Schedule
Kentucky Wesleyan (0-3, 0-1 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (1-2, 0-1 G-MAC) | 2 p.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 27 | Frank "Muddy" Waters Stadium | Hillsdale, MI
 
Follow/Watch
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | KWC Roster | Hillsdale Stats | KWC Stats | G-MAC Schedule | G-MAC Standings
 
Last Game
Hillsdale faced down one of the elite pass rushes in NCAA DII and couldn't get the better of the Ashland Eagles in a 26-9 road loss in both teams' G-MAC opener. The Chargers conceded five sacks to the Eagles, including a strip-sack fumble returned for an Ashland touchdown that all but put the game out of reach. Freshman Ben Ngishu was a bright spot for Hillsdale on the ground, rushing for 142 yards on 7.1 yards per carry and Hillsdale's only touchdown, while Evan Bienick finished with eight tackles, assisted on a sack and blocked a PAT try by Ashland to lead the defense.
 
Scouting the Opposition
A tough loss on the road to open G-MAC play adds to the importance of this weekend's homecoming game for the Chargers football team, as Hillsdale can't afford to take a second G-MAC loss this early against 0-3 Kentucky Wesleyan.

It's been a strange season for the Panthers, who are 0-3 despite an effective performance throwing the ball on a down-to-down basis. The Panthers have the second-best attack in the G-MAC in passing yards per game and lead the conference in first downs per game thanks to that aerial attack as redshirt freshman Harrison Burch has shown promise and developed an early rapport with receivers Camron Brogan and Will Ray.

KWC, however, has mostly failed to convert that yardage into points. The Panthers have struggled to finish drives thanks to turnovers (five lost fumbles and four interceptions in three games) and an anemic rushing attack that is averaging a G-MAC-worst 30.7 yards per game, less than half of ninth place. There's hope for KWC on the offensive side, but the Panthers must take better care of the ball and get some contribution from tailbacks Emmanuel McRae and Ayden Houston to turn that hope into consistent production.

The Panthers do have experience up front to draw on with three returning starters, led by senior captain Terrant Young, a rock for KWC who's now in his fourth season as a starter. Jerrick Williams and Andrew Hobbs also return for Panthers line that has real potential but hasn't lived up to it so far this season.

KWC's defense has been the opposite of its offense, as the Panthers have made a number of impact plays, with seven forced turnovers in three games, but have generally struggled on a down-to-down basis, ranking eighth out of 10 G-MAC teams in yards allowed per game (351.7) and ninth in points allowed per game (35.7).

It was three interceptions by the Panthers that allowed KWC to hang tough with West Florida, a current top five team in NCAA DII, in the Panthers' season opener, and the Panthers' back seven has put up seven picks this year. Senior rover AJ Bullard leads the team with two interceptions, while cornerback Brayden Matherson has a pick and two pass breakups as well.

Senior safety Jalon Baker has a forced fumble and leads the team in tackles with 24. Up front, Gage Eldridge and KD Cunningham man the middle for the defensive line, while Malik Bolling and Jaden Santos-Lopez are the team's top pass rushers. KWC has been relatively effective against the pass but has struggled to stop the run and will need to do better in that phase to knock off the Chargers in a hostile environment.

Cole Cawthorne returns as the Panthers' kicker but has struggled to start, missing both field goals he's attempted. Redshirt freshman Maston Joyner is battling returner Jakob DeShields for the starting punting job and was KWC's primary punter last week against Walsh, averaging 36.5 yards per punt with a long of 48.

Two true freshmen, DeMauriah Brown and Jeremiah Lynn, share the return duties for the Panthers, with Brown handling kickoffs and Lynn handling punts.
 
The Series
Hillsdale is 6-1 in seven meetings with Kentucky Wesleyan dating back to 2017, and all six of their victories have come by 19 or more points, including a 41-7 win in Owensboro last season on Oct. 26, 2024. KWC's lone victory in the series came at home in a night game in a tight 31-27 victory on Oct. 1, 2022.
 
Other Notes

• It's homecoming week once again at Hillsdale College, as the Chargers honor a tradition that's over 100 years old against the Panthers. This is an extra special Homecoming as it represents the 40^th anniversary of the 1985 NAIA National Championship team, and the 70^th anniversary of the 1955 Hillsdale squad that went undefeated and turned down an opportunity to play in the Tangerine Bowl due to segregation laws in Florida at the time preventing their African-American players from appearing in the game. Several members of the 1985 team will be in attendance at Saturday's game.
• 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.
• True freshman tailback Ben Ngishu has seized the starting tailback job for the Chargers with an impressive performance last week against Ashland. Ngishu accounted for 145 of Hillsdale's 192 offensive yards, rushing for 7.1 yards per carry on 20 carries and scoring the Chargers' only touchdown in the game. A native of Wylie, Texas, just outside of Houston, Ngishu is on pace to be the first freshman to lead the Chargers in rushing since Jack Robinson in 2021.
• 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. So far this season, he leads the team in tackles for loss once again with three.
• Hillsdale's secondary has been active in its first three contests and has been putting up big numbers. STAR Colin Morrow leads the team in tackles with 23 and is second in tackles for loss with 2.5, while corners Ryan Niksa and Gavin Chenevey are tied for second in the G-MAC with five total passes defensed apiece. As teams look to avoid a tough front seven, continued success for Hillsdale's cornerbacks and safeties will be key for the Chargers to accomplish their goals this season.
• 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, Hunter 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.