Charger Football Game Notes - Nov. 7, 2009

November 5, 2009 - The final home regular season game has always been an emotional one for the Hillsdale College football team. The program's senior class is honored in a pregame ceremony, not long before the players don their blue jerseys one last time.

This year's Senior Day however, has a slightly different angle to it.

The Chargers will play their final home regular season game this Saturday, starting at 1 p.m., against Tiffin University. Hillsdale enters the game with an 8-2 record and is ranked 20th in the nation in the latest AFCA Division II Top 25 poll. The Dragons are 0-10 and are looking to avoid a winless season.

But beyond the prospects of winning a ninth game, are the Chargers giving themselves the best chance they've ever had to qualify for the NCAA Division II Playoffs. A win over Tiffin Saturday does not guarantee a playoff slot, but would put the Chargers in a very favorable position to keep playing.

Hillsdale is currently ranked sixth in the Super Region 3 poll. The top six teams qualify for the NCAA Division II Playoffs. The top two seeds in each region receive first-round byes, while the numbers 3 and 6 seeds and 4 and 5 seeds play one another in first-round competition.

Although the Chargers sit in that uncomfortable No. 6 slot, the four teams ranked below them all have three losses, making it unlikely one of them would leapfrog a Hillsdale team that, with a win, would be 9-2. But factors like strength of schedule and opponents' winning percentage play a big part in the formula that determines regional rankings.

Teams rated below Hillsdale that bear watching on Saturday for Charger fans include Wayne State (Nebraska) and Bemidji State.

Two Minnesota schools, Minnesota State-Mankato and Minnesota-Duluth, are ranked 1-2 in the region. Grand Valley State is third, Nebraska-Kearney is fourth and Saginaw Valley State is fifth.

But before Charger fans begin crunching playoff numbers, the team has to take care of business against a Tiffin team that nearly upset Hillsdale in their last meeting a year ago.

In a game played at Tiffin, the Chargers raced out to a 30-7 lead, only to see the Dragons come back to take a 36-30 lead with two minutes remaining. Quarterback Troy Weatherhead drove Hillsdale down the field and threw a touchdown pass to A.J. Kegg with 1:03 left in the game to give the Chargers a breathtaking 37-36 win over the Dragons.

Weatherhead and Kegg are two returning players from last year's team that have helped give Hillsdale one of the top offenses in the GLIAC. Along with the running of tailback Vinnie Panizzi, and a big and talented offensive line, the Chargers have one of the most two-dimensional offenses anywhere. Senior All-American candidate Jared Veldheer leads that offensive line, who are equally skilled at pass protecting and run blocking. Veldheer is one of 19 players that will be recognized as part of the Senior Day festivities around a half hour before kickoff Saturday.

Defensively, Hillsdale has gotten better each week over the past month. In a four-game stretch in October, the Charger defense held their opponents to an average of 16 points fewer than what they were averaging throughout the season. A young secondary has matured and made more game-changing plays in the past month, while the pass rush contingent of Andrew Yarbrough and Drew Berube have kept constant pressure on opposing teams' quarterbacks. Berube and Yarbrough are two members of a senior-laden defensive line that will also be suiting up for a home game for the last time on Saturday.

A handful of records are also within reach of several players Saturday. Senior PK Mark Petro is two field goals shy of tying the school record for most field goals made in a career. His 47 made field goals are second in school history, behind Rick Vear, the father of current Charger Joe Vear.

Panizzi needs one rushing yard to move into second place on the school's all-time rushing yards list. He is currently tied with Phil Martin at 3,395 yards each.

Kegg is nine receptions away from setting a new single-season catches record. He currently occupies the No. 2 spot on that list with his 74 catches last year.

The last time Hillsdale played a postseason football game was in 1988, when the school still competed at the NAIA level. The Chargers have never qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs.