Schedule
Michigan Tech (2-0, 0-0 GLIAC) at Hillsdale College (1-0, 0-0 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 13 | Frank "Muddy" Waters Stadium | Hillsdale, MI
 
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Michigan Tech Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Michigan Tech Stats | G-MAC Schedule | G-MAC Standings
 
Last Game
Hillsdale overcame a late deficit to win on the road at McKendree, 22-17. Trailing 17-14 with under two minutes to play, Hillsdale drove 81 yards in under a minute, capped by a 50-yard touchdown pass from Colin McKernan to Tutt Carrico. The ensuing point after attempt was blocked, but Mason Moulton picked up the ball and ran it in for a critical two-point conversion. McKendree went 63 yards to the Hillsdale 12 to try and retake the lead, but Ryan Niksa picked off Bearcats quarterback Ty Michael for the game-sealing interception. McKernan finished with 255 yards passing and threw three touchdown passes, two to Carrico and one to Connor Pratt, to help Hillsdale to its first win in a season opener since 2022.
 
Scouting the Opposition
A stirring win on the road to open the 2025 season has Hillsdale out of the starting gates with momentum, but week two brings an even bigger challenge in the form of a Michigan Tech team that's off to a red-hot start.

The Huskies come to Frank "Muddy" Waters Stadium having demolished their first two opponents, including beating nationally-ranked Bemidji St. by 20 points in their opener.

One of the major reasons behind Michigan Tech's fast start is sophomore quarterback Alex Bueno, who's been electric in two starts since winning the job in the spring. Bueno is completing 64% of his passes for four touchdowns and is just as dangerous with his legs, leading the Huskies in rushing so far as well.

Bueno's threat on the ground is emblematic of a Huskies squad that doesn't have one standout tailback but has been effective on the ground, averaging 177.5 yards per game and seven rushing touchdowns. Jake Rueff is the top rusher for the team outside of Bueno, but a deep cast of backs have gotten carries in the first two games.

The top target in the passing game for Bueno is senior Ethan Champney, a multi-time All-GLIAC player who's given Hillsdale trouble in the past, with six receiving touchdowns against the Chargers in three previous meetings. Hillsdale will be focused on slowing Champney down, but also must account for dangerous speedster Nic Nora and tight end Drew Collins, both of whom have caught a touchdown pass already this season.

While Michigan Tech is dangerous in the passing game, containing the run threat posed by Bueno and the Huskies tailbacks will be key, as it was on the ground that Tech did most of their damage in their first two contests. The Huskies run behind a line that returns three starters from last season, led by returning All-GLIAC player Brandon DeVries, and has yet to give up a sack in 2025 so far.
Defensively, the Huskies have been top-notch, holding their first two opponents to just 200.5 yards of total offense and three touchdowns in eight quarters.

Michigan Tech has reloaded impressively on that side of the ball despite losing a number of All-GLIAC players to graduation. Two holdovers who earned All-GLIAC honors are playing big roles in 2025, as linebacker Porter Zeeman leads the Huskies in tackles and tackles for loss, while safety Dante Basanese has a forced fumble and is third on the team in tackles.

Up front, Connor Hindenach leads a strong unit that plays three down linemen paired with a fourth hybrid player who can be a pass rusher or a linebacker depending on the situation.

In the secondary, Dakota Blackwell has three pass breakups to lead a unit that's made life difficult for opposing quarterbacks.

Tech is breaking in new players on special teams. Kicker Avery Kucharski is 1 of 2 on field goals and shares punting duties with Bueno, combining to average 32.4 yards per punt on seven punts.
 
The Series
Hillsdale has a 19-14 lead over Michigan Tech all-time in a series that first started in 1980, but the Huskies have won six straight over the Chargers dating back to 2018, including a 21-6 result in Houghton last year. Hillsdale has lost by a touchdown or less three times in that span, and last beat Michigan Tech in a 31-27 victory on Sept. 9, 2017.

 
Other Notes

• There will be a new streaming home for Hillsdale College athletics in the 2025 season as the Great Midwest Athletic Conference has agreed to a media rights deal with FloSports. All Hillsdale home and conference contests will stream with FloSports as a part of its FloCollege brand. FloSports is a subscription-based livestreaming service that hosts 40,000 contests and has deals with over 20 conferences in the NCAA. You can find out more information and sign up to watch the Chargers at this link.
• This past summer, there was a major realignment of Super Regions at the NCAA DII level. The Great Midwest Athletic Conference, which has been in Super Region 1 since 2017 along with the MEC, NE-10 and PSAC, will now be a part of Super Region 3, with the GLIAC, GLVC and NSIC. While it's a new alignment, it's a return to familiar potential playoff opponents for the Chargers, who used to be a part of Super Region 3 as a member of the GLIAC prior to 2017, and faced off against GLIAC and NSIC foes in playoff trips in 2010 and 2011.
• Hilllsdale head coach Nate Shreffler is entering his second season as the man in charge, and the veteran coach is no stranger to the sport and to Hillsdale. Shreffler is entering his 27^th season as a coach for the Chargers, including 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 Chargers finished with a 6-5 record in Shreffler's first season in charge, making him the first Hillsdale coach to finish above .500 in his debut season since Hillsdale Hall of Famer Dick Lowry in 1980.
• The Chargers return one of the most dynamic players in the country in junior Shea Ruddy, who became the first Hillsdale College player in the NCAA DII era to be named both an All-American and an Academic All-American in the same season. An electric player in the return game, Ruddy set a new G-MAC record by averaging 33.3 yards per return, while ranking second in the nation in kickoff return yardage (732) and fifth in All-Purpose Yards (1,779). Ruddy, who was named to the D2Football.com Elite 100 preseason watch list, also led the Chargers in receiving yards and touchdowns, and will be at the top of every opponent's scouting report in 2025.
• With McKendree focused on shutting down Ruddy and the Chargers run game in the season opener, Hillsdale showed the depth of its weaponry on offense, creating 294 yards of offense and all three touchdowns through the air. That included 106 yards from tight end Andrew Konieczny, 82 and two touchdowns from receiver Tutt Carrico, and 62 and a touchdown from receiver Connor Pratt. Hillsdale's balanced passing attack is a new threat for opponents to account for – Saturday's game was the first time since Oct. 21, 2023 that the Chargers had more receiving yards than rushing yards in a win, and just the second time in the last three seasons.
• Junior linebacker Jacob Vance is another Charger who made the DIIFootball.com Elite 100 preseason watch list and has been a difference-maker for Hillsdale as the team's leading tackler in each of the last two seasons. Vance was named to the All-Super Region 1 and All-G-MAC teams last season, and has a chance to become the first player in program history to be named the team's linebacker of the year in four straight seasons.
• The Chargers should have a formidable defensive line in 2025 with the return of the team's top four players in sacks from 2024, led by junior defensive end Drake Badger, whose 11.5 tackles for loss were in the top 10 in the G-MAC. Senior defensive tackle Hunter Sperling was close behind with 9.5 tackles for loss and has been a major disruptive player who's entering his third year as a starter. Sperling is already drawing preseason attention for Hillsdale as the program's nominee for the William V. Campbell trophy, one of the top honors available to college football players.
• Hillsdale has another major award nominee in senior wide receiver Connor Pratt, who is a contender for a spot on the Allstate Good Works team. Pratt, who started and was one of the team's most productive targets as a junior, has been active in a wide variety of community service projects, including Hillsdale's Victory Day, Guys With Ties, and Be The Match Bone Marrow Registry drive fundraisers, as well as several solo volunteer efforts.
• Hillsdale has selected three captains for the 2025 campaign – Vance, Sperling and Carter Cushman, a three-year starter at right tackle for Hillsdale. All three captains are veteran players with significant contributions on the field and as leaders of the program.
• The Charger football program continued to shine academically this past season, with six players earning College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors, including returners Sperling and Ruddy. In addition to making the All-District team, Ruddy went a step further, becoming just the ninth football player in Hillsdale College history to be named a CSC Academic All-American as a special teams player. In addition, 40 Hillsdale football players received Academic All-G-MAC honors for posting a 3.3 or better cumulative GPA through the spring 2024 semester.