could not find the endzone. Petro connected from 40 with a minute left to tie things at 41.

Several times the Ferris play-by-play crew on the webcast joked about whoever got the ball last would win. Unfortunately for the Chargers that proved to be a bitter end as Jim Yates drilled a 41 yard field goal to win it for the Bulldogs.

Another big yardage day for Nicolet, 24/37 for 335 yards 0 interceptions and 2 touchdowns. Waldie caught 6 balls for 112 yards. Gurica grabbed 7 for 66 yards. Vinnie Panizzi had his first 100 yard day carrying 25 times for 118 yards.

Tom Korte had a big day defensively with 19 tackles (12 solos) and 2 sacks. Marcellus Wade had 8 and Alex Wojcik had 7.

Hillsdale hopes to regroup as they host Michigan Tech next Saturday at Muddy Waters Stadium.

D2football.com: Tony Nicolette's Gliac Column

Hillsdale (3-0, 3-0) at Ferris State (0-2, 1-2)

At face value, this game looks like a potential shootout. The Dale comes in averaging a cool 50 points per game, good for fifth in the nation in Division II. They've also shown that their defense can give up a lot of points if they aren't on their game (42-41 at NMU). Ferris has an offense that can rack up yardage and score points. The problem is that offense apparently had prior commitments and was unable to attend each of their last two games.

Hillsdale Keys:
- Keep the train on the tracks. Conductor Nicolet has been keeping the coal fire white hot on the Charger Express. I don't see any reason to change what they have been doing to this point.
- No defensive relapses. The defense must prove that the NMU game was an anomaly. I don't care how good your offense is - if you get in the habit of giving up 30 points a game or more, sooner or later you'll pay for it.

Ferris Keys:
- Defense better be ready. The FSU defense actually was a bit better last week before mailing in the fourth quarter and giving up 17 unanswered points. If the Hillsdale offense isn't the best that Ferris has seen thus far, it is certainly the hottest. The secondary needs to step up big (stopping Aaron Waldie by any means necessary might be a good idea), and the highly touted defensive line needs to earn its preseason accolades and get pressure on Nicolet.
- Establish the run. Hillsdale gave up a ton of rushing yards at NMU. The Bulldogs have several people who can run with the ball, and they need to get that part of the game going to keep the Charger offense off the field.
- Get C.J. settled. VanWieren has the skills and the players around him to burn most defenses. His line needs do a better job of protecting him when passing and giving him room to run when he keeps. If C.J. has a good game, Ferris can hang in and win.

Prediction: I'm surprised with the difficulty Ferris has had on offense the past two weeks, and just don't know what to make of it. If their defense isn't ready to go, it may not matter if their offense fixes its issues or not. A Ferris win will only happen if both teams buck their present trends. At the moment, I have no reason to think that will happen.

Hillsdale 40, Ferris 24.

Full Column

Newest Style Added to Team Shop

Another apparel design is now available online at the Chargerblue.com Team Shop. Get yours today. All proceeds help to keep Chargerblue.com online as you Internet home for Hillsdale College Football.

Kool Aid Free Zone

The phrase "drinking the Kool Aid" gets used more and more these days in all sorts of context. Basically, it means to blindly follow the hype. In sports it might also be called "reading your press clippings" about how good you are. When athletes drink too much of the Kool Aid, they get over-confident and are most certainly doomed. Keep away from the Kool Aid.

As much as we are all reveling in the start to this season, it is important to remember that only strict preparation, enthusiasm, intensity, and execution by our guys in blue and white will make it continue. Now might be a good time for a history lesson.

Back in the 1992, the last time Hillsdale started 3-0, we too were reveling in a quick start. We had arguably the best tailback in the country in Scott Schulte. Jerry Klekotka was leading an attacking 4-6 defense that was ahead of its time in the then MIFC. We rolled off 8 straight wins that included victories over old thorns like Ashland and Ferris State. That's when I still attest to this day that the Kool Aid started to flow. The Detroit News was doing stories on us. There were even TV crews at our games. We were feeling mighty good about ourselves. We couldn't get enough of the stuff.

Then Grand Valley came to town to sober us up. We didn't know what hit us and that loss lingered into the next week against Butler. Still shell-shocked, we lost again. We limped out of the season with a win against Wayne State. But instead of being outright champs and off to the playoffs, we finished in a 4-way tie with Grand Valley, Butler, and Ferris State for the league title. Ferris, a team we had beaten earlier in the season won its last 8 games and got the playoff bid after starting 1-2.

You should know who was coaching that Ferris team. He wears Chargerblue now and smokes a big cigar after every win. While he was winning out, we were flaming out. Listen to him boys. He knows what the heck he's doing.

Now go beat those Bulldogs again for all of us!

Great Start has Chargers in Elite Company

With its best start in 15 seasons and first ever three 40-plus-point-games in a row, Hillsdale College Football finds itself ranked among the nation's best in a number of categories. Yet to crack a Top 25 poll, Hillsdale is beginning to turn some heads in the GLIAC and around D2. The offense might be making headlines with its "Flying Circus" as one Ashland fan called it, but offense, defense, and special teams are all garnering respect.

The Charger offensive line is statistically best in NCAA Division II at protecting the quarterback. The one sack this veteran group has allowed is the lowest in the country. That protection has also contributed to the fact that Hillsdale ranks #2 nationally in passing offense at 358.7 yards per game. The 50 points the Chargers are scoring per game is good for 2nd nationally.

Other spots where Hillsdale ranks highly include:

Team Passing Efficiency - #2, 193.12
Team Net Punting - #2, 41.11 yards per punt, only 1 foot or .33 yards behind Clark Atlanta
Turnovers Lost - #3, 2 total
Kick Return Defense - #4, 12.57 yards per return
Total Offense - #6, 501.7 yards per game.
Turnover Margin - #6, +2.3 a game
Fumbles Lost - #7, 1 total
Passes Intercepted - #20, 5
Fumbles Recovered - #32, 4

Individual Rankings:
WR Aaron Waldie
#1 in D2 with 155 yards per game
#2 in D2 with 210 all-purpose yards per game
#2 in D2 with 465 total receiving yards
#3 in D2 with 16 points per game
#11 in D2 with 7 catches per game

QB Mark Nicolet
#2 in D2 with 200.8 passer rating (Iciek, GV #1 with 203.9)
#2 in D2 with 365.3 yards per game total offense
#2 in D2 with 343 passing yards per game
#5 in D2 with 1049 yards passing

K Mark Petro
The NCAA Site doesn't include kicking stats but his 100% PAT average is obviously the best possible percentage any kicker in the country may have.

Homecoming Pictures Galore

Carly Crowley shares with us 180 pictures from Saturday at her Webshots page.

In addition, The Hillsdale Daily News has another 185 from the weekend at its Spotted Gallery.

A Leaner, Meaner Chargerblue.com

You have been heard! As cool as I felt all of the graphics on the main Chargerblue.com site were, they didn't do a bit of good if Hillsdale Football Fans had to wait all day for them to load. I am a super-geek with fiber-optic networks and lots of processor speed so I sometimes take for granted loading speed. Since speaking with several of you at homecoming and reading your emails, the site has been scaled down a bit. Hopefully this works a little better for everybody.

Beat Ferris!

-Andy

Nicolet: Week 3 GLIAC Player of the Week

Gliac.org
9/17/2007

Senior quarterback Mark Nicolet set a Hillsdale College record with 426 passing yards, completing 29-of-42 passes for three touchdowns in Hillsdale’s 49-28 win over Ashland University on Saturday. Nicolet guided the Chargers to 567 yards of total offense in the contest and has helped HC post 150 points in its first three games, all victories. Hillsdale is off to its first 3-0 start since 1992, and defeated the Eagles for the first time since 2003.

Duffy Daugherty on Intelligence

While re-shelving some books today at school, I came across an ancient football book called "Basic Football Strategies, an introduction for young players" by Edward F. Dolan Jr. The thing is so old that the introduction was written by Duffy Daugherty...yah, that Duffy Daugherty...the one Muddy Waters' son Murky played for at MSU.

In the introduction he begins by stressing what I believe is Hillsdale's greatest asset: brains.

"There is one person in the world who can really make me angry. He's the fellow who tells me that young men need no more than hard muscles, wide shoulders, and strong legs to play football. In his opinion, brains just don't count out there on the field.

Nothing could be further from the truth. It is certainly true that you must be in top physical shape if you hope to be a successful player, for football is a rough, body-contact sport. But after a lifetime spent in the game, I can tell you that you'll need far more than just brawn. You'll need to have a very good head on your shoulders."

-Duffy Daugherty, 1976

Commenting is now easier.

Now that we have more people wanting to leave more comments, I took off moderation. This way your comments will appear as soon as you post them. No user name or password needed. Just click on "other" and add your name. Leave "Website" blank. Hopefully we won't get a lot of spam.

We have a lot to be excited about. Share your excitement here.

Lettuce Entertain You!

WR Aj Kegg (center #3) might not get the recognition of Aaron Waldie or Nick Gurica, but make no mistake, the sophomore from Illinois is a key ingredient in Hillsdale's potent passing attack. Plus, he has by far the best lettuce on the team. Let it grow! Let it grow!

Impressed!

Impressed! That is about the only way to describe my trip down to Hillsdale today.

Impressed by the building and development happening on campus and the quality of student attending the college.

Impressed by the tailgating atmosphere around Muddy Waters Stadium. Both sides of College Street were packed as well as the grass lots near the sports complex. Alumni, families, and Hillsdale students were enjoying a great fall day for football.

Impressed by a packed student section fully engaged in the game. When I played, it was more like a dinner party at a doctor's house.

Impressed by the Charger defense's resilience and ability to shut Ashland completely down while the Charger offense built a lead.

Impressed by Hillsdale's ability to control the game completely. They ran 28 more plays than AU and held the ball an entire quarter in time of possession

Impressed by all of the weapons the Chargers have on offense. Waldie, Gurica, Nelson, Blanchard, Kegg, Panizzi, Campbell.

Impressed by Mark Nicolet. School record 426 yards passing. 3 more passing TDs, a rushing TD, and after getting cheap shotted out of bounds by an Ashland player, he keeps the ball on the next play, puts his shoulder down, and runs over a defender.


It was everything a small college football fan could want!

Historic Homecoming!

More history made as Charger football team earns 49-28 Homecoming win over Ashland
September 15, 2007 - Each time the Hillsdale College football team has taken the field this season, a little bit of history is made.

Actually, there was a lot of history playing out on the Frank "Muddy" Waters Stadium field Saturday, as the Chargers pleased a big Homecoming crowd with a 49-28 win over Ashland University. Hillsdale is now 3-0 for the first time since 1992, while Ashland falls to 1-1.

The game marked the first time in Hillsdale's 116-year history that it's scored at least 40 points in three straight games. Engineering that potent attack is senior quarterback Mark Nicolet, who somehow improved on an incredible start to the season with a brilliant performance vs. the Eagles.

Nicolet was 29-for-42 for a school-record 426 yards and three touchdowns. He broke the previous school record of 421 yards, held by Kyle Keefer, set during the 1999 season.

Once again, Nicolet's preferred big-play target was junior wide receiver Aaron Waldie, who nearly set a school record himself. Waldie caught 11 passes for 211 yards and three touchdowns. His yardage fell 11 short of the school record held by Ed House and set back in 2001. Waldie's 11 catches did tie a school record for one game, shared by Hugh MacDonald (1971) and Bob Meyers (1976).

The first big play of the day was made by the defense, as cornerback Josh Hutchison intercepted a Billy Cundiff pass in the end zone, stopping what had been an effective opening-game drive by the Eagles.

Hillsdale picked up the momentum created by the interception and proceeded to march 80 yards down the field for a score. Nicolet plunged into the end zone from one yard out to put the Chargers up 7-0.

Less than two minutes later, Nicolet hit Waldie with a 50-yard touchdown pass down the right sidelines to put Hillsdale ahead 14-0. Redshirt-freshman T.J. Campbell scored his first career rushing touchdown with 2:05 left in the second quarter to give Hillsdale a startling 21-0 first-quarter lead against an opponent it hadn't beaten since 2003.

Read More

Signed Brian Westbrook NFL Gameball Highlights Grid Iron Club Raffle

Add a little excitement to your homecoming by visiting the Hillsdale Gridiron Club teant this Saturday. The grand prize of this year's raffle is an Authenic NFL Gameball autographed by ALL PRO Running Back Brian Westbrook of the Philadelphia Eagles, donated by Eagles General Manager and former Hillsdale Charger Tom Heckert. Second prize will be a
football helmet autographed by Hillsdale's legendary coaches, third prize will be a football autgraphed by the current team, several mini helmets and mini footballs will also be given away as prizes. We will also be doing $5 and $10 squares. Stop by for a cold one and support Charger football. All proceeds benefit the football program.

Week 2 Chargerblue.com Players of the Week

I know this is a bit late, but it has been really difficult deciding who gets this week's awards.

Offensively, a number of guys can stake their claim. Vinnie Panizzi finds the endzone 3 times. Mark Nicolet had a career high day passing. Nick Gurica led all receivers with 126 yards. The winner this week however is going to be:

Aaron Waldie who hauled in 6 catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns. His final catch of 64 yards put the Chargers ahead for good and sealed his victory in the player of the week standings.

Defensively Tom Korte takes the honors this week with a 14 tackle performance and a fumble recovery that ended any Northern Michigan hopes of a comeback.

Congrats to both.

A Drive through Ashland......India.

The ending to this one will be written on Saturday afternoon. Will the evil be overcome?

GLIAC Football on Bombay TV

D2football.com: Tony Nicolette's Gliac Column

#25 Ashland (1-0, 1-0) at Hillsdale (2-0, 2-0)

Hillsdale is off to a fast start and looking to prove it belongs with the elite in the GLIAC for 2007. A win over Ashland (on one of the earliest Homecoming dates I think I've ever seen) will certainly say quite a bit. The Eagles are also sporting an unblemished record, and want to keep it that way.

Ashland Keys:
- Shake off last week. Even though they didn't lose to Grand Valley, I could see them as being a bit disappointed that they didn't get a full shot at "The Champs". If nothing else, the Eagles could treat it as a glorified scrimmage and see what adjustments they can make as a result.
- Secondary play. SVSU had big yardage two weeks ago, and GVSU had a good start toward some more last week. Mark Nicolet and crew have proven very plainly that they can move the ball. The Eagle secondary will be tested, and must pass that test in order to win.
- Pressure on Nicolet. The Ashland front is very physical. They need to manhandle Nicolet as much as possible and take some pressure off of the secondary.
- Ball control. Another way to take pressure off of the defense is to sustain long drives on offense. The Eagles have shown they can do this.

Hillsdale Keys:
- Nico-let him do his thing. Ashland's secondary is not the greatest. The Charger passing game has a chance to do big things this week, and needs to in order to win.
- Play some "D". Last weeks showing at NMU was not impressive. While I am one of those folks that thinks Northern's offense is actually quite good (especially at home), that's still no excuse for allowing 41 points and 604 yards last week. While I doubt Ashland has that type of outing in them, Hillsdale would be well-advised not to find out.
- It should be a good crowd for Homecoming, and the Chargers need to leverage that home field advantage.

Prediction: I know I sound like a broken record, but this is yet another game that no result would surprise me. To be even more repetitive, I'm still not 100% sold on either team. Sooner or later you people are going to think I'm nothing more than a horoscope writer who just spits out the same predictions that have vague details and are essentially all the same and get used for different signs on different dates! To this point, I do think Ashland is a bit better team, but I'm going with the upset anyway. Hillsdale 28, Ashland 26.

Full Column

Vanover Wins D2football.com National POW

Charger Matt Vanover received another honor this week. This time he was named National Special Teams Player of the Week by Division II authority D2football.com for his play against Northern Michigan.

story

National Review: Hillsdale's Comeback

Hillsdale’s Comeback
The college is stronger than ever.

By John J. Miller

When Larry Arnn arrived on the campus of Hillsdale College seven years ago as its new president, the school was reeling from scandal and its future was uncertain. Today, however, the college has bounced back. “We’re much stronger,” says Arnn.

This year’s incoming freshman class, in fact, is Hillsdale’s best ever.

The numbers tell the story. The freshmen who arrived on campus last month had an average SAT score of 1940 and an average ACT score of 28. The year before Arnn took over, these figures were 1820 and 26. (I’ve converted the older SAT scores using this table.)

The 2007 freshmen also had better high-school grade-point averages and were more likely to have graduated in the top ten percent of their classes.

This success story was by no means inevitable.

In 1999, Hillsdale was a proud bastion of conservatism. Under the leadership of the late George Roche, its president for nearly three decades, Hillsdale had transformed itself from an ordinary liberal-arts college in rural Michigan into a nationally celebrated institution that was best known for refusing to accept a penny of financial aid from the federal government. At a time when Washington was making massive encroachments on the independence of colleges and universities, Hillsdale showed that it was possible to put up a fight and still flourish.

Then came a controversy that was often described as tragic but which in fact was Gothic: the suicide of Lissa Roche, an employee of the college; accusations of a long-term affair with her father-in-law, the college president; and George Roche’s hasty disappearance from anything resembling public life. (At the time, I covered the story for National Review.)

Liberals reveled in the news, not merely because it was salacious but also because it was an embarrassment to conservatives. Wasn’t Hillsdale supposed to be a fortress of traditional values?

Yes, it was—and that’s why it survived its awful crisis.

Read More

Two in a Row: Vanover Special Teams POW

For the second time in as many weeks, a Charger has won the GLIAC football Special Teams Player of the Week.

Hillsdale College Release:

Matt Vanover named GLIAC Special Teams Player of the Week
September 10, 2007 - Hillsdale College senior Matt Vanover was named GLIAC Special Teams Player of the Week Monday news story imagemorning. It marks the second time in Vanover's career he has earned the honor, and the second week in a row that honor has gone to a Charger player.

Vanover, a four-year starter at punter for Hillsdale, played a crucial part in the Chargers' thrilling 42-41 win over Northern Michigan University Saturday in Marquette. Vanover punted the ball four times for an incredible average of 50 yards per punt. His longest punt of the day was 61 yards, the second-longest boot in the conference this season. His punts helped keep field position in Hillsdale's advantage on a day when the two offenses combined to score 83 points.

Vanover currently leads the GLIAC with a season punting average of 49.6 yards. Vanover previously won the Special Teams Player of the Week honor on Oct. 23, 2005 after a strong game against Tiffin University. Kicker Mark Petro won the Special Teams Player of the Week award last week for Hillsdale.

Vanover is a native of Adrian, Michigan, and graduated from Adrian High School in 2004.

Homecoming Events

Here is a quick run-down of the events planned for this weekend at Hillsdale. If you were "himming and hawing" about whether to go, a team that is 2-0 and averaging 50.5 points per game should help persuade you.

Friday:
9pm-Midnight: Pep Rally, big fire, and fireworks

Saturday:
10 am – 4 pm Bookstore Open
Knorr Student Center, Lower Level

11:30 pm -2:30 Reunion & Alumni Registration
Oak and College Street Tents

•All current and former faculty and staff welcome
•Photos taken from 12 noon – 12:30 p.m. (in following order)
’57 Football Team, Classes of 1957, 1982, 1997, 2002
•Door prize Registration for Hillsdale Chair Drawing at Halftime

12:30 pm -2:15 pm Charger Tailgate
Oak and College Street Tents
All alumni, students, parents and Charger fans invited
Lunch: $5 per person

12:30 pm -2:00 pm
Early Childhood Education Open House
Mary Randall Preschool
Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Construction of the Building
All Graduates of the Early Childhood Education Program are Welcome
Hosted by the Women Commissioners

2:30 pm
Chargers beat Ashland University
Muddy Waters Stadium
Adults $6, Students $3, Children ages 12 and under $2, Senior Citizens $2

5 pm - 7 pm
All-Alumni/All-School Post-Game Tailgate
Oak and College Street Tent
Dinner: $5 per person

8 pm – 11:30 pm
Charger Tent Party
Oak and College Street Tent
Admission $5 per person
Featuring Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels!

Major Correcion: Please Read.

The game saving fumble in Saturday's win over Northern Michigan was forced by Charger 91 Schuyler File, not Jordan Knudsen as originally reported by the NMU radio team broadcasting the game. My apologies. I am also going to edit the YouTube video to reflect the correction. My bad!

Lucky T Shirts! Cheap!

Buy Now $9.99 Hillsdale cannot lose when I wear this shirt! Two Saturdays of kicking around in this thing has equaled two wins.

Join the other Charger fans gobbling these things up. Wear yours and send a little bit of good luck the Blue and White's way.

They're cheap at only $9.99. Cafe Press might call it a value T, but value is in price alone. Each is printed on a Heavyweight 100% shirt that is tough to wear out. It won't take long to become your favorite t-shirt.

Want something a little fancier? Check out the other apparel items available in this design.

YouTube: Hillsdale beats NMU

Check out the Chargers' big play as Schuyler File (NMU Radio reported incorrectly) strips NMU QB Buddy Rivera and Tom Korte recovers.

Marquette Mining Journal: Hillsdale - NMU Story

Bossuah sets mark in 42-41 GLIAC loss
Wildcats trimmed

By KYLE WHITNEY Journal Correspondent

MARQUETTE — Although the somber after-game mood at the Superior Dome didn’t reflect it, a 16-year Northern Michigan University football record fell Saturday when Wildcat running back Mark Bossuah lit up the visiting Hillsdale Chargers for 317 rushing yards.

Despite the offensive explosion, however, the Wildcats (0-2 overall, 0-2 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) fell, 42-41.

“It was a very big day for us,” Bossuah said. “It was our home opener and we came out and we executed. The offensive line played great, the fullbacks played great and we did a pretty good job. We just came up short.”

Bossuah, who finished the day with 35 carries, one touchdown and 9.1 yards per run, broke a record set in 1991 by former NMU running back Nelson Edmonds.

Despite the fact he was the leading rusher for NMU last season, Bossuah finished the year with just 428 total rushing yards. As a team, the Wildcats were able to muster just 948 rushing yards during all of last season.

“They were creating seams for him,” Hillsdale head coach Keith Otterbein said of Bossuah’s performance. “We had a couple injuries, so we didn’t have our top guys in there. But I’m not going to say that’s the reason that he had 317 yards. He had 317 yards because they blocked real well and he ran real well.”

Read More

Hillsdale football team off to first 2-0 start in eight years with thrilling 42-41 win over NMU

Hillsdale football team off to first 2-0 start in eight years with thrilling 42-41 win over NMU
Hillsdale College Release

September 8, 2007 - On a day when the two offenses lit up the scoreboard, it was a huge defensive play in the final minute that keyed Hillsdale's second straight victory to open the season.

Sophomore defensive lineman Jordan Knudsen forced a fumble on a hit on Northern Michigan University quarterback Buddy Rivera to sew up a thrilling 42-41 win for the Charger football team in Marquette.

Hillsdale is now 2-0 for the first time since the 1999 season, and will play its Homecoming game on Sept. 15 vs. Ashland University. NMU drops to 0-2 on the season with the loss.

Knudsen's play came as Northern Michigan was driving inside Hillsdale's 40-yard-line in the last minute of play in a game that featured more twists and turns than you'd find at Cedar Point. Both teams took turns making big plays on offense, including a record-breaking rushing performance by Northern Michigan, and another brilliant day passing the ball by Charger QB Mark Nicolet.

Nicolet connected with wide receiver Aaron Waldie on a 64-yard touchdown pass that proved to be the game-winning score. Waldie, who caught TD passes of 40 and 73 yards in the season opener last week, caught six passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns. Fellow wide receiver Nick Gurica also caught six passes, covering a season-high 126 yards. A.J. Kegg hauled in a career-best six passes as well.

Nicolet, who was nearly perfect last week vs. Gannon, turned his game up a notch in this one, completing 23-of-36 passes for a career-high 376 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions. In the first two games of the season, Nicolet is completing 70 percent of his passes with eight touchdowns vs. just one interception.

Full Story

We have a Winner! 42-41 Hillsdale beats Northern

Somewhere this week, I told everyone to bet the over, no matter what total somebody gave you between Hillsdale and Northern. 83 combined points, 1106 total yards of offense, and one dagger thrown after another. Yet, when it came down to it, Hillsdale won it with a monster play on defense.

I was deeply entrenched in a game of Trouble with little Chargerblue in the aftermath of her 5th birthday party. With one eye on my pegs and another on the video stream out of Marquette, my heart jumped and raced as NMU QB Buddy "Freaking" Rivera rolled out looking to once again rip our hearts out like that Indian dude in one of the Raiders of the Lost Ark movies. Charger defensive end Schuyler File said, "That sir will be quite enough." and flicked the ball from the former Grandville Bulldog's hand sending me and the rest of the Charger faithful and the Trouble board sky high and into euphoria.

It was the kind of game that Hillsdale has been involved in so many times before...and unfortunately had gone home on the wrong end. Last year with Northern. Last year at Ashland. But head coach Keith Otterbein has stressed since his arrival in Hillsdale that the difference maker is the team that "makes plays on Saturday afternoon".

Last year a gutty bunch of Chargers sucked up the loss of their leader and starting quarterback and pulled off an amazing comeback win against Indianapolis. A whole bunch of Chargers made plays on that Saturday afternoon and a bunch more made plays this afternoon as well. The list is huge. Waldie's 64 yard catch put Hillsdale up for good. Nicolet looked like he had peaked last week against an out-manned Gannon squad. All he did today was post another career high performance of 23/36 for 376 yards and 3 touchdowns. Palmer Schoening had a beautiful pick. Mark Petro is now 14/14 kicking PATs. Tom Korte had 14 stops and forced a fumble. Vinnie Panizzi flirted with the 100 yard mark and found the endzone 3 times. So many great performances. Sure, there were a few busts. We'll let Otter and the staff hammer things out in the film room. Right now all that matters is the 2 in the win column for the season. They slayed an old nemesis, got the U.P. jinx out of the way, and return to what should be a very Chargerblue Muddy Waters Stadium on Saturday.

Marquette Mining Journal: NMU to Host Hillsdale

By KURT MENSCHING, Journal Sports Writer


MARQUETTE — Determination. Confidence.

Those key ingredients were missing the first week of the season for the Northern Michigan University football team, head coach Bernie Anderson said.

Those key ingredients will be present Saturday, Anderson hopes, when the Wildcats host HIllsdale College at 4 p.m. for their home opener at the Superior Dome.

“The big thing with the home opener is, we’re playing in a special place,” Anderson said. “That’s our field; that’s our dome. It needs to be a tough place for people to to come in and play.

“We have our fans, and we need to earn their respect and confidence by winning football games. We need to play exciting, execute, emotional, a great attitude, flying around defense. That’s part of playing at home.”

Full Story

D2football.com: Tony Nicolette GLIAC Column

Hillsdale (1-0, 1-0) at Northern Michigan (0-1, 0-1)

I actually find this game to be rather intriguing. By most accounts, Northern actually played rather well in Indianapolis last weekend. While Hillsdale did win big, doing so against Gannon doesn't exactly make them a juggernaut. This is also a battle of two QB's who have had very good GLIAC careers and are throwing to very good WR's. While Northern's athletes on offense might be a bit better, Hillsdale's defense is decidedly stronger than Northern's.

Hillsdale Keys:
- Flex the muscle on defense. If they can stuff the run and make the Wildcats play from behind, then advantage Hillsdale - even against Buddy Rivera.
- Vinnie Panizzi appears to be the answer for the Chargers at RB. They need to keep him rolling so the Wildcat defense is keying on Mark Nicolet and his band of WR's.
- No letdown. Last week was a nice start, but the focus still needs to be there - especially in the unique environment provided by the "Yooperdome".

Northern Keys:
- Get Buddy revving early. Northern almost never plays with a lead, and seems to rely on Rivera heroics late in order to win. Letting Buddy do his thing and dictate tempo to the Chargers could really give the visitors problems.
- Find some kind of running game. Taking some pressure off of Rivera might help him really play great.
- Get some stops on "D". Despite giving up a fair amount of yardage, the Wildcats actually did a fair job of keeping UINDY of out of the endzone last week. A similar effort will definitely give them a chance to win.

Prediction: I can truly see this game going either way. Both teams appear to be able to move the ball rather well, and NMU's defense looked a bit more capable than I expected in holding UINDY to only 24 points last week. I think Hillsdale is just a bit better in most areas, wins this one on the road. Hillsdale 33, NMU 21.

Read full column

Hillsdale vs. Northern Michigan: The Breakdown

Zach Nichols caught 2 touchdowns in the opener.

Let's look at some numbers comparing how Hillsdale and Northern Michigan fared in their openers.

Total Offense:
Hillsdale: 436 yards (270 passing, 166 rushing)
NMU: 361 (304 passing, 57 rushing)

Passing:
Hillsdale: 16 of 21 for 270 yards, 6 TD, 1 Int.
Mark Nicolet, 12/14 227 yards, 5 TD, 1 Int.
Troy Weatherhead, 3/6 37 yards, 1 TD
NMU: 29 of 45 for 304 yards, 2 TD, 1 Int.
Buddy Rivera 29/44 304 yards 2 TD, 1 Int.

Receiving:
Hillsdale:
Aaron Waldie, 4 catches for 134 yards, 3 TD
Nick Gurica, 2 catches for 45 yards, 1 TD
Mike Blanchard, 1 catch for 25 yards, 1 TD
Derek Nelson, 1 catch for 23 yards, 1 TD
NMU:
Fred Wells, 11 catches for 124 yards
Gregory Raspberry, 5 catches for 36 yards
Zach Nickols, 4 catches for 45 yards, 2 TD

Rushing:
Hillsdale:39 attempts for 166 yards
Vinnie Panizzi, 12 carries for 96 yards, 1 TD
TJ Campbell, 10 carries for 30 yards
Mark Nicolet, 4 for 21 yards (no sacks)
NMU: 28 attempts for 57 yards
Mark Bossuah, 12 carries for 34 yards, 1 TD
Brad Anderson, 7 carries for 21 yards
Buddy Rivera 9 carries for 5 yards (-19 yards from 3 sacks)

Defense:
Hillsdale: 226 yards, 3 points (133 rushing, 93 passing)
1 fumble recovered, 2 interceptions, 2 sacks, opponent 3rd down conversion: 5/16
NMU: 363 yards, 24 points, (128 rushing, 235 passing)
2 fumbles recovered, 0 interceptions, o sacks, opponent 3rd down conversion: 4/12

FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Hillsdale in search of 2-0 start in the great, white north

Hillsdale College Release

September 5, 2007 - The new season couldn't have gotten off to a much better start for the Hillsdale College football team. Now, it will look to continue that start this weekend on its longest road trip of the season.

The Chargers will make the trek to Marquette to face the Northern Michigan University Wildcats at 4 p.m. Saturday in the second game of the 2007 season for each team. The game will be played at the Superior Dome, on the campus of Northern Michigan University.

The Chargers come into the game with a 1-0 record, fresh off one of the most lopsided victories in its 116-year history of football. Hillsdale defeated Gannon University 59-3 on Sept. 1, the biggest margin of victory in a game for Hillsdale since 1968. The 59 points scored by the Chargers are the most since a 68-25 win over Northwood in the 1968 season.

Northern Michigan made an even longer trip south than the northern trip Hillsdale faces this week, in the first week of the season. The Wildcats hung tough, but lost at the University of Indianapolis, 24-22 last Saturday. NMU scored a late touchdown, and went for the game-tying two-point conversion, but were not able to convert, giving the Greyhounds a tight victory.

Full Story

My GLIAC Picks: Sept. 8

The D2football.com Message Board crowd has taken a fancy to picking winners for each game each weekend. It is one thing to do it on a message board, but an entirely different thing to do it in front of the more than 1000 readers who hit this blog weekly. Feel free to use the comment section below to A) tell me I am crazy with my picks and B) leave your own list of winners.

Saturday, September 08, 2007
at GU Field, Erie, Pa.
#25 Saginaw Valley
at Gannon - 1 PM (EDT)
After watching Gannon against Hillsdale, it is obvious that The Golden Knights have a loooooong way to go before they get picked as a favorite. Saginaw seems to be slipping to at least mid pack status in the league after losing a close one at home to Ashland. Mid pack is still way better than Gannon.
Winner: SVSU


at Sherman Field, Houghton, MI
Indianapolis
at Michigan Tech - 1 PM (EDT)
Both teams recorded wins last week. Indy squeaked one out against NMU and Tech beat Wayne St. I am going with Tech at home here for a number of issues. In its overtime loss to Winona St. two weeks ago, MTU generated a ton of points and showed some real fire power. Tech's win last week at Wayne St. was against a better quality opponent than what Indy recorded against NMU. Indianapolis reportedly has some injuries as well.
Take Tech at home, but Indy's Casey Gillin can sling it with the best of them. Should be a good one.


at Donell Stadium, Findlay, OH
#15 Northwood
at Findlay - 7 pm (EDT)
Northwood opened its season against Mercyhurst last week with an 18 point win t yet some fans questioned how good the Timberwolves really are. Geez! 28-10 is still a nice opening game win, especially when you are breaking in a new quarterback. Findlay did the GLIAC proud with a 20-0 non-conference shutout against Charleston. Northwood is still the superior team.
Pick: Riepma and the TWolves

Saturday, September 08, 2007
at Top Taggart Field, Big Rapids, MI
Mercyhurst
at Ferris State - 7 pm (EDT)
As good as Mark Nicolet's numbers were last Saturday, FSU's quarterback CJ Van Wieren put up even bigger ones enroute to winning D2football.com national offensive player of the week honors. Van Wieren was 7-8 passing for 294 yards with two touchdowns while adding 118 yards on 17 rushes with three touchdowns against Kentucky State. Ferris won 42-16. Mercyhurst faces another big trip against a team that is feeling pretty good about itself. We should learn a lot about both clubs in this one.
Pick: Bulldogs

at Community Stadium, Ashland, OH
#1 Grand Valley
at Ashland - 7 pm (EDT)
Grand Valley rolled over St. Joe's in its opener in typical Grand Valley style. Listening to it on the radio was a "new names, same results" type of experience. The Lakers have truly reloaded without rebuilding and even scarier for the rest of the league is the fact that Grand Valley often has some rusty first outings. Not this year! Ashland picked up a win at Saginaw last week, a Saginaw program I think is coming back down to earth after a nice run around the top of the league. We will see how good Ashland really is. I am HOPING for an Eagle win for two reasons. 1) Somebody has to stop GVSU's win streak before it breaks Hillsdale's all-time record of 34 straight wins. Grand Valley has won 29 in a row. 2) AU could bring a nasty emotional hang-over into Hillsdale on the 15th. There is always hope. Then there is logic. Grand Valley has too much to pick against.
Pick: GVSU


at Alumni Stadium, Rensselaer, Ind.
Wayne State
at St. Joseph's (Ind.) - NOON (EST)
Wayne State seemed to be the team that many GLIAC fans picked to move up to the next tier. The Warriors didn't do that last week with a home opener loss to Tech. Joique Bell still ran into the 160's but it wasn't enough to get past MTU. Going to St. Joe's should help coach Paul Winters right the ship.
WSU wins....if they can find the place amongst all of the corn.

More Gannon Pictures

Nancy Rumsey has added a bunch of pictures from Saturday's win over Gannon to her Charger Families blog.

Check them out.

Petro named GLIAC Special Teams Player of the Week

Hillsdale College Release

September 4, 2007 - A near-record offensive performance by the Hillsdale
College football team led to an honor for a special teams player Tuesday
afternoon.

Sophomore placekicker Mark Petro was named the GLIAC Special Teams
Player of the Week. It marks the first time a Charger has received the
honor since punter Matt Vanover got the honor on Oct. 23, 2005.

Petro was 8-for-8 on extra-point attempts and hit his only field goal
attempt in Saturday's 59-3 rout of Gannon University. Petro's eight
extra-points made was not only a career-high, but the second-most in one
game in school history. Former All-American Chester Marcol set the
record with nine back on Sept. 18, 1970.

Petro's 11 points were the most by any kicker in the first full week of
GLIAC football play.

In 2006, the Chargers netted just one GLIAC Player of the Week honor,
that going to Jared Kell on the defensive side of the ball after the
team's game on Oct. 7.

Petro and the Chargers will seek their first 2-0 start since 1999 on
Saturday when they travel to Northern Michigan University for a game
against the Wildcats.

Great Pics from Gannon Game

Charger Freshman Mike Blanchard
Originally uploaded by Andy Losik

Enjoy some great pictures taken by Mike Rogers at Saturday's game against Gannon. Thanks to Brad Monastiere for passing them along.

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Chargerblue.com Players of the Week: Week 1

Congratulations to Charger quarterback Mark Nicolet and defensive end Drew Berube as the inaugural Chargerblue.com Players of the Week.

Nicolet turned in a near flawless performance at quarterback. After giving up an early interception, he completed his next 11 passes. Five went for touchdowns. In just a half and a series, Nicolet was 12 of 14 for 227 yards and the 5 scores. He also ran for 25 yards and caught a 6 yard throwback pass.

Berube, a 2006 Hillsdale High School grad, led the Chargers in tackles with 7 and also recorded a sack.

Teen Mayor Now Faces Cancer Battle

With legal troubles and a recall attempt behind him, Hilsdale's teen Mayor now faces a true battle. Michael Sessions, a Hillsdale College sophomore, announced recently that he has testicular cancer. Fortunately for Sessions he caught the cancer in its earliest stages and awaits another operation to see if it has been contained.

Read More from the Toledo Blade.

Get well wishes and prayers go out to Michael and his family.

MLive.com: Chargers Start with Dominant Showing

Sunday, September 02, 2007
By Chip Mundy

cmundy@citpat.com -- 768-4961

HILLSDALE -- The students who sit in the end zone and do push-ups for every point scored by the Hillsdale College football team couldn't keep up with the Chargers on Saturday afternoon.

Gannon couldn't, either.

Hillsdale had its biggest scoring output in 39 years and routed Gannon 59-3 on a warm, sunny afternoon at Muddy Waters Stadium. As the points piled up, the four or five students divvied up the push-ups to match the Chargers' point total. Normally, each student matches the point total.

The last time the Chargers scored at least 59 points in a game was in 1968 when they defeated Northwood 68-25.

Chargers coach Keith Otterbein looked like the late Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach as he lit up a celebratory cigar moments after the end of the game.

"That was pretty good," Otterbein said with a smile that indicated the statement was an understated one.

"I look at this team and believe that we've improved to the point that this is the best balance we've had at every spot on the team since I've been here."
Full Story

Weatherhead to Blanchard, 1st Career Touchdowns

Congrats to all of the Chargers, especially the ones scoring their first career touchdowns like Billy Kanitz. I couldn't capture all of them, but I did get Troy Weatherhead's pass to Mike Blanchard for their first collegiate scores. Can you see why we were so excited about these two becoming Chargers? This was not only Blanchard's first touchdown reception, it was his first collegiate reception. It looks like a good omen to me.

Video Highlights

So many highlights, so little webspace. Here is a sequence featuring Vinnie Panizzi, Mark Nicolet, and Derek Nelson.

Hillsdale 59 Gannon 3

It was definitely a great day to wear blue....well...Chargerblue. Hillsdale manhandled Gannon in the Golden Knights' last visit to the Dale as a member of the GLIAC.

After starting the game 1 for 3 with an interception, Mark Nicolet completed his next 11 passes, including 5 for touchdowns. In barely over a half of play, the senior quarterback racked up 227 yards through the air and ran 4 times for 21 yards. He even caught a 6 yard throwback pass from TB and former high school QB T.J. Campbell.

Campbell ran hard in his backfield debut picking up 28 yards on 10 carries, but Vinnie Panizzi was dynamite in his first start. Panizzi gained 95 yards in just over a half on 12 carries that included the team's first touchdown.

Aaron Waldie led all receivers with huge catch after huge catch. 3 of his 4 catches were for touchdowns including a 73 yarder. Waldie finished with 134 yards.

I have a big date with Mrs. Chargerblue, so I am going to defer the rest of the details to the Hillsdale Sports Information Office.

If you can't wait that long, check out the amazing Gametracker stats from CSTV.