A stunning fourth quarter defensive play gave the Hillsdale College football team a shot at a massive road upset of #19/21 Findlay on Saturday.

But after another defensive stop and a long drive to get in position, the Chargers couldn't cash in from inside the 10 yard line with under four minutes to play in a 16-14 loss to the Oilers.

The Chargers were trailing 16-7 with just under 12 minutes to play when Hillsdale got the breakthrough it needed to get back into the game. On a Findlay first and 10 play at their own 10 yard line, the Oilers ran a play action pass. Hillsdale defensive end Drake Badger beat the Findlay tackle off the edge and met Oilers quarterback Andrew Leonard right as he was pulling the ball back for a strip-sack that sent the ball careening into the end zone. STAR Colin Morrow jumped on the loose ball for the Chargers for a fumble recovery touchdown that cut Findlay's lead from two possessions to just two points, 16-14, with 11:54 remaining.

The Oilers strung together a drive on the ensuing possession looking to regain control, but a critical holding penalty put Findlay well behind the sticks. The Oilers had fourth and two at the Hillsdale 25 and went for a conversion to try and land the knockout blow on the Chargers, but redshirt freshman Leighton Scott charged up from his safety position and brought Leonard down behind the line of scrimmage on a quarterback keeper to get the ball back for Hillsdale with 7:05 to play.

With a chance to take the lead, Hillsdale quarterback Colin McKernan connected with receiver Tutt Carrico on a 52 yard pass to get the Chargers to the Findlay 11 yard line, and Ben Ngishu rushed for eight yards on first down to give Hillsdale 2nd and 2 at the 3 and at least two shots to pick up three yards and score the go-ahead touchdown. 

It wasn't meant to be for Hillsdale, however. The Chargers lost a yard on second down and a Hillsdale pass to the end zone on third down was broken up by the Oilers. On fourth and three from the 4, the Chargers tried to take the lead on a field goal from 21 yards out, but the kick was no good with 3:42 to play.

The Oilers took the ball and ran out the remaining time, connecting on three pass plays of 10 yards or more to keep the ball out of Hillsdale's hands until the clock hit zero.

It was a frustrating end to a frustrating day for the Chargers, who played well enough to seriously threaten to upset the nationally-ranked and unbeaten Oilers on their Homecoming, but saw that possibility slip from their grasp thanks to missed opportunities and miscues. Hillsdale did respond to a Findlay touchdown on the Oilers' opening drive of the game, as Ngishu took a carry 58 yards for a score to tie the game at 7 at 8:54 in the first quarter.

Findlay pulled ahead again and got the points that turned out to be the difference in the game at the end of the first quarter. After an Oilers punt pinned the Chargers at their own three yard line, Findlay stopped Hillsdale in the end zone for a safety to go up 9-7. On the ensuing drive, Findlay scored another touchdown to extend their lead to 16-7. 

The Chargers had multiple chances to close the gap in the second and third quarters. A long drive to the Findlay 10 in the second quarter ended in the first of two missed field goals for the Chargers, and Hillsdale had another deep drive inside the Findlay 10 in the third quarter that was stopped by an Oilers sack and ended with the Chargers turning the ball over on downs.

Hillsdale held one of the G-MAC's top offenses to just two touchdowns and 343 total yards, but managed just 241 of their own offensively. The Chargers recorded six sacks, with Badger finishing with two sacks, including his strip sack, and Jayden Njoroge sacking Leonard twice as well. Luke Penola also recorded a sack and eight tackles for the Chargers, and Evan Bienick and Parker Hart each shared a sack as well. Bienick finished with 10 tackles and Penola eight for Hillsdale.

Offensively, Ngishu led Hillsdale with 78 yards and a touchdown on 12 rushes, averaging 6.5 yards per carry. McKernan chipped in 141 yards passing, going 12 for 19 through the air, with Carrico catching four passes for 87 yards, and Shea Ruddy grabbing two catches for 25 yards. 

Hillsdale (2-4, 1-3 G-MAC) faces an important game at home next Saturday against rival Northwood. The Timberwolves enter the contest at 5-1 overall and as a legitimate title contender in the G-MAC, but also riding a 10-game losing streak to Hillsdale that dates back to 2009. The Chargers will look to keep that streak intact and pull the upset with the support of their home crowd in Frank "Muddy" Waters Stadium. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.