Schedule

Hillsdale College (0-1, 0-0 G-MAC) at Michigan Tech (1-1, 0-0 GLIAC) | 12 p.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 14 | Frank "Muddy" Waters Stadium | Hillsdale, MI
 
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Last Week

Hillsdale drew a tough week one assignment with a home opener against a nationally-ranked UIndy team that returned virtually all of its playmakers. The Greyhounds jumped out to a 28-7 halftime lead with a strong offensive performance that saw them finish the game with 478 yards of total offense. Hillsdale showed its fortitude in the third quarter, stopping UIndy on four straight drives and recording a safety. The Chargers then scored an early fourth-quarter rushing touchdown to give themselves a shot at a comeback down 28-16, but multiple Hillsdale turnovers on subsequent drives and two late Greyhounds scores allowed UIndy to put the game out of reach. Sophomore receiver Shea Ruddy recorded 126 yards receiving and a touchdown on four catches to lad the Chargers.
 
Scouting the Opposition

While Michigan Tech has struggled to break out of the middle of the pack in a very strong Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference that's had national powers at the top for more than two decades, the Huskies have made life difficult in recent years for Hillsdale with five straight victories.

As the Chargers look to break through against Michigan Tech, key to Hillsdale's hopes is slowing down an offense that's put up prolific numbers through the air and return virtually all the pieces that allowed the Huskies to score 45 points against the Chargers last season.

Second-year starting quarterback Alex Fries had three touchdown passes against the Chargers last season and is coming off a Michigan Tech record-setting passing performance in a four-overtime win over South Dakota School of Mines last week. The senior returns two prolific targets in the passing game in Ethan Champney and Darius Willis, each of whom earned All-GLIAC honors in 2023, as well as veteran tight end Drew Collins.

Up front, All-GLIAC honoree Brandon DeVries is one of two returning starters for the Huskies, along with Hunter Chambers as Michigan Tech aims to reload instead of rebuild on the line.

The running game has typically played second fiddle to the pass offensively for Michigan Tech over the last few years, and so far the Huskies have struggled to make hay on the ground, with just 48 net rushing yards in two games. Asher Gregory, Jake Rueff and Kolby Hindenach are the tailback rotation that will look to get on track against Hillsdale.

On defense, the back seven is where most of Michigan Tech's experience and talent lies. The Huskies have a strong core at linebacker with two returning all-conference honorees in Josh Cribben and Marc Sippel, though Sippel's status is up in the air after an injury suffered last week. The Huskies also have experience in the back with All-GLIAC honoree Hunter Buechel at safety, as well as playmaking cornerbacks Dante Basanese and Jared Tarrence, who have both made an impact already.
Up front, defensive tackle Austin Schlicht leads the Huskies in sacks so far and is a returning all-conference player. The Huskies are looking to fill in around Schlicht after the graduation of All-GLIAC defensive end Samuel Kinne last year.

Michigan Tech returns punter Brendan Lach, an All-GLIAC punter in 2023, but are breaking in a new placekicker in freshman Avery Kucharski, who is 2 for 5 so far on field goal attempts. Willis is a talented kickoff returner along with Junyoung Chung for Michigan Tech, while Gregory returns punts for the Huskies.

Michigan Tech head coach Dan Mettlach is in his second season running the program after a 5-5 record in 2023. Mettlach was an All-American quarterback and a 2004 GLIAC Player of the Year at Michigan Tech before stepping into coaching. He spent time as an assistant at various places across the Midwest, including a stint at Hillsdale College as a quarterbacks coach in 2011, before returning to Tech as an offensive coordinator in 2017.
 
 
The Series

In a series that's been contested since Hillsdale and Michigan Tech were both members of the GLIAC in 1980, the Chargers hold a 19-13 edge, but the Chargers are hungry to snap a five-game Huskies win streak that's tightened up the series in recent years. The games in this series are usually tight, with two overtime contests in the last eight and five of the last eight games decided by four points or less, and in the final two minutes of the contest. That includes back-to-back Michigan Tech wins in 2021 (14-10) and 2022 (28-24). Last season's meeting in Houghton, however, wasn't close as the Huskies rolled to a 45-20 victory. Hillsdale's last win in the series was a 31-27 win in 2017.

 
Other Notes

• 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.
• The biggest strength on paper for the Chargers is a veteran offensive line, and especially an interior trio 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, and on the right by his twin brother, Ben Affholter, who might have been an All-Conference player as well in 2023 if he hadn't missed time while recovering from an injury. Along with that gifted trio, Hillsdale also returns right tackle Carter Cushman as a second-year starter.
• Sophomore wide receiver Shea Ruddy looks set to build on a 2023 campaign that saw him accumulate the most receiving yards and touchdowns by a Hillsdale true freshman since two-time All-American Trey Brock. Ruddy had another big game against Indianapolis to kick off the 2024 season last Saturday, with a career-high 126 yards on four catches and a 61-yard touchdown reception. Combined with fellow sophomore Jonathan Metzger, who also had a solid game against the Greyhounds, new starting quarterback Cole Canter has a pair of weapons to work with on the outside.
• Hillsdale's leading tackler in 2023 and Linebacker of the Year Jacob Vance returns for his sophomore season in 2024, after a meteoric rise the year before. As a redshirt freshman, Vance didn't dress for the first two games of the season, and didn't crack the lineup until a week four contest against Findlay. Despite the late start, Vance quickly established himself as one of the Chargers' most reliable defensive players and contributed greatly to Hillsdale's season-ending winning streak. He'll be positioned to play a major role for the Chargers in 2024.
• Hillsdale's two captains this season are senior wide receiver Logan 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 a nomination 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 this past season, 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.