SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – It came down to the final possession with time ticking away, but top seed Notre Dame (OH) held on to defeat Great Midwest Athletic Conference representative Hillsdale in the second round of the NCAA playoffs on Saturday, 19-14.
The Chargers made a valiant upset bid, but as QB Chance Stewart rolled right, his desperation pass went through one defender’s hands and deflected again off a receiver before the ball fell to the ground with 0:00 on the clock.
Weather was not conducive to a shootout for either side as strong winds were gusting along with mixed rain throughout the game at Mueller Stadium.
But Hillsdale will probably look back at this one and classify this as one that got away from its clutches. The Chargers committed two costly turnovers near NDC’s goal line as ball security was a factor from the opening kickoff.
Even then, Hillsdale was the nation’s second-least penalized team going in, was flagged for three calls on what turned out to be the game’s final drive.
This was the second straight year that the Great Midwest pulled an upset and advanced into the second round of the Super Region One bracket. The Chargers rolled past Kutztown a weekend ago and after practicing through the Thanksgiving holiday, had big aspirations going into Saturday.
Similar to the Kutztown storyline, Hillsdale started out of the gates a little slow, but 14 unanswered points in the second half and a 3-and-out defensive stand on the Falcons’ second drive after the break appeared to change the team’s fortunes.
The Chargers grabbed their first lead of the game with 6:12 left in the third quarter as Stewart linked up with senior star Trey Brock from 40 yards out for a 14-10 lead.
Previously, Stewart converted a quarterback sneak from the 1-yard line that was set up on a 33-yard pass play to tight end John Brennan as he dragged defenders down towards the end zone.
The Falcons cut the lead to one on a Tanner Harding field goal and QB Chris Brimm took Notre Dame on the game-winning drive with just 2:15 left in regulation.
Brimm tossed a 26-yard TD pass to Markus Hood and even with a failed 2-point try, Hillsdale still needed to drive most of the field for a touchdown to win.
It turned out to be the final stand for the Great Midwest Player of the Year and Harlon Hill Award nominee Stewart, who shattered the league’s single-season passing yardage total in the first round of the playoffs.
For Great Midwest Coach of the Year Keith Otterbein, his senior field general put his team in position to win. The Chargers finished their 2018 season as the Great Midwest champion and concluded the year with an AFCA ranking of No. 23 and a 10-3 overall record.