Hillsdale Football Stein Collection: Are you tailgate ready?

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Hillsdale College's home opener is just 8 days away. Are you "tailgate ready"? Pick from 9 different styles and if you hurry you can have it in your hand next Saturday night at Muddy Waters Stadium as the Chargers take on Ohio Dominican at 7:00 PM.

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Inches short: #10 Hillsdale falls in opener at #11 Cal U PA.

Whoever coined the phrase that football is a game of inches, would have loved NCAA Division II's marquee matchup between Hillsdale and California, PA...unless that guy had been pulling for Hillsdale.

Trailing 30-22 with just over two minutes left, Hillsdale College knew that if its comeback bid against the Cal Vulcans had any chance of success it would need a big defensive stop.

Defensive back Ben Karaba would force 4th down after making a huge Hillsdale tackle as Cal came up  short trying to convert on 3rd and 1. A first down would have allowed the Vulcans to run out the clock. Instead of punting on 4th and inches, Cal tried to get the icing conversion again but another DB, freshman Daniel Pittman stepped up and stopped running back Jeff Knox cold.

After giving up a first half 14-7 lead and trailing by two scores for most of the second half, Hillsdale had new life and the ball at the Cal 42.

The final drive got off to a rough start when Hillsdale's quarterback Anthony Mifsud was sacked on the first play driving Hillsdale back to midfield. The Chargers would get those yards back on the next play with a 17 yard completion to Evan Bach. Mifsud would gain four yards scrambling on the next play before hooking up with Bach again for 14, placing the Chargers in the redzone with 1:14 left in the 4th quarter and Hillsdale down 8 points.

Two plays later a 9 yard completion to Nick Chapel and 2 yard keeper by Mifsud would give Hillsdale a first and goal on the 3. With the final seconds ticking off the clock, a short completion to Cam White would get Hillsdale just inches away from the goal line with time for one more play. Mifsud rushed the Chargers back to the line, out of timeouts.

All Mifsud could manage on that last shot was a doomed attempt over the middle to running back Joe Glendening. Hillsdale would fall in its opener by 8 but definitely went down with a great effort.

Hillsdale outgained Cal 439 yards to 397. The Vulcans edged the Chargers 295 to 294 yards in the passing game, but Hillsdale won the ground game 165 to 122. Each team forced a turnover and Hillsdale controlled time of possession by a 5 minute advantage. None of those stats really seemed to matter in the final outcome though.

Hillsdale took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter after Karaba stopped the Vulcans opening drive by picking off qb Peter Lalich at the Chargers' 8. Glendening would pick up 58 of his game high 136 yards on the ensuing drive. Mifsud would later get the Chargers on the scoreboard with a 19 yard scamper.

Cal would answer with a 39 yard touchdown strike to tie it.

Mifsud and Glendening would top that on the next drive with a 44 yard screen pass that set the Chargers up at the Cal 2. Cam White would slam his way into the endzone on the next play to make it 14-7 Hillsdale.

Cal would score the next 23 points and Hillsdale would miss a pair of fieldgoal before Mifsud and Mike Carter would connect on a 5 yard TD catch and then again on the 2 point conversion. 22-30 would be as close as Hillsdale would get though.

Hillsdale's experienced linebacking crew of juniors Devin Moynihan, Steve Embry, and Brett Pasche combined for 22 tackles. Pasche led the group and team with 9 while the other two had 6.5 each.

Hillsdale begins GLIAC play next Saturday when they host Ohio Dominican at 7 PM.

Patriotic Hillsdale Chargers Design now in the Team Shop

You asked for it. So, here it is.

Ever since I first incorporated the American flag into the Hillsdale College Chargers logo, I have gotten great feedback from readers.

Show your national pride and support of Hillsdale's spirit of independence with apparel featuring this design from the Chargerblue.com Team Shop.

WCSR: Chargers Roundtable previews the season

WCSR broadcast team Andy Brown and Jim Eckhart sit down with Hillsdale Daily News's Zach Czachorski, TV color man Dan Bisher, and college sports information director Brad Monastiere. The crew break down all aspects of the upcoming season for the Charger football program.

Chargers ranked 10th in first 2012 D2football.com poll

D2Football.com Top 25 Poll
August 28, 2012


Team 2011 Record

1 Pittsburg State 13-1

2 Minnesota Duluth 11-3

3 Northwest Missouri 11-3

4 Grand Valley 8-3

5 Midwestern State 10-1

6 CSU-Pueblo 11-1

7 Missouri Western 9-3

8 West Alabama 8-4

9 Abilene Christian 8-3

10 Hillsdale 8-3

11 California 10-3

12 West Texas A&M 8-3

13 Valdosta State 6-4

14 Minnesota State 9-3

15 Winston-Salem 13-1

16 New Haven 11-2

17 Saginaw Valley 7-4

18 Kutztown 11-2

19 Wayne State (Mich.) 12-4

20 North Alabama 9-3

21 Bloomsburg 9-2

22 Central Missouri 8-4

23 Lenoir-Rhyne 7-3

24 Shepherd 9-2

25 Washburn 10-3

D2football.com: Tony Nicolette previews week 1

Shared from D2football.com. - Original Post

Hillsdale (8-3) at California (10-3)

In addition to being an intriguing match-up of two of the better programs in the country, this tilt is also garnering the distinction of being the first NCAA game anywhere in the land (including all divisions) to kick-off in 2012. While the 5:00 pm start offers a "jump" on everyone else in terms of beginning the season, both clubs want a jump on the rest of the country in terms of a fast start to the year with a win over a quality opponent.

There are some stark similarities to these two clubs. Cal was a PSAC Champ a year ago sharing the West Division title, while Hillsdale enters this season as the outright GLIAC Champion. Both clubs were sluggish in their 2011 openers, dropping those decisions and starting the season 0-1. Most importantly, key starters on offense are back to lead the 2012 teams.

For Cal, QB Peter Lalich returns after throwing for more than 286 yards per game in 2011. While top pass-catcher Thomas Mayo has departed, the Vulcans do have 1000-yard rusher Lamont Smith back to carry the load on the ground. Hillsdale's QB situation is also steady, as Anthony Mifsud will lead the offense that was at the top end of the GLIAC in time of possession and 3rd Down Conversion percentage a year ago. This possession-style game is a Hillsdale hallmark, and Mifsud kept it going for the Chargers by completing nearly 67% of his pass attempts. And of course, we can't talk about Hillsdale and their ability to possess the ball without mentioning Joe Glendening. The senior RB's 1600-yard campaign last year earned him GLIAC Player of the Year plaudits, and he likes to start fast. Case-in-point, he dropped a buck-53 on Ferris in last year's opener, and that was a game where the Charger O wasn't all that crisp. It's Joe the Show's last go-around, so look for him to come out firing Thursday night.

It will be interesting to see which team can get out of the blocks quickly. I'm a big fan of experience at QB, and both clubs possess this. Additionally, both defenses improved as 2011 progressed, so both D's should be ready to go. At this point, I'm looking for the experience of Hillsdale from top-to-bottom to be the difference. Cal has been a bit more "transfer-centric" of late and sometimes that lack of time together can be problematic...especially early in the year. While Cal gets the game at home, I'm going with Hillsdale's experience...and some of that experience includes the current taste in their mouths, which is that of a team that won its league outright last fall and yet didn't make the playoffs. Hillsdale 30, Cal 26.

Read the rest of Tony's previews from around the league. 

Hillsdale.edu: Week 1 Preview -

WEEK 1 FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Chargers, Vulcans the very first teams to play college football in 2012

 

Nationally ranked squads square off at 5:00 Aug. 30

August 24, 2012 – The very first game of the 2012 NCAA college football season also involves the two highest-ranked Division II teams to play one another in the season’s opening week.

No game anywhere in the country, at any level of college football, will start play before the 5 p.m. scheduled kickoff of Division II powerhouses Hillsdale College and California Pennsylvania Thursday night in the Keystone state. Many other games around the country, both at the FCS and Division II levels are scheduled for Thursday, but none will start as early as the much-anticipated contest between the Chargers and Vulcans.


Charger Football Game Notes – Week 1

California (Pa.) football webpage

Live stats

Live video

Hillsdale, the defending GLIAC champions, enters the 2012 season with high expectations. The Chargers are ranked 17th in the initial AFCA Division II preseason poll, and return 18 starters from the 8-3 team of 2011. California is a perennial playoff contender and the preseason favorite to win the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. The Vulcans land at 11th in the AFCA preseason poll, making this the game that matches up the two highest-ranked teams in the preseason poll against one another anywhere in Division II in Week 1.

The Chargers will deploy a familiar look when they take the field Thursday night. Led by All-American running back Joe Glendening, returning senior quarterback Anthony Mifsud, and four returning starters on the offensive line, this year’s offense greatly resembles the offense that scored 91 points in the final two games of the 2011 season. Glendening is a sensational tailback, having rushed for 1,604 yards while scoring 31 total touchdowns in just 10 games a year ago. He will likely be the focal point of the Vulcans’ defensive game plan.

On the other side of the field, a new man is in charge of one of Pennsylvania’s most successful Division II programs. Mike Kellar was named head coach of the Vulcans July 5 after the announcement of the retirement of longtime coach John Luckhart. The 10-year coach at Cal cited health reasons for his decision to retire in the middle of the summer. He led Cal to three NCAA Division II regional championships and seven straight PSAC West Division titles.

Kellar worked as the Vulcans’ offensive coordinator from 2004-08, then was the head coach at Concord (W. Va.) from 2009-2010. Kellar returned to the Cal sidelines as associate head coach for offense in the 2011 season. Kellar officially started his head coaching duties Monday, Aug. 6.

Hillsdale College head coach Keith Otterbein enters his 11th season leading his alma mater. He’s been named the GLIAC Coach of the Year and Super Region 3 Coach of the Year in two of the past three seasons. He’s led the team to five straight winning seasons, a first for the program since the early 1990s.

If you go:

TICKET INFORMATION
Regular Seats - $8 adults/$5 children (12 & under)
Chairback Seats (home side only) - $12 adults/$8 children (12 & under)
Parking - $3

Charger Picture Day Gallery now online

Patrick Heckenlively will once again be sharing his photos with Chargerblue.com readers this season. Take a look at every Charger as Patrick has posted his complete gallery from Hillsdale's 2012 picture day. All photos are available for purchase. Look for more galleries from Patrick throughout the season.

All Three Hillsdale Pros in Action Tonight

Nick Hixson avoids the punter in drills - AP Photo

All three Hillsdale College NFL'ers will be on the field tonight.

Nick Hixson and the Saints host Houston at 8:00 Eastern. 

Andre Holmes is fighting a back strain but is expected to play for the Cowboys in their home pre-season opener versus the Rams at 8:00 EDT.

Hillsdale fans around Michigan will get a chance to watch Oakland's Jared Veldheer as the Raiders host the Lions at 7 EDT. Below is a listing from Lions.com of local affiliates that will carry the game live. 

Lions Preseason Television Network

Location	Station	Channel
Metro Detroit*	WXYZ-TV	ABC 7
Cadillac/Traverse City	WFQX-TV	FOX 33
Grand Rapids	WXMI-TV	FOX 17
Lansing*	WSYM-TV	FOX 47
Marquette/Escanaba	WJMN-TV	CBS 3
Saginaw/Flint/Bay City*	WNEM-TV	CBS 5
Toledo/Ohio*	WTOL/WUPW-TV	FOX 36
* Subject to Local TV Blackout

Thanks for Nothing, Notre Dame College.

Notre Dame College has left Hillsdale and the rest of the GLIAC high and dry for 2013.

After being accepted into the league as an associate member for football, lacrosse, and wrestling this Spring,  the Falcons jumped ship for the newly formed Mountain East Conference on Monday.

GLIAC schedules are set in place two years at a time therefore Grand Valley, Northwood, Hillsdale, Findlay, Lake Erie, Tiffin, Ohio Dominican, Malone, Walsh, and Ashland all have gaping holes in their 2013 slates. With leagues growing to combat the difficulty and cost of out-of-conference games filling those dates will be tough unless the GLIAC can recruit another member to take Notre Dame's place.

Notre Dame gets welcomed to the GLIAC on Saturday September 8 when it visits the newly renovated Lubbers Stadium to play Grand Valley. Is it unfair of me to hope Karma has a nice cushy seat in one of the newly added field level chair-back seats?

Notre Dame hosts the Chargers on September 22. I hope they make the most of their single visit.

Dallas Cowboys: Andre Holmes fighting stiff back

ESPN Dallas is reporting that Hillsdale College record setting receiver Andre Holmes, who is in a fight for a starting receiver position with the Dallas Cowboys had a setback Monday and left practice with a stiff back. He underwent an MRI but no word on the severity or his return to the football field.

Holmes had 4 catches for 60 yards in the pre-season opener but struggled at times in Week 2 against San Diego.

Featured Product: Hillsdale Football Personalized Golf Shirt

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Also check out this alternative design great for just adding a player number or year.

With hundreds of new items added this month. There is sure to be something for everyone.

All proceeds from the team shop keep Chargerblue.com online.

The Hillsdale College football team has been back to school for 12 days but this week will feature the return of the other 1300 kids who also make The Dale their home for nine months a year.

It's a good old fashion set of two-a-day padded practices today and then it's move out of camp accommodations day tomorrow for those players not living this year in Simpson. Class registration slated for the end of the week.

Among the transitions back to the academic year, Coach Otterbein and staff will be implementing their game week routine as well. With a Thursday night game next week to kick off the season in California, PA, Hillsdale will scrimmage at 4 PM this week on Thursday with officials. Wednesday will be picture day in the afternoon but then wind up with a night of team activities similar to what they do the night before a real game. The scrimmage is free and open to the public.

Nine days until Hillsdale plays the first College Football game of year at any level.

Hillsdale head football coach Keith Otterbein recently sat down with Charger sports information director Brad Monastiere to discuss the upcoming season. The video was originally posted at the 2012 GLIAC Media Day site.

GLIAC.org: 2012 Football Season Preview

By Sandy Gholston, Special Writer for the GLIAC

BAY CITY, Mich. – The 2012 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) football season will be highlighted by the additions of three new Ohio-based institutions in Malone University, Notre Dame College and Walsh University.

The GLIAC’s three newest members join one of the top NCAA Division II football conferences in the nation. Malone, Notre Dame and Walsh will be among the teams looking to knock off the defending champion of the conference, Hillsdale College. The Chargers won the title in a competitive race last fall with a league record of 8-2 – just ahead of 7-3 competitors Grand Valley State University, Saginaw Valley State University and Wayne State University.

While the Chargers emerged as regular-season champions of the GLIAC, Hillsdale was excluded from the NCAA Division II Playoffs. Qualifying for the national tournament from the conference were Saginaw Valley and Wayne State. The Cardinals were eliminated in the first round of the tournament after a 30-27 overtime loss to the University of Minnesota-Duluth. The Warriors, however, went on a run that landed Coach Paul Winters’ team in the NCAA Division II Championship game. In that contest, Wayne State came up on the short end of a 35-21 loss to national champion Pittsburg State (Kan.) University in Florence, Ala. on Dec. 17.

Grand Valley State was ranked first in the North Division while Ashland University took the top spot in the South Division in the 2012 GLIAC Football Coaches’ Preseason Poll. The Lakers garnered 108 points and six first-place votes. Wayne State came in second in the North, receiving 99 points and four first-place nods. Hillsdale and Saginaw Valley State placed third and fourth in the Division, respectively. The Chargers earned 96 points and four first-place nods, while SVSU claimed 87 points and two first-place votes.

Michigan Technological University finished fifth in the North Division poll with 66 points, followed by Ferris State University is sixth place with 45 points. Northern Michigan University and Northwood University round out the North Division in seventh and eighth place, respectively. The Wildcats earned 36 points, while the Timberwolves garnered 30 points.

Ashland earned 113 points and 10 first-place votes to finish on top of the South Division poll. Ohio Dominican University finished second with 108 points and five first-place nods. The University of Findlay placed third with 97 points and one first-place vote, while Lake Erie College finished fourth with 73 points.

Newcomer Walsh University finished in fifth place in the South Division poll with 49 points, while Tiffin University and Notre Dame College tied for sixth place, each earning 43 points. Malone University rounded out the poll in eighth place with 41 points.

Full article with team by team previews

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Team Shop Now Organized for One Stop Shopping

The Chargerblue.com Team Shop has gotten a make-over with more unique products and a more organized shopping experience. New personalizable designs have been added to some of the old favorites. New designs and products are frequently added and some of the remaining older designs are still being moved.

Visit Cafepress.com/shopchargerblue today.

GLIAC Coaches pick Chargers 3rd in North

2012 GLIAC Football Preseason Coaches’ Poll
School (1st-votes)		Points
North Division
1.	Grand Valley St. (6)	108
2.	Wayne State (4)	99
3.	Hillsdale (4)	96
4.	Saginaw Valley St. (2)	87
5.	Michigan Tech	66
6.	Ferris State	45
7.	Northern Michigan	36
8.	Northwood	30
South Division
1.	Ashland (4)	113
2.	Ohio Dominican (5)	108
3.	Findlay (1)	97
4.	Lake Erie	73
5.	Walsh	49
T6.	Tiffin	43
T6.	Notre Dame	43
8.	Malone	41

Hillsdale College, the defending GLIAC overall champions have been picked to finish 3rd in the GLIAC North by league coaches.

The conference released the pre-season poll and preview package on its media day website this morning.

Grand Valley State was picked first in the division with Wayne State second. Saginaw Valley was fourth. All four schools received multiple first place votes.

Ashland was picked to win the South.

Hillsdale Daily News: Holes to Fill in Secondary for Chargers

By Ryan Czachorski, Sports Editor, @czach1r

Hillsdale Daily News

Original Post 

HILLSDALE — A lot of things have to go right for a team to win a conference championship like Hillsdale did in 2011.

Defensively, there was one thing the Chargers struggled with and overcame all year long: turnovers.
“The biggest thing is getting the football back. We just didn't generate many turnovers,” said Hillsdale Head Coach Keith Otterbein. “I don't think there was probably too many conference champs who were -3 in the turnover margin. We know there's a big area for improvement there.”
Hillsdale forced just 14 turnovers in their 11-game schedule last season, a number Otterbein says has to go up.

The lack of forced turnovers got Hillsdale into a number of shootouts, where the defense bended and luckily didn’t break most of the time.

In their first six games, Hillsdale allowed 31.5 points per contest. It resulted in two losses: a 20-17 loss to Ferris and a 43-42 loss to Ohio Dominican.

The defense found its stride down the stretch, allowing 12.5 points per game in the final five despite a 27-24 overtime loss to Wayne State.

Otterbein said he’s not sure what impact it will make, but forcing turnovers will help the defense as a whole.

“I don't know how it'll correlate, but I know you have to be in the positive (turnover margin),” he said.

There are some big shoes to fill, particularly in the secondary. Nick Hixson, Joe Vear and Tyler Sandner all graduated, leaving Ben Karaba as the only returning starter at the wide cornerback position.

Still, Otterbein likes the players he has in the secondary.

“There's a mix of early young guys, true freshman, and a couple guys that have played a little bit,” he said. “We're as good athletically as we've ever been in the secondary.”

Steven Harding will play opposite Karaba at boundary corner after having five tackles last season.
Nick Galvan will return after being plagued with injuries after a strong 2009 season where he recorded 69 tackles, two sacks, 11 pass breakups and three interceptions.

He sat out the 2010 season entirely and played in only two games in 2011, recording seven tackles. He will play safety.

From there, Otterbein mentioned Daniel Pittman, Tim Moinet, Aaron Hess, Austin Koneval, Todd Frickey and Joe Duff as players who will vie for playing time.

“Finding the right combination of guys quickly is the big key, we've got to shuffle the deck and figure out which cards we're going to play,” Otterbein said.

But with all the uncertainty in the backfield, the front seven looks as strong as ever. Brett Pasche, Steven Embry and Devin Moynihan will anchor the linebacking corps. The three juniors combined for 264 tackles, 10 sacks, 28 tackles for loss and an interception last year.

David Bakker is the lone graduate who saw significant playing time in 2011, and Otterbein said the key to the front seven will be its depth.

“We have more of those solid type players that go on a rotation,” he said. “We'll play eight or nine guys on the defensive front. There's no superstar guy that's emerged at this point, but a lot of guys we feel good about.”

Vear was a major cog in helping stop the run from his safety position, but Otterbein thinks his team can shut down the GLIAC’s rushing attacks.

“The experience of the linebackers will help stop the run,” he said. “The secondary will help stop the run.”

The defense will be key in a conference that features strong offenses from Grand Valley State, Saginaw Valley State and Wayne State, along with a crucial season-opening game at California (Pa.)
That game kicks off at 5 p.m. on Aug. 30.

Hillsdale's Andre Holmes has coming out party on Monday Night Football

Hillsdale College alum Andre Holmes has officially burst on to the NFL scene. No greater proof is in the fact that once he began trending on Twitter, my tweets about him were returned with spam tweets for school supplies. That is how we measure success these days.

If we follow a more traditional method like leading your team in receiving yards then Holmes was just as successful. The receiver had 3 catches for 40 yards including his first NFL catch of 20 yards. Hillsdale College picked up some nice screen time as the Monday Night crew discussed Andre in further detail.

Coming into the game, Holmes was entangled in a fight for the 3rd receiver spot in Dallas. He didn't get the start but had the most productive night of those wearing the star.

Okay Andre, as the great Hillsdale D Line coach Bill Karpinski used to preach, "Don't be a flash in the pan." Now build upon this great start.

Hillsdale ranked #17 in initial AFCA Poll

The first coaches' poll of the 2012 season is out and defending GLIAC Champion Hillsdale finds itself ranked 17th to start the year. The Chargers have three opponents ranked as well.  Wayne State comes in at 5th after a run to the national championship game last season. Grand Valley is seventh. Opening week non-conference foe California, PA is 11th.
 

2012 American Football Coaches Association Preseason Division II Coaches’ Poll – August 13, 2012

Rank	School (1st votes)	2011 Rec.	Pts.	2011 Rank*	Season Opener	Head Coach
1.	Pittsburg St. (Kan.) (21)	13-1	720	1	Aug. 30 at Northeastern St. (Okla.)	Tim Beck
2.	Minnesota-Duluth (5)	11-3	661	6	Aug. 30 at Southwest Minnesota St.	Bob Nielson
3.	Northwest Missouri St. (1)	11-3	613	5	Aug. 30 vs. East Central (Okla.)	Adam Dorrel
4.	Midwestern St. (Texas) (1)	10-1	582	7	Sept. 8 at Tarleton St. (Texas)	Bill Maskill
5.	Wayne St. (Mich.) (1)	12-4	502	2	Sept. 8 at Ashland (Ohio)	Paul Winters
6.	Colorado St.-Pueblo	11-1	481	9	Aug. 30 vs. No. 24 West Texas A&M	John Wristen
7.	Grand Valley St. (Mich.)	8-3	473	NR	Sept. 1 at Western Oregon	Matt Mitchell
8.	Valdosta St. (Ga.)	6-4	415	NR	Sept. 1 at Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.)	David Dean
9.	Winston-Salem St. (N.C.) (1)	13-1	386	3	Sept. 1 vs. North Carolina-Pembroke	Connell Maynor
10.	Abilene Christian (Texas)	8-3	367	16	Sept. 1 vs. McMurry (Texas)	Ken Collums
11.	California (Pa.)	10-3	347	15	Aug. 30 vs. No. 17 Hillsdale (Mich.)	Mike Kellar
12.	Kutztown (Pa.)	11-2	329	13	Aug. 30 vs. St. Anselm (N.H.)	Raymond Monica
13.	New Haven (Conn.)	11-2	322	8	Sept. 1 vs. Merrimack (Mass.)	Peter Rossomando
14.	Delta St. (Miss.)	11-3	290	4	Sept. 1 vs. Fort Valley St. (Ga.)	Jamey Chadwell
15.	West Alabama	8-4	274	23	Sept. 1 at Clark Atlanta (Ga.)	Will Hall
16.	St. Cloud State (Minn.)	9-3	266	17	Aug. 30 vs. Sioux Falls (S.D.)	Scott Underwood
17.	Hillsdale (Mich.)	8-3	228	NR	Aug. 30 at No. 11 California (Pa.)	Keith Otterbein
18.	Missouri Western St.	9-3	218	18	Aug. 30 vs. Central Missouri	Jerry Partridge
19.	Shepherd (W.Va.)	9-2	199	22	Sept. 1 at Shippensburg (Pa.)	Monte Cater
20.	Washburn (Kan.)	10-3	187	11	Aug. 30 vs. Nebraska-Kearney	Craig Schurig
21.	Humboldt St. (Calif.)	9-1	183	20	Aug. 30 vs. Colorado Mesa	Rob Smith
22.	Albany St. (Ga.)	8-4	149	NR	Sept. 1 vs. No. 23 North Greenville (S.C.)	Mike White
23.	North Greenville (S.C.)	11-3	139	12	Sept. 1 at No. 22 Albany St. (Ga.)	Carroll McCray
24.	West Texas A&M	8-3	132	25	Aug. 30 at No. 6 Colorado St.-Pueblo	Don Carthel
25.	Bloomsburg (Pa.)	9-2	129	21	Aug. 31 at Stonehill (Mass.)	Danny Hale

*– Ranking in final AFCA Division II Poll of 2011

Others Receiving Votes: Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.), 128; North Alabama, 128; Nebraska-Kearney, 122; Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.), 100; Ouachita Baptist (Ark.), 96; Central Missouri, 72; Indianapolis (Ind.), 70; Mars Hill (N.C.), 57; Indiana (Pa.), 49; North Carolina-Pembroke, 47; Elizabeth City St. (N.C.), 44; Minnesota St.-Mankato, 41; Colorado School of Mines, 40; East Central (Okla.), 33; Texas A&M-Kingsville, 32; Slippery Rock (Pa.), 18; Miles (Ala.), 15; Concord (W.Va.), 9; Tarleton St. (Texas), 9; West Georgia, 9; Morehouse (Ga.), 7; Ashland (Ohio), 6; Michigan Tech, 6; Southern Connecticut St., 6; Central Washington, 4; Henderson St. (Ark.), 3; Assumption (Mass.), 2; West Virginia Wesleyan, 2; Azusa Pacific, 1; Carson-Newman (Tenn.), 1; Harding (Ark.), 1.

Hixson returns to Saints

It's been quite the odyssey for former Hillsdale College two-way star Nick Hixson.

He signed initially with the Washington Redskins as a wide receiver. The team switched him to defensive back the night before mini camp and then released him shortly after.

New Orleans welcomed him into their mini camp and it looked like he would be fighting for a roster spot in the pre-season as a corner back. Before he would get a chance, he would be released in late June.

This week the Saints gave Hixson another call and again signed him as a free agent. New Orleans waived three players on Saturday, making room for Nick and a pair of other free agents.

Hillsdale's Holmes starting to see some success at Cowboys' Camp

As former Hillsdale College receiver Andre Holmes tries to secure a spot on the 53 man roster of the Dallas Cowboys, he is learning a lot about the NFL and starting to see some success as well.

It's been a rough start to camp as Holmes failed the team's initial conditioning test and had to complete catch-up work before being allowed to practice and challenge for the team's third receiver spot. Once completed, the wide-out returned to the practice field but struggled to make catches.

 Hopefully he was able to tune out the noise and not read the immense amount of press coverage reporting every step of Cowboys' camp.

Thursday was a better day both for Holmes and the news cycle. He made two nice catches in two-minute drill work, one where he extended his body for a jump ball. That had been a criticism, that he wasn't using his size advantage as the team's tallest receiver. He also showed a new level of intensity according to reporters.

“I know I’m going to make those plays all the time,” Holmes said. “I was just a little more fired up today. That’s what I’m going to be doing every day. I’m not going to miss those plays.”

Soggy Start to the Pre-Season for Hillsdale College Football

After a brutally hot summer, well in Midwestern terms anyway, the Hillsdale College Football team was greeted to rain and cool temperatures on its return to campus Thursday.

That weather pattern is expected to continue today with highs only in the 60's and possible spotty thunderstorms all day.

It sounds like a good day to go through all of the administrative loose ends like player physicals and other tasks synonymous with the opening of camp.

Hillsdale knows better than to mess with Mother Nature and thunder. Five years ago, trainer Dave Frisby was struck by lightning during early training camp...and he was even standing inside Jesse Phillips Arena by an open door overlooking the stadium. Luckily his injuries were very minor and he returned to work after a short hospital visit.

Hillsdale opens the 2012 season in 20 days at California, PA on Thursday August 30 at 5:00 PM.

Hillsdale Daily News: Mifsud, Glendening, and White return to potent Hillsdale offense

By Ryan Czachorski, Sports Editor, @czach1r

Hillsdale Daily News

HILLSDALE — With Harlon Hill finalist Joe Glendening, quarterback Anthony Mifsud and H-Back Cam White returning, most of the major questions about the Hillsdale offense have been answered.
But like with most areas on a football team, Head Coach Keith Otterbein still sees some uncertain issues.

"Those givens, those known entities are there," he said. "We're a little more at ease, but still enough question marks."

Perhaps the biggest hole left on the offense was by a defensive player: Nick Hixson. The senior defensive back played slot wide receiver on third down last year as well. He caught 25 passes for 389 yards and two touchdowns, and Otterbein said all but two of those catches were for first downs.

"To be a good offense, you got to keep the chains moving," he said. "You graduate that chunk. Andrew Mott will have to step up and be that guy."

Joining Mott in the wide receiving corps are Evan Bach, Evan Sassack and Lou Cangelosi. Otterbein also mentioned redshirt freshmen John Haley and Nick Chapel as players who could see playing time and add a vertical dimension to the offense.

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Hillsdale Daily News: Otterbein Says Chargers will take "Our Shot at the Championship"

By Ryan Czachorski, Sports Editor, @czach1r

Hillsdale Daily News

HILLSDALE — Keith Otterbein spent the early part of Tuesday afternoon folding “Otter’s Army” t-shirts in his office.

 In one week, those moments will be packed with practices, gameplans and preparation for the upcoming season. With the team reporting Thursday, Hillsdale College’s head football coach is trying to use this time to take care of the little things — while sneaking in a Monday round of golf with head basketball coach John Tharp.

“It's pretty smooth,” Otterbein said. “Trying to relax a little bit is part of it. There's a buildup in anticipation.”

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Jared Veldheer talks to SBNation.net about Raiders Camp

Hillsdale College alum and Oakland Raider Jared Veldheer talks about the start to training camp 2012.