The Hillsdale College offense was near-unstoppable on Saturday in Kentucky, scoring points on the first seven drives and touchdowns on six of them to put host Kentucky Wesleyan away early, 52-21.

The victory gets the Chargers back in the win column after two tough losses and ensures Hillsdale will finish above .500 in the regular season for the fourth straight campaign.

Hillsdale rotated through three different quarterbacks and a host of players offensively in the first half, but had consistent success against the Panthers no matter the personnel. The Chargers picked up 29 first downs and were 6 of 6 on fourth down attempts while dominating time of possession, holding the ball for over 40 minutes and never giving Kentucky Wesleyan a chance to get in the game. Hillsdale started the game with the ball and went 86 yards on 12 plays, capped by an eight-yard touchdown run from tailback Ben Ngishu.

The ensuing Panther possession lasted just three plays as Neal Likens got a strip-sack of the KWC quarterback and recovered the fumble at the Panthers 32. Hillsdale took advantage of the short field, with quarterback Avery Holt converting a 4th and 10 with his legs to set up Ngishu for a three-yard touchdown run, his second of the day, and giving the Chargers a 14-0 lead.

Hillsdale forced a three and out and Colin McKernan took over at quarterback for the Chargers, connecting with Shea Ruddy on a three-yard touchdown pass to add to Hillsdale's lead. McKernan would rush for a touchdown of his own later in the half and Cole Canter, Hillsdale's third quarterback of the half, would rush for a 10-yard touchdown to put the Chargers up 35-0 at the halftime as well.

KWC fought back in the second half, scoring two passing touchdowns and recovering a fumble for a third score, but Hillsdale's offense continued to keep the pressure on. Canter found tight end Will Simpson for a two-yard touchdown pass, freshman Hawk Hasselman added a three-yard run and Dylan DeDario hit a 34-yard field goal to eliminate any hopes of a Panther comeback and secure the victory.

Hillsdale piled up 460 yards of total offense, 247 through the air and 213 on the ground. McKernan, Canter and Holt combined for an 18 of 23 day passing for 247 yards and two touchdowns. Luke Stanton caught two passes for 75 yards to lead Hillsdale's passing attack, Braden Rabideau made three catches for 35 yards, and Louis Raffin added two catches for 35 yards as well. 

On the ground, Ngishu just missed a 100-yard day, finishing with 97 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. Connor Vermeulen added 48 yards on five carries and Avery Holt chipped in 39 yards on seven carries as well.

Hillsdale's defense did a stellar job outside of two breakdowns, holding Kentucky Wesleyan to just 162 yards of total offense. Drake Badger was a terror on the pass rush for the Chargers, finishing with three sacks and tying his career high, while Likens and Jayden Njoroge each chipped in a sack as well and Nolan Strake picked off a pass for the Chargers defense. Luke Penola led the Chargers in tackles with five.

On special teams, DeDario hit his 34-yard field goal and was a perfect 7 for 7 on extra points, while Ian Woodyard completed a 33-yard pass to Zane Zeiter on a fake punt as well.

Now 6-3 overall, 4-3 in the G-MAC, Hillsdale returns home for the final time in 2026 next Saturday, hosting rival Ashland at noon. A victory would give Hillsdale its most wins in a season since 2018, and also would reclaim the Traveling Trophy Hillsdale competes against Ashland on an annual basis for the first time since 2022. It's also Senior Day for the Chargers, with Hillsdale's 27-man senior class receiving honors pre-game.