Schedule
Hillsdale (5-3, 3-3 G-MAC) at Kentucky Wesleyan (0-8, 0-6 G-MAC) | 12 p.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 31 | Frank "Muddy" Waters Stadium | Hillsdale, Michigan
 
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | KWC Roster | Hillsdale Stats | KWC Stats | G-MAC Schedule | G-MAC Standings
 
Last Game
Despite outgaining visiting Tiffin through the air and on the ground, Hillsdale couldn't overcome four turnovers in a tough 21-14 loss to the Dragons last Saturday. Two of Hillsdale's turnovers led to 14 of Tiffin's points in the defeat, as the Chargers couldn't rally from a 21-7 halftime deficit despite holding the Dragons scoreless and to one first down in the second half. Evan Bienick led a strong Hillsdale defensive effort with a team-high eight tackles, 1.5 for loss, and Luke Penola added seven tackles as well. Colin McKernan and Tutt Carrico each rushed for a touchdown to lead the Chargers offensively.

 
Scouting the Opposition
The Hillsdale College football team hits the road this weekend for just the third time this season, making a long trip south to battle Kentucky Wesleyan.

The Panthers are looking to break into the win column and build a couple of positives to cap what has been a rough season. At 0-8 overall, the Panthers' closest loss to a DII team was still a 21-point deficit to William Jewell.

Kentucky Wesleyan is young at the quarterback position, rotating between true freshmen Tyler Thompson and Mason Griffin throughout the last seven games. Thompson has been the primary starter, with a 56% completion percentage and three touchdowns to 11 interceptions, but Griffin has also seen significant action. Hillsdale likely will face both QBs on Saturday.

Thompson and Griffin do have some weapons to work with. Slot Camron Brogan is among the top receivers in the G-MAC in catches and yards, while true freshmen Brant Williams and Zavion Harris also get plenty of action and each have a touchdown catch. Veteran Will Ray and tight end Elijah Hawkins also factor in for a Panthers team that's heavily slanted towards passing.

Running the ball has been a struggle for the Panthers, who are averaging just 1.5 yards per carry. Dominick Hollis is the top tailback for KWC, with 166 yards rushing and two touchdowns, with Deion Winstead his primary backup. Thompson does have some scrambling potential, as he's net positive on the season with a touchdown despite the Panthers conceding 29 sacks. The KWC line has struggled to hold up as a unit, giving up those 29 sacks and several negative plays in the run game as well.

Defensively the Panthers have struggled to get stops, ranking 10^th out of 10 G-MAC teams in both scoring defense and yards conceded per game. One area where KWC has had some success is with the pass rush, as ends Tion Curry and Reid Mitchell have combined for 8.5 sacks on the season, and three other Panthers have multiple sacks. At the linebacker level, senior Josh Noble leads the team in tackles along with sophomore Shiloh Jones. Safeties Kenneth Joshua and Mason Bell each have an interception and headline the secondary for the Panthers.

Kicker Maston Joyner has been solid in limited opportunities for KWC, going 2 of 3 on field goals with a long of 35, while Jakob DeShields is averaging 38.6 yards per punt with 10 inside the 20. Zavion Harris and Justise Carter are the top return men for KWC.

Tyrone Young is in his fourth season running the Kentucky Wesleyan program, with an 8-44 overall record.

 
The Series
Hillsdale has largely controlled the series against Kentucky Wesleyan since the two teams first met in 2017, with a 7-1 record that includes seven wins by 19 or more points. The Chargers were 44-0 victors over the Panthers in their most recent meeting last season. Kentucky Wesleyan's lone victory in the series was a 31-27 win in Owensboro on Oct. 1, 2022.

 
Other Notes

• Hillsdale College athletics will once again stream on FloCollege for the 2026-27 season as the Great Midwest Athletic Conference continues with a media rights deal with FloSports. All 11 Hillsdale College football contests in 2026 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.
• Hillsdale head coach Nate Shreffler is in his third 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 winning records in Shreffler's first two seasons in charge, and he was the first Hillsdale coach to finish above .500 in his debut season since Hillsdale Hall of Famer Dick Lowry in 1980.
• Luke Penola became a starter at linebacker for the Chargers as a sophomore this past season, but that was just a prelude for a breakout campaign this season. Penola is leading the Chargers in tackles with 66, ranking in the top 10 in the G-MAC, and is a key piece for one of the top scoring defenses in the country. His 17-tackle performance against Findlay on Oct. 17 helped him earn G-MAC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career.
• Senior Shea Ruddy continues to be a multi-faceted weapon for the Chargers. He recorded three-straight 100 yard receiving games from Oct. 3 to Oct 16 and currently ranks second in the G-MAC with 587 yards receiving. He also ranks second in the nation in kickoff return average, with 39.3, and is one of just five players in all of NCAA DII this season to record multiple kickoff return touchdowns. An electric player in the return game, Ruddy led all of college football in 2025 with 960 kickoff return yards and three kick return touchdowns while becoming the only NCAA DII player in the nation to finish with a rushing, passing, receiving and kickoff return touchdown in 2025.
• Ruddy received one of the biggest honors of his career on Oct. 19. That day, the senior was named as a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, one of the most prestigious honors a college football player can receive. Unofficially considered the "Academic Heisman", the Campbell Trophy is awarded to the top student-athlete among college football players in the nation, and past winners include Peyton Manning and Justin Herbert. Ruddy is just the second Hillsdale player to be named a finalist for the award, after quarterback Mark Nicolet in 2007. This honor adds to several in Ruddy's career, including two All-American and Academic All-American honors, and being named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works team earlier this season.
• Hillsdale's defense has been one of the most dominant units in the country through eight games, giving up just 15 points per game so far, and holding the top three teams in the G-MAC, Northwood, Findlay and Tiffin, to more than 10 points below their season average. The Chargers rank 11th in all of NCAA DII in fewest points allowed, and they've done it without forcing a slew of turnovers, with just six total takeaways on the season. Hillsdale is playing well on all three levels, with a variety of players who've stepped up and made major impacts at every spot.
• With two sacks, including one in the end zone for a safety, and three tackles for loss, senior defensive end Drake Badger was a force for the Chargers in a road win over Lake Erie on Oct. 3. Badger earned G-MAC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance, which included a team-high nine tackles. Over four seasons with the Chargers, Badger has established himself as one of the best pass rushers in program history. Last season, he became the first Hillsdale player to record double-digit sacks in a season since 2009, and he ranks sixth in Hillsdale College history for career sacks (25) and seventh in career tackles for loss (38). He'll look to add to those totals against the Panthers this week.
• Badger isn't the only talented pass rusher Hillsdale has as the Chargers have been putting consistent pressure on the quarterback this season with 24 sacks, second-most in the G-MAC and 11th in the country per game. Badger leads with 6 sacks but he's followed closely by Jayden Njoroge with 4.5, and Evan Bienick has 3.5.
• Fifth-year senior Ryan Niksa had a stellar 2025 campaign, finishing second in NCAA DII and leading the G-MAC with 16 pass breakups to play a major role for the Chargers defense. A starter at cornerback for Hillsdale, Niksa will look to lead a veteran secondary unit that also includes decorated fifth-year safety Colin Morrow and is aiming for major improvement in 2026.
• Hillsdale has selected four captains for the 2026 campaign: Jacob Vance, who will serve as a captain for the second straight season, along with Ruddy, fifth-year offensive lineman Jesse Mendoza and junior linebacker Luke Penola.
• The Charger football program continued to shine academically this past season, with eight players earning College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors, including returners Ruddy, Penola, Carrico and senior safety Jonah Jensen. In addition to making the All-District team, Ruddy went a step further, becoming the first football player in Hillsdale College history to be named a CSC Academic All-American two years in a row. In addition, 53 Hillsdale football players received Academic All-G-MAC honors for posting a 3.3 or better cumulative GPA through the spring 2024 semester, and the Chargers led NCAA DII with 17 graduating players earning a spot on the NFF Hampshire Honor Society for their achievements in the classroom.