The Hillsdale College football team got off to a fast start and never looked back, scoring all 35 of their points against Lake Erie in the first half to roll to a 35-10 victory on Saturday.

The win snaps a three game losing streak for the Chargers and keeps hope of a winning season in Hillsdale alive with three weeks to play.

The Chargers scored touchdowns on three of their first four drives and four of the five times their offense touched the ball to build a massive lead. After a Colin Morrow interception ended a promising Lake Erie opening drive to start the game, Hillsdale marched down the field, going 66 yards in 13 plays and taking nearly eight minutes off the clock to go up 7-0, thanks to a one-yard quarterback sneak by Colin McKernan.

After getting a stop on Lake Erie's next drive, the Chargers didn't need another eight minute drive to add to their lead. Hillsdale went 80 yards in just two plays, as wide receiver Shea Ruddy got behind the defense and McKernan hit him in stride for a 74-yard touchdown reception. 

The Chargers forced a three and out up 14-0 on Lake Erie's next possession, then got another chunk play for a touchdown. This time McKernan's backup, Eli Boyce, showed what he could do on a drive, picking up a first down with his legs and then connecting with Tutt Carrico on a 42-yard touchdown pass to give Hillsdale a 21-0. 

Lake Erie was able to close the gap a little bit on Hillsdale's next offensive possession, strip-sacking McKernan and returning the fumble for a touchdown, but on the ensuing kickoff, the Storm made the mistake of kicking to Shea Ruddy. The All-American return man made Lake Erie pay for its hubris, weaving through the Storm's special teams unit for a 90 yard kickoff return for touchdown, his second of the season and the fourth of his Hillsdale career, tying the program record set by Chad Gurica in 2005.

That score effectively answered Lake Erie's defensive touchdown and put Hillsdale up 28-7 with 2:45 to play in the half. A good return for the Storm helped Lake Erie get a field goal to cut the Hillsdale lead to 28-10 with just 1:01 in the half. 

Hillsdale could have chosen to take the lead into halftime, but instead the Chargers played aggressively, carving through the Lake Erie defense on a 60 yard drive that took just 45 seconds. McKernan found tight end Andrew Konieczny for a 23-yard touchdown pass with 16 seconds left in the half, giving the sophomore a score in his first game back from injury.

Up 35-10 coming out of the half, Hillsdale ran out the clock on the game to secure the victory. Lake Erie's best offensive drive of the game turned out to be its first, as Lake Erie put up just 51 yards of offense in the second half and 151 for the game while never seriously threatening Hillsdale's lead. 

Sophomore defensive tackle Evan Bienick had a monster game for Hillsdale, finishing with nine tackles, 3.5 for loss, and 1.5 sacks in Hillsdale's victory. Junior defensive end Drake Badger added five tackles and 1.5 sacks and freshman Jayden Njoroge chipped in a sack as well, while Ryan Niksa also finished with six tackles.

Hillsdale's defensive line dominated the game, finishing with four sacks and a combined eight quarterback hurries. The unit never gave Lake Erie a chance to get in gear offensively.

Offensively, McKernan was a perfect 10 for 10 in the first half and finished 11 of 14 passing for 173 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 50 yards and a third touchdown on the ground. Ruddy was Hillsdale's leading receiver with five catches for 107 yards, including the 74-yard touchdown, while Carrico and Konieczny each caught two passes, with one being a touchdown as well. Freshman Ben Ngishu was the Chargers' leading rusher, finishing with 52 yards on 14 carries.

Hillsdale improves to 3-5 overall and 2-4 in G-MAC play. The Chargers now hit the road for back-to-back contests over the next two weekends, starting with a trip to Kentucky on Nov. 1 for a 12 p.m. contest against Thomas More.