Chargers offense takes the field against the Greyhounds. Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department
Senior tailback Michael Herzog scored two touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough to secure a win as the Chargers lost their first game of the season on Saturday 39-20 against the University of Indianapolis. The game was the first of three away games before the Chargers play their first home game Sept. 23, during Homecoming weekend.
The game started with a Charger touchdown, as Herzog put six on the scoreboard after a 13-yard run.
Herzog later scored the Chargers’ second touchdown of the night, putting the team in the lead 14-12 after a Greyhound’s scoring drive.
“The first half felt really good,” Herzog said. “I think we did a really good job as a team those first few drives. Those first few long drives in the first game definitely had an impact on the game.”
As the second quarter came to a close, however, the team started to struggle, with a turnover giving Indianapolis the chance to retake the lead, with a score of 15-14 going into halftime
The team, however, wasn’t able to put points up in the third quarter and failed to surpass the Greyhounds’ lead.
In the second half, the team missed two field goals and another turnover resulted in an Indianapolis touchdown.
In the fourth, the Chargers produced a 75-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown, but it wasn’t enough to give the Chargers an edge in the game.
One of the big challenges came from Indianapolis’ quarterback, head coach Keith Otterbein said.
“Their quarterback was a new starter so we didn’t know much about him,” Otterbein said. “He was a pretty mobile kid, so kind of that dual threat guy, and he kept some plays alive with his feet, so that was a challenge for us.”
Despite this, Herzog was within reach of a career high, racking up 154 yards along with his two touchdowns. Senior quarterback Garrit Aissen completed 20 passes in 32 attempts,for a total of 208 yards.
“I felt like our kids were ready, they were engaged. They didn’t have big eyes and wonder what was going on in a pretty intense atmosphere,” Otterbein said. “But we certainly have to clean up the things that have a big effect on a football game.”
Aissen saw some positives in the game as well, also noting it takes a few mistakes to change a football game.
“We had a lot of young guys who stepped up and played really, really well,” Aissen said. “There were maybe two or three mistakes. Unfortunately in the game of football, that’s all it takes, and Indy played an outstanding game. They just took advantage of those mistakes, and I think that’s honestly what the difference was at the end.”
“We had a great start to this game. Now we just got to finish the game, so what we’re looking to do is play a full 60 minutes of football and execute the whole time, Aissen said.
The Chargers remain on the road for a game this weekend against Michigan Technological University.
Herzog, who said he had his worst game last season against Michigan Tech, is ready to come back with more experience. He also said the Chargers’ strategy remains the same.
“They put a lot of guys in the box and their running defense is really good, so we’re gonna have to do some things to beat them on the ground,” Herzog said. “But pretty much the same strategy: put some points on the board offensively.”