D2football.com: Tony Nicolette's GLIAC Column

D2football.com Weekly GLIAC Column
by Tony Nicolette


#23 Hillsdale (6-2, 7-2) at Ferris State (0-8, 1-8)
The Chargers have completed their mid-season gauntlet, and now conclude the year with a pair of clubs that have only posted a single win between them. Coach Otterbein has brought this team along beautifully and they are playing their best ball of the season at exactly the right time.
Hillsdale Keys:
- Shorten the Game - HC simply wants to get out of this week and next as quickly as possible and with no injuries. The ground attack has been stellar and is the best weapon for keeping the clock moving. Against an FSU bunch yielding more than 268 yards per game, Hillsdale should have no trouble grinding things out.
- No Slip-Ups - Hillsdale has given up some yardage in the pass game, and chances are FSU will need to throw it a bunch in order to keep up. The Chargers need to handle their business and keep the Bulldog offense from getting things going.
Ferris Keys:
- Let it all Hang Out - FSU's season has been, well, a debacle. Youth, inexperience, injuries, etc., you name and it has hampered the Bulldogs. They have nothing to lose and plenty to spoil if they can put a good effort together. What the heck?
- Make some Big Plays - Anything that can get the fire lit and keep the 'Dawgs in the game is needed. Sometimes just making a couple of plays can be enough.
Prediction: I mentioned earlier that Hillsdale appears to be peaking. Ferris, on the other hand, is in an epic eight-game slide that has seen them score in double digits only once in the last seven games. The Chargers have come too far to start taking anyone lightly and destroy what they've built this year. Hillsdale 45, Ferris 7.

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