FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Chargers look to extend perfect start with night game at Ferris State Saturday
September 20, 2007 - It's been a magical start to the 2007 football season for the Chargers, and the team has a chance to extend it with its first night game of the season Saturday.
Hillsdale College (3-0) travels to Big Rapids to tangle with Ferris State University (1-2) at 7 p.m. Saturday in Top Taggert Field. This marks Hillsdale's first trip to Big Rapids since Week 3 of the 2004 season.
The Chargers have stormed to the top of the GLIAC standings, thanks to their first 3-0 start since 1992. The team is averaging 50 points per game and leads the conference in scoring, passing offense, total offense, pass efficiency, total touchdowns, sacks against and turnover margins. The offense has been unstoppable so far, and the man at the controls is senior quarterback Mark Nicolet.
The reigning GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week, Nicolet has been on fire to start the season, setting a new career-high in passing yards in back-to-back weeks. Last week vs. Ashland, Nicolet set a school record with 426 passing yards in the Chargers' 49-28 thrashing of the Eagles. Through three games, Nicolet has thrown for 1,029 yards, 11 touchdowns and just one interception. He's operating the offense at an extremely high level, and is using his offensive teammates in the most effective way possible.
Junior wide receiver Aaron Waldie has been Nicolet's favorite target. Waldie is off to a scorching start to the season, catching 21 passes for 465 yards and eight touchdowns. In years past, Waldie's receiving yards total and TD catches would have led the team after an 11-game schedule, but his three-game totals have put him in another stratosphere. Waldie leads all of Division II in receiving yards per game (155.0) and is tied for second in all-purpose yards and receing yards. His 48 points also tie him for third nationally among all non-kickers.
While Hillsdale's offense has lit up scoreboards around the conference, the defense has played its part effectively as well. The Charger defense leads the GLIAC in red-zone defense and is second in opposing teams' third-down conversion rate. That means Hillsdale is doing a nice job at stopping drives and making sure the offense is set up in acceptable field position. Josh Hutchison has two interceptions in three games, while sophomores Drew Berube, Schuyler File and Jordan Knudsen have provided a strong push along the defensive line in all three games.
The Chargers and Bulldogs have a long football history between them, and have quite a few common elements along the way. Hillsdale head coach Keith Otterbein led the Bulldog program from 1986-1994, taking Ferris State on a long run of success, particularly over his final three seasons in Big Rapids. At his side was current Charger offensive coordinator Barry Fagan, who stayed at Ferris State in 1995 and coached one of the top offenses in the country that season.
Current FSU head coach Jeff Pierce took over the program for Otterbein and has kept the Bulldogs among the top contenders in the GLIAC for more than a decade.
Last year the two teams played a classic, emotion-filled game at a drizzly Muddy Waters Stadium. Just three days after the passing of legendary Hillsdale coach Frank "Muddy" Waters, the Chargers played an inpsited game, overcoming an early 14-0 deficit to upend the Bulldogs, 29-27. The loss was one of just three suffered by Ferris State in 2006.
The Bulldogs will be led by returning starting quarterback C.J. VanWieren, who rushed the ball 36 times for 180 yards and four touchdowns in last year's game against Hillsdale. VanWieren is a big, strong signal-caller, and was named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week after the first game of this season.
Hillsdale has beaten Ferris State in back-to-back years, and leads the all-time series 21-16-1. The two teams have met every year since 1972, one of the longest continuous rivalries Hillsdale has on its football schedule. The two teams entered the 2007 season with the same number of all-time conference victories (138).
This game will represent Hillsdale's latest kickoff time of the season. On Oct. 6, the Chargers face the University of Indianapolis on the road in a 6 p.m. start.
Click on the links below for information on Saturday night's game.
Hillsdale Game Notes
Ferris State Football Gameday Page
Hillsdale College (3-0) travels to Big Rapids to tangle with Ferris State University (1-2) at 7 p.m. Saturday in Top Taggert Field. This marks Hillsdale's first trip to Big Rapids since Week 3 of the 2004 season.
The Chargers have stormed to the top of the GLIAC standings, thanks to their first 3-0 start since 1992. The team is averaging 50 points per game and leads the conference in scoring, passing offense, total offense, pass efficiency, total touchdowns, sacks against and turnover margins. The offense has been unstoppable so far, and the man at the controls is senior quarterback Mark Nicolet.
The reigning GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week, Nicolet has been on fire to start the season, setting a new career-high in passing yards in back-to-back weeks. Last week vs. Ashland, Nicolet set a school record with 426 passing yards in the Chargers' 49-28 thrashing of the Eagles. Through three games, Nicolet has thrown for 1,029 yards, 11 touchdowns and just one interception. He's operating the offense at an extremely high level, and is using his offensive teammates in the most effective way possible.
Junior wide receiver Aaron Waldie has been Nicolet's favorite target. Waldie is off to a scorching start to the season, catching 21 passes for 465 yards and eight touchdowns. In years past, Waldie's receiving yards total and TD catches would have led the team after an 11-game schedule, but his three-game totals have put him in another stratosphere. Waldie leads all of Division II in receiving yards per game (155.0) and is tied for second in all-purpose yards and receing yards. His 48 points also tie him for third nationally among all non-kickers.
While Hillsdale's offense has lit up scoreboards around the conference, the defense has played its part effectively as well. The Charger defense leads the GLIAC in red-zone defense and is second in opposing teams' third-down conversion rate. That means Hillsdale is doing a nice job at stopping drives and making sure the offense is set up in acceptable field position. Josh Hutchison has two interceptions in three games, while sophomores Drew Berube, Schuyler File and Jordan Knudsen have provided a strong push along the defensive line in all three games.
The Chargers and Bulldogs have a long football history between them, and have quite a few common elements along the way. Hillsdale head coach Keith Otterbein led the Bulldog program from 1986-1994, taking Ferris State on a long run of success, particularly over his final three seasons in Big Rapids. At his side was current Charger offensive coordinator Barry Fagan, who stayed at Ferris State in 1995 and coached one of the top offenses in the country that season.
Current FSU head coach Jeff Pierce took over the program for Otterbein and has kept the Bulldogs among the top contenders in the GLIAC for more than a decade.
Last year the two teams played a classic, emotion-filled game at a drizzly Muddy Waters Stadium. Just three days after the passing of legendary Hillsdale coach Frank "Muddy" Waters, the Chargers played an inpsited game, overcoming an early 14-0 deficit to upend the Bulldogs, 29-27. The loss was one of just three suffered by Ferris State in 2006.
The Bulldogs will be led by returning starting quarterback C.J. VanWieren, who rushed the ball 36 times for 180 yards and four touchdowns in last year's game against Hillsdale. VanWieren is a big, strong signal-caller, and was named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week after the first game of this season.
Hillsdale has beaten Ferris State in back-to-back years, and leads the all-time series 21-16-1. The two teams have met every year since 1972, one of the longest continuous rivalries Hillsdale has on its football schedule. The two teams entered the 2007 season with the same number of all-time conference victories (138).
This game will represent Hillsdale's latest kickoff time of the season. On Oct. 6, the Chargers face the University of Indianapolis on the road in a 6 p.m. start.
Click on the links below for information on Saturday night's game.
Hillsdale Game Notes
Ferris State Football Gameday Page
33 East College St.
Hillsdale,
MI
49242
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