The Hillsdale College football team was unable to neutralize one of NCAA Division II's most ferocious pass rushes on Saturday, as host Ashland used a defensive score to pull away from the Chargers, 26-9, in the G-MAC opener for both teams.

Ashland sacked Hillsdale quarterback Colin McKernan five times, none with greater effect than the strip sack and fumble return for touchdown with 12:10 to play in the third quarter that turned a one-score game into a two-touchdown lead for the Eagles.

The Chargers were unable to close the gap from there despite a 25-yard fourth quarter field goal from Jude Barton, as Ashland got two field goals of their own in the second half to put the game away.

Ashland opened the scoring in the first half, going 80 yards in eight plays to pull ahead 7-0 with 2:52 left in the first quarter. Hillsdale responded with a 75-yard scoring drive of their own built around freshman tailback Ben Ngishu, who had 45 yards on four carries and capped the drive with a 23-yard run for his first collegiate touchdown. Ashland, however, stayed in the lead with a blocked extra point.

After a missed field goal by Ashland and a Hillsdale three and out, the Eagles would score again to go up 14-6 on another solid drive. Hillsdale had a chance to answer and potentially tie the game up entering halftime after a 58-yard return by Shea Ruddy on the ensuing kickoff gave the Chargers great field position, but another drive without a first down kept Hillsdale off the scoreboard.

Coming out of halftime, the Chargers forced another three and out to get the ball back down eight, but Ashland's strip sack on the second play of the drive was a devastating blow, even though Hillsdale's Evan Bienick was able to block the extra point attempt. 

The Chargers continued to fight, driving inside the Ashland 30 on three straight possessions, but those drives created just three points as Hillsdale turned the ball over on downs twice and settled for a field goal on 4th and goal from the Ashland eight-yard line. That allowed Ashland to pull away with two more field goals to stretch the lead to a three-score advantage in the fourth.

Ngishu was a bright spot on an otherwise tough day offensively for the Chargers, finishing with 142 yards and a touchdown and averaging 7.1 yards per carry in the most impressive performance of his young career. McKernan was 4 of 13 for 49 yards through the air as Hillsdale struggled to protect the sophomore quarterback. Tight end Andrew Konieczny had a catch for 21 yards to lead Hillsdale in receiving.

Defensively, the Chargers played a solid game even in the loss, holding the Eagles to 20 points offensively and keeping hope alive into the fourth quarter. Jacob Vance led Hillsdale with nine tackles and shared a sack with Evan Bienick, while Colin Morrow and Jonah Jensen each chipped in eight tackles and Kaden Evans added six.

Hillsdale (1-2, 0-1 G-MAC) returns home for its annual Homecoming game next Saturday, and it's an important one against Kentucky Wesleyan. The Panthers are now 0-3 on the year and Hillsdale can ill-afford a 0-2 conference start with a tough stretch looming in league play. Kickoff is at 2 p.m. in Frank "Muddy" Waters Stadium.