November 9th, 2024 3:05pm
The Tiffin University football team entered Saturday's football game at Frank "Muddy" Waters Stadium a formidable opponent on paper, with the top statistical offense and defense in the G-MAC.
By the time the final whistle blew, however, host Hillsdale College proved itself the better team all-around in a stunning 20-17 upset that gives the Chargers a shot at a winning season and all but ends Tiffin's hopes of making the NCAA DII postseason.
The Chargers outgained the Dragons, holding a Tiffin offense that averaged 435 yards a game to just 248 in the loss, and bulldozed a defense that was giving up just 86 yards a game on the ground with 178 total rushing yards, decisively winning the time of possession battle.
Despite their advantages, it took clutch plays on both sides of the ball in the fourth quarter and overcoming a little adversity for Hillsdale to pull out the victory. Trailing 17-13 with 3:44 to play in the fourth quarter, Hillsdale looked like it had squandered its best shot at pulling the upset, as Tiffin forced and recovered a fumble on a potential fourth down conversion by the Chargers that would have given Hillsdale four shots to score the go-ahead touchdown from the Tiffin one-yard line had the Dragons not created the turnover.