With the number of rushing yards the Chargers earned Saturday, they might still be running.
The Hillsdale College football team got its first win of the season against Walsh University 31-21 on Saturday.
The Chargers used the running game to their advantage gaining 270 yards on the ground.
“The running game was just the way the game unfolded,” head coach Keith Otterbein said. “We had installed some quarterback runs in the fall with the extra blocker in the running back, and schematically we set them up well.”
“The key to the run game was dominating the line of scrimmage,” sophomore quarterback Luke Keller said. “The offensive line did a great job getting a push off the line and the wide receivers did a great job of blocking downfield.”
The Chargers were down 14-10 at halftime, with Walsh scoring 14 straight points to take the lead into halftime. The Chargers responded with 21 straight points in the third quarter and only allowed one touchdown.
Defensively, the Chargers hounded Walsh. They had three interceptions, one each from junior defensive back Zach Herzog, junior defensive back Matt Harding who returned it for a touchdown, and junior defensive back Joe Schneider while also forcing a fumble recovered by sophomore defensive lineman Garrett McKenzie.
“Defensively we did great, we got pressure on the quarterback and controlled the line of scrimmage,” Otterbein said.
Keller rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns on 21 attempts, while true freshman tailback Jack Robinson rushed for 80 yards and junior tailback Josef Hissom added 64 yards and a touchdown.
Junior defensive lineman Kyle Parran had 1.5 sacks and two tackles for a loss, and junior defensive lineman Joe Royer and freshman defensive lineman Zachary Tokie each had a sack. Herzog had eight tackles, sophomore linebacker Kyle Kudla had seven, and Schneider had six.
“The senior class has had a huge impact on me,” Keller said. “They have supported me through my young career, showed me how to lead, showed me how to work hard and sacrifice my personal goals and aspirations for overall team success.”
The Chargers host Gannon University for Senior Day on Saturday, April 17 at 2 p.m.
“A lot of the senior class could have graduated in December, but postponed the end of their Hillsdale chapter to have a chance to play another season,” Otterbein said. “We always tell the guys that this is hard, and it’s made even harder by the rigor of academics. These are tremendous young men who have sacrificed their time, energy, blood, sweat, and tears.”
