October 31, 2009 - The Hillsdale College football team left Big Rapids Saturday afternoon happier than a kid dressed in a ghost sheet with a bucket full of candy.

Scoring touchdowns from the offense, defense and special teams, the Chargers won their fourth straight game in a 59-14 rout of Ferris State University at Top Taggert Field Saturday. Hillsdale, now 8-2 on the season and 7-2 in the GLIAC, plays its home regular season finale next week vs. winless Tiffin starting at 1 p.m. The Bulldogs are now 1-9 this season.

The Chargers’ performance was just as dominant as the final score indicated, as the team scored five times in the first half, held the Bulldogs to 43 total yards in the game’s first 30 minutes, and won at Ferris State for the first time since Nov. 4, 2000. It was also the first win for head coach Keith Otterbein in Big Rapids since he last coached FSU, during the 1994 season.

A key to the victory was Hillsdale’s 31-0 halftime lead, which came thanks to balanced and efficient offense, but also excellent field position. Hillsdale’s six first half possessions had an average starting field position of the Ferris State 49-yard line. The Chargers efficiently drove down the field on the game’s opening drive, culminating in a one-yard touchdown run by senior RB Vinnie Panizzi.

One of the biggest plays of the game occurred at the end of Ferris State’s first drive. Freshman RB Joe Glendening (pictured) blocked a punt and returned it 25 yards to give the Chargers a quick 14-0 lead. It was the first special teams touchdown recorded by Hillsdale since the 2005 season, and the first touchdown in Glendening’s career. But it wouldn’t be the last one for the freshman in this game.

Panizzi hit paydirt for the second time in the game after a nine-play, 60-yard march that gave the Chargers a 21-0 lead to end the first quarter. A Mark Petro field goal was followed by the first rushing touchdown of Glendening’s career to make the score 31-0 at halftime.

On the first play of the second half, senior LB Joe Stempien recovered a fumble and returned it eight yards to record Hillsdale’s first defensive touchdown in six years. The play highlighted a terrific effort by Hillsdale’s defense, which limited the Bulldogs to three yards per play, 151 total yards (43 coming on two touchdown plays in the fourth quarter) while recording five sacks and forcing three turnovers in the game. Senior DE Drew Berube had 1 1/2 sacks to lead the defensive charge for Hillsdale.

Running back Brad Spencer and HB Bill Kanitz each had second-half rushing touchdowns for the Chargers. Quarterback Matt Bryan threw his first collegiate touchdown pass to Jesse Norris for the team’s final score of the game. The TD grab was also Norris’ first touchdown of his career. Kanitz caught a 73-yard pass from junior QB Brad Otterbein to help set up Spencer’s touchdown run.

Junior QB Troy Weatherhead finished the game 9-for-13 for 88 yards. Panizzi ran for 84 yards and two touchdowns, and in the process, tied Phil Martin for second place on Hillsdale’s all-time rushing yards list. He now has 3,395 yards on the ground in his career, with at least one more game yet to play. Wide receivers A.J. Kegg and Andre Holmes each caught four passes in the game. Glendening rushed for a career-high 43 yards on nine carries.

The 59 points scored by the Chargers are the most they’ve ever had in the 40-game series vs. Ferris State. It is also the most points scored by Hillsdale in a game since a 59-3 win over Gannon on Sept. 1, 2007. In the past two games, the Chargers have outscored their opponents by a combined score of 104-28. The win also gives the Chargers their first four-game winning streak since the 1999 season. One more victory would equal the record for most wins in a season by the program since it joined NCAA Division II.

To view the stats from Saturday's game, please click on the link below.

Chargers 59, Ferris State 14