Schedule
Hillsdale College (5-5, 5-3 G-MAC) at Ohio Dominican (4-6, 3-5 G-MAC) | 12 p.m. ET Saturday, Nov. 16 | Panther Stadium | Columbus, OH
 
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Hillsdale Roster | ODU Roster | Hillsdale Stats | ODU Stats | G-MAC Schedule | G-MAC Standings
 
Last Week
Hillsdale pulled off a stunning upset of G-MAC title contender Tiffin with a gritty effort on both sides of the ball in a 20-17 victory on Saturday. Hillsdale scored the go-ahead touchdown with 44 seconds to go on a 16-yard pass from Colin McKernan on fourth and eight, then got two late pass breakups to keep the Dragons out of range for a potential tying field goal. McKernan through three touchdown passes for the Chargers, who held the best offense in the G-MAC to nearly 200 yards below their season average and rushed for 178 yards on what had been the G-MAC's best run defense entering the contest.
 
Scouting the Opposition
It's a familiar story for Hillsdale's final opponent of 2024, as this is the third year in a row where Ohio Dominican has put forth an excellent defensive unit that has to carry a struggling offense.
The ODU defense is a unit on par with past Panthers squads and one of the tops in the G-MAC, led by two returning first-team All-G-MAC players in standout defensive lineman Qwyn Williams and veteran safety and ballhawk Daishaun Hill. Hill leads the Panthers in interceptions with four and is having a fine senior year, while Williams is adept at both stopping the run and rushing the passer, with four sacks this season.

Williams leads a strong front four, as end Kendal Marshall and Jace Schafer have combined for eight total sacks this year. ODU can get pass rush from multiple sources, and the back end takes advantage, as linebacker Michael Powers and cornerback Caleb Taylor each have two picks as well for the Panthers.

While the defense has been strong and kept the Panthers in games, generating offense has been a struggle. The Panthers are the worst rushing team in the G-MAC at 61.7 yards per game. Converted wide receiver Shane Lindstrom leads ODU with 342 rushing yards, while freshman Nathan Webster has three rushing touchdowns but hasn't played since Oct. 19 against Findlay.
ODU's lack of success on the ground has forced a heavy load onto quarterback Drew Gallehue, for better and for worse. The junior has done an admirable job under the circumstances, with 2,178 yards passing and a 62% completion percentage, but just 11 touchdowns to 12 interceptions.

Gallehue has two big playmakers to lean on in the passing game, as Jayden Cornell and Dimitri Mitsopoulos each have 800-plus receiving yards and have combined for all 11 of ODU's receiving touchdowns. Those two get the lion's share of the targets, with only Lindstrom out of the backfield with more than 15 catches on the season for ODU in addition to those two.

Part of ODU's offensive struggles stem from an offensive line that might be the youngest in the G-MAC, with three freshmen and two sophomores starting. That's led to growing pains up front, but could pay dividends in future seasons.

AJ Young serves as both the kicker and punter for the Panthers. He's been reliable on field goals at 8 of 12 on the year, though with a long of only 34, and is averaging 35.2 yards per punt. Mitsopoulos is a dynamic returner for ODU, with a kickoff return touchdown earlier this year and strong performances on both kick and punt returns.

 
The Series
Hillsdale has won four of its last six against Ohio Dominican, including a 35-17 victory last season, to claw a series that had been in the Panthers' favor back to near-even, with ODU holding a 7-6 advantage in 13 meetings. Three of the Chargers' six wins over the Panthers have come on the road as home field advantage hasn't held much meaning in this series to date.
 

Other Notes

• Hillsdale has a large senior class on Saturday that will play their final games in the Blue and White, including 17 players and two student managers. Among those players are senior captain Logan VanEnkevort, as well as past All-G-MAC honorees Nick Affholter and Eli Haidamous. All 19 seniors will be honored during a pregame ceremony and also will receive recognition at Hillsdale's annual Awards Banquet on Sunday, Nov. 17.
• New head coach Nate Shreffler may be in his first season as the man in charge, but the veteran coach is no stranger to the sport and to Hillsdale. Shreffler is entering his 26^th season as a coach for the Chargers after successful stints as the team's offensive line coach (1999-2009) and offensive coordinator (2010-2023). Hillsdale's all-time leading passer, rusher and receiver all played in offenses led by Shreffler, and he was the position coach of Hillsdale's most recent NFL draft pick, Jared Veldheer. A 1993 graduate of Hillsdale College, Shreffler was a three-year starter on the offensive line and an important part of the team's 1992 conference title.
• Hillsdale has now had four straight weeks of excellent run defense, holding what had been the G-MAC's best rushing attack to just 38 yards and 1.6 yards per carry on the ground in a 20-17 win over Tiffin on Saturday. That came on the heels of holding Thomas More to -4 yards on the ground in a Nov. 2 win, the first time since 2011 the Chargers held an opponent to negative rushing yards. Another strong performance on Saturday against an ODU squad that's struggled to run the ball this season could play an important role for the Chargers in getting their fifth straight victory to close out the season.
• The biggest strength on paper for the Chargers is a veteran offensive line, and especially an All-Conference due at left guard and center who are all entering their third year together as starters. Senior center Nick Affholter, a two-time All-G-MAC player and two-time Hillsdale lineman of the year anchors the unit. He's flanked on the left by guard Eli Haidamous, another All-G-MAC honoree. Along with that gifted duo, Hillsdale also returns right tackle Carter Cushman as a second-year starter.
• After struggling running the ball in the first four games of the season, Hillsdale's offense has been strong on the ground since, averaging 243 rushing yards in the last five games with four wins. Thanks to those performances, Hillsdale now leads the G-MAC in rushing offense entering the final game of the season. Key to the turnaround has been senior Logan VanEnkevort, who has spent the last two years as a slot receiver but returned to the backfield against Northwood on Oct. 5 and has four 100-plus yard rushing days in the five games since, including a career-best 175 yard rushing performance with two touchdowns on Oct. 26 at Kentucky Wesleyan. Redshirt freshman Zach Tetler also impressed against Lake Erie on Oct. 19 with a three-touchdown performance on the ground, and added two more scores against the Panthers on Oct. 26.
• Sophomore wide receiver Shea Ruddy nearly tied Hillsdale's single-season record for kickoff return touchdowns to match Chad Gurica's three in 2005, returning a kickoff 95 yards for what would have been his third of the year before a holding penalty brought it back. Ruddy has been one of the top return men in the country, leading the G-MAC and ranking second in NCAA DII with 677 yards. The sophomore's versatility, as a ballcarrier, pass catcher, and a returner of kickoffs and punts have allowed him to put up massive numbers, currently ranking him third in all of NCAA DII with 1,658 all-purpose yards through 10 games. Hillsdale will look to continue to find ways to get the ball in Ruddy's hands down the stretch of the season.    
• The Chargers' pass rush has been improving in recent weeks, with two defensive linemen leading the way. Sophomore Drake Badger leads the Chargers with seven sacks and has added three pass breakups, a forced fumble and fumble recovery, and has been a major player for the Chargers in his first full year as a starter after putting up two sacks in limited playing time as a true freshman last season. After a two sack, three tackle for loss performance against Tiffin on Nov. 9, Badger was named the G-MAC Defensive Player of the Week. Junior Hunter Sperling is close behind with 4.5 sacks as well for the Chargers.
• Senior Matt Soderdahl has been one of Hillsdale's top cover corners for the last two seasons, and he exploded two Chargers road victories on Oct. 19 and 26 with big plays, including three total interceptions across wins over Lake Erie and Kentucky Wesleyan. Soderdahl took his third interception in two weeks 35 yards to the house for his first career touchdown against the Panthers on Oct. 26. Soderdahl's three interceptions tie him for the most by a Charger in the last three seasons with two games to play, and his eight pass breakups lead the Chargers.
• Senior Vince Francescone has been a stalwart for the Chargers at Hillsdale's linebacker/safety hybrid position for several seasons, and he's having a phenomenal final campaign with seven pass breakups, one behind Soderdahl for the team lead, and seven tackles for loss. He's played a huge role in the Hillsdale defense's rise to one of the best units in the G-MAC after a shaky start.
• Hillsdale's two permanent captains this season are VanEnkevort and junior defensive end Landon VanBeek. VanEnkevort was Hillsdale's Special Teams Player of the Year in 2023 and is one of Hillsdale's most versatile players, having played as many as six different positions for the Chargers over the past two seasons. His success on and off the playing field has earned him several accolades, including semifinalist recognition for the National Football Foundation's William V. Campbell Award, the sport's academic Heisman Trophy. VanBeek, meanwhile, has been a critical part of Hillsdale's defensive line for multiple seasons and is making the move to end this fall after excelling on the interior for Hillsdale in 2023.
• The Charger football program continued to shine academically over the past year, with eight players earning College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors, including returners Benjamin Affholter, Bart Bixler and Ty Williams. In addition, 48 Hillsdale football players received Academic All-G-MAC honors for posting a 3.3 or better cumulative GPA through the spring 2023 semester.
• The Charger football program has long been known for its strong family tradition, and that continues in 2024 with multiple sets of brothers on the roster. On the offensive line, twin brothers Nick Affholter and Benjamin Affholter (Quincy, MI/Reading) will hold down interior line spots for the third straight season, and are joined on the roster by younger brother Zac Affholter, a true freshman lineman. All three are sons of Brad Affholter, a multi-year starter on the Charger offensive line in the mid-90s and an assistant coach with the team in 2023. There are several other sibling duos on the team -- sophomore wide receiver Corban Creason (Coppell, TX/Founders Classical Academy) and freshman defensive back Christian Creason; junior offensive lineman John VanOpstall (Jenison, MI/Jenison) and younger brother Chris VanOpstall, and sophomore wide receiver Shea Ruddy (Temperance, MI/Ottawa Lake Whiteford) and freshman defensive back Ryin Ruddy. Along with those sibling pairs, several other players on the roster have older brothers, fathers or grandfathers who suited up for previous Charger teams.