Charger football came home 2-4 on the season after losing an away game to Northwood University on Saturday. Northwood, ranked 19th out of all Division II football programs by the American Football Coaches Association, beat the Chargers 49-20.
“We were a little hesitant coming out,” head coach Keith Otterbein said. “Once we did get the game tempo, I think our defense did a really good job. [Offensively] I think we can play a lot better. We didn’t play tough, physical football.”
“Northwood was a good football team,” said sophomore quarterback Mark Nicolet. “We made far too many mistakes to beat a [ranked] team like that.”
Nicolet made his first start as quarterback this season, taking over for the injured Aaron Scholl. He began the game with an interception on the first drive and a fumble, but finished with 171 yards passing and two touchdowns – one passing and one rushing. Junior running back Phil Martin finished with only 61 yards rushing, including a 17 yard touchdown run.
The Chargers also had several mishaps in their kicking game, as Northwood blocked three punts. Otterbein said that though the Chargers struggled to protect their punt formation, the second two blocked punts appeared to stem more from a loss of confidence than a failure of strategy.
Despite these obstacles, the Chargers managed to stay in the game with a score of 21-13 at halftime, until Northwood came back in the third quarter with the first of the blocked punts. Sophomore Jared Kell led the Charger defense with eleven tackles and defensive linemen Andrew Daugherty and Steve Upchurch gave strong performances in their respective positions.
Otterbein credits players such as these with the improvement in the Chargers’ defense this year.
“I think that’s why we’ve made an improvement defensively,” said Otterbein. “Our defense has taken great strides and continues to get better.”
Right now, the Chargers are focusing on their next home game. This Saturday Hillsdale will play Grand Valley State, the No. 1ranked team in Division II.
“This is probably the most talented team in the league,” Otterbein said of Grand Valley. “[We’ve] really got to have faith in our responsibilities. If we’re hesitant whatsoever, it’s not going to happen.” He said that the Chargers need to control the line of scrimmage on offense, establish the running game, and sustain blocks as well as play with “great courage” and “great passion for the game.”
“The fact that other guys like us have hung with [Grand Valley] should be positive for our kids,” Otterbein said. He added that he would like to see strong student support at the game and encouraged students to come out to watch the No. 1 ranked Division II team in the country as well as to support the Chargers at home.
Nicolet said that the Chargers need to start strongly to ensure that they remain in the game.
“The offense has to score early and the defense has to get a stop early,” he said. “From there, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”