Late in the third quarter, senior quarterback Anthony Mifsud launched a ball 25 yards into the hands of senior H-back Cam White for a touchdown that put the Chargers up 24-17. From that point on, the Chargers took firm control of the game and held Saginaw Valley State University scoreless.
The Chargers defeated the Cardinals 34-17, scoring the final 10 points unanswered in the fourth quarter. With this win, the Chargers (6-1) moved up to the top spot in the Northern Division and second in the GLIAC behind Ashland University (7-0).
The first half was a back-and-forth contest, and the score was 10-10 going into halftime.
“There were way too many times that we ended up fourth-and-less-than-a-yard,” head coach Keith Otterbein said.
Hillsdale converted only 33 percent of their third downs in the game. Otterbein said that they had to learn from their mistake in the first game of the season against California University of Pennsylvania, where the Chargers went for it on fourth down and were stopped by Cal, which they then converted into a touchdown.
“You can’t always be a gunslinger and throw caution to the wind,” Otterbein said. “You try to learn from your experiences.”
Saginaw Valley has the top passing offense in the GLIAC. Senior cornerback Ben Karaba said that their speed on offense made it difficult for the Charger defense at first.
“Typically teams have one or two players to worry about, but with them, it was all of them,” he said.
Otterbein said the Saginaw quarterback was the best the Chargers have faced so far this year.
Saginaw held the time of possession advantage in the first half, but the Chargers held onto the ball the majority of the second half, and held the overall time of possession for the game.
“We were controlling the ball and playing our style of football,” White said. “We knew it was going to be a tough game and that we were going to have to fight.”
The game remained tied until late in the third with Mifsud’s touchdown pass to White. In the fourth quarter, the Chargers held the ball for 12 minutes and put 10 more points on the board.
“We adjusted to their speed and the speed of the game,” Karaba said. “At that point, we had them figured out pretty well.”
The final 10 points came from a 33-yard field goal from senior kicker Colin McGreevy and a 7-yard rushing touchdown from junior tailback Isaac Spence. McGreevy also hit a 36-yard field goal earlier in the game.
“The whole kicking game in itself was good,” Otterbein said. “Those were very key field goals, when we’re putting those points on the board.”
Mifsud went 12-for-14 for 196 passing yards. Senior running back Joe Glendening rushed for a total of 121 yards on 26 carries, and Spence rushed 43 yards on 10 carries. Sophomore wide receiver Brett Miller caught two passes for 78 yards, while White had four receptions for 58 yards.
The Charger defense got off the field quickly in the fourth quarter with a sack from sophomore defensive end Bryan Siegert and a big stop on Saginaw’s final possession from junior linebackers Steven Embry and Brett Pasche. Pasche led the defense in tackles with 12, while Embry had 11.
The Chargers will continue a difficult stretch against Grand Valley State University on Saturday, Oct. 27 at 2:30 p.m. for Homecoming.
