Schedule:
Tiffin (7-2, 6-1 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (4-5, 4-3 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Nov. 9 | Frank "Muddy" Waters Stadium | Hillsdale, MI
 
Follow/Watch:
Live Stats | Webcast | Tickets
 
Additional Info:
Hillsdale Roster | Tiffin Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Tiffin Stats | G-MAC Schedule | G-MAC Standings
 
Last Week:
Hillsdale dominated the line of scrimmage for the second straight week to beat Thomas More 38-17 on Saturday for the Chargers' third straight victory and their first home win of the season. For the first time in over a decade, Hillsdale held an opponent to negative rushing yards, with the Saints putting up -4 on the ground, and the Chargers rushed for 273 when they had the ball, holding possession for 45 of the 60 minutes of game time. Quarterback Colin McKernan threw one touchdown pass and ran for another, while Shea Ruddy and Kyle Riffel each added a rushing touchdown as well and Logan VanEnkevort totaled 125 yards on the ground. Vince Francescone picked off a pass for the Chargers as well, and Hillsdale recorded three sacks in the win.
 
Scouting the Opposition:
It's Senior Day for Hillsdale this Saturday, and the Chargers hope to ride the momentum of three straight victories and upset a Tiffin squad that's thinking about a potential playoff berth if it can win out.
Although Tiffin's chances of a G-MAC title are slim to none thanks to a narrow loss at Ashland in September, there's an argument to be made that the Dragons boast the league's best offense and defense at this moment, as Tiffin leads the G-MAC in both yards gained and yards conceded through nine weeks.
The Dragons have an elite and explosive offense that is the league's best passing and rushing attack. Tiffin got a huge boost in the offseason when quarterback Alex Johnson transfered in from FBS runner-up Washington, as the 6-5 junior is completing 69% of his passes with over 2,300 yards and 23 touchdowns so far. Senior Jalen Thomas has been his primary target, with 58 catches for 849 yards and four TDs, but the Dragons have several weapons in the passing game, including Javier Wills, Ethan Holbrook and tight end Joey Zalewski.
Tiffin not only has the odds-on favorite to win the G-MAC's QB of the Year, but also likely the league's top tailback in Ronald Blackman. The junior has 1,107 yards and 10 touchdowns in just nine games, and is averaging 5.8 yards per carry. Blackman is a versatile weapon with five receiving TDs out of the backfield as well. Nick Johnson and Ty'Rek Spikes are the primary backups for Blackman.
Tiffin has executed well behind a young offensive line, with four sophomores and no returning starters from last year's squad. Despite the youth, Tiffin has been up to the task up front, with just 12 sacks conceded.
Defensively, the Dragons have also been among the top teams in the G-MAC with an athletic and talented unit. Teams have struggled to pass on a secondary led by Jacob Tuiemeh, the younger brother of Patrick, an All-G-MAC safety for the Dragons, and Justin Wimpye, the younger brother of Jermaine, also an all-league corner for Tiffin. Jacob is second on the team in tackles with 43, while Justin leads Tiffin with four inerceptions on the season.
Linebacker Kenneth Byrd is Tiffin's top tackler, with 53 on the year, while Khris Walton has been excellent in the pass rush with a team-high seven sacks. If there is a weakness anywhere on the Dragons' defense, however, it's that pass rush, as Tiffin's 18 sacks rank sixth in the G-MAC, the only stat where they aren't in the top three defensively.
Tiffin has reloaded on special teams, with new kicker Ben Rudolph having made 8 of 10 field goals with a long of 43, and new punter Joseph Weiers averaging 41.3 yards per punt. Spikes is Tiffin 's top kickoff returner, while Holbrook returns punts and has a 61-yard punt return for touchdown this season.
 
The Series:
Tiffin has won two straight, including a 35-21 home victory over Hillsdale last season, to bring the all-time series between the Chargers and Dragons to a virtual dead heat with Hillsdale holding a narrow 9-8 advantage. It's historically been a hard-fought, competitive matchup dating back to both teams' GLIAC days. Tiffin has a 6-3 edge in the last decade, but Hillsdale has won as recently as 2021, when the Chargers knocked off the Dragons in Tiffin in a thrilling 24-21 contest.
 
Other Notes:

• Hillsdale will honor a large senior class on Saturday on the occasion of their final home game in a Charger uniform, with 17 current players and two student managers set to be recognized. Among those players are senior captain Logan VanEnekvort, 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 after the final game of the 2024 season.
• 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's dominant performance on the ground defensively played a big role in the Chargers' 38-17 win over Thomas More last weekend, as the Chargers held the Saints to -4 yards rushing on the ground. It's the first time in over a decade that Hillsdale has held an opponent to negative yards rushing -- the last time was on Nov. 12, 2011 when Hillsdale held Tiffin to -14 yards in a 42-0 victory to cap a winning season. Coincidentally, the Dragons come to town again this weekend, and Hillsdale will need another stellar effort up front against the top rushing attack in the G-MAC currently.
• 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 259 rushing yards in the last four games with three wins. 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 three 100-plus yard rushing days in the four games since, including a career-best 175 yard rushing performance with two touchdowns last Saturday 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 both the G-MAC and all of NCAA DII with 677 yards, and currently tying for the national lead in kickoff return TDs. 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 1,542 all-purpose yards through nine 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 five 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. Junior Hunter Sperling is close behind with 4.5 sacks as well for the Chargers.
• Junior 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 seven pass breakups lead the Chargers
• 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.