In his first collegiate start, redshirt junior quarterback CJ Mifsud led the Chargers offense in place of injured quarterback Mark LaPrairie to a gritty victory over Saginaw Valley, 24-17.
“He did a nice job,” head coach Keith Otterbein said on Mifsud’s play. “I’m really happy for him and happy for our team.”
“I was really impressed by CJ and the way he stepped up,” offensive lineman Justice Karmie said. “He had a lot of confidence in the offensive line which is huge for us because it makes us feel great and makes us play better.”
LaPrairie missed the game with a sore knee suffered in a game at Tiffin on Oct. 25. He is day-to-day according to Otterbein.
“If he can run our offense he’s going to play,” Otterbein said.
Mifsud is making the most of his opportunity as starting quarterback.
“It was the first time I’ve started in a long time. I was just excited for the opportunity,” Mifsud said. “I’m just really happy that we won most of all.”
Mifsud completed 21 of his 28 passes on the day for 172 yards and a touchdown, with several of those incompletions coming on long balls that were pushed by the wind just out of the reach of his receivers.
The Chargers dominated the time of possession battle, holding the ball for 37:10, in large part because of their 67 percent third down efficiency.
“We were very confident and got into a lot more manageable third downs,” Karmie said. “I think it came down to the offensive line. In past weeks we weren’t buckling down to get those short yardage plays like we needed to and I think we made some of those plays this week.”
Hillsdale’s offensive line also opened up some big holes for the Charger tailbacks, as Bennett Lewis, Wade Wood, and Jack Wiseman combined for 122 yards on the ground.
“I thought they did a really nice job stepping up in the amount of blitzes that we were getting,” Otterbein said in praise of his running backs. “When you’re taking on 230 pound linebackers coming full speed when you’re smaller you’ve got to be a pretty brave soul to do that.”
The win snapped Hillsdale’s five-game losing streak, improving their record to 3-6 on the season and 3-5 in GLIAC play.
“When you’re in one of those funks the pressure builds whether you try to ignore it or address it,” Otterbein said. “Now any kind of pressure is gone and now we can just get ready to go play Northwood.”
Northwood shares the same GLIAC record with the Chargers, but run a unique offensive scheme.
The Timberwolves employ a spread option offense, which for a long time was unique in the GLIAC.
“It’s option football so you’ve got to be assignment sound,” Otterbein said. “You’ve got to control the line of scrimmage and you’ve got to take the option away from the dive, to the quarterback, and then to the pitch. It’s got to be done in that order or they’ll take the dive and they’ll ram it right down your throat and you’ll never get on the field.”
Defensively, Northwood is similar to any other team in the GLIAC: strong, fast, and athletic.
“They’ve got dudes that can run around and that are active,” Otterbein said. “They like to crowd the line of scrimmage on defense, so they’re not afraid to go man-to-man across the board and bring the heat.”
Saturday is also Senior Day, so there will be a special pregame ceremony honoring the Charger seniors before kick-off at 1 p.m.
“It’s always emotional in the last game of the season at home with it being senior day,” Karmie said. “It’s a lot easier to get fired up for a game like that because it’s the last time those guys are going to get to play in front of their home crowd.”
