Box Score
NCAA DII Bowl Game Roundup
HOBART, Ind. – Meeting for the second time this season, Hillsdale left it all on the field in the final appearance of the 2021 campaign against Truman State in the second annual America’s Crossroads Bowl Game at Brickyard Stadium on Saturday.
The Chargers were the Great Midwest Athletic Conference representative vs. the Bulldogs of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) as Truman State won by a final score of 34-17.
QB Garrit Aissen connected with WR Isaac TeSlaa for a big play and first team all-conference LB Alex Anschutz delivered a long fumble return for a touchdown as the Chargers enjoyed a postseason opportunity in December.
Hillsdale and Truman State previously met in Week 3 of the regular season as part of a scheduling alliance between the two leagues. The Bulldogs would win their second consecutive America’s Crossroads Bowl Game after beating Ohio Dominican in 2019.
Each team’s defense kept the offense grounded in the first half as the Bulldogs led 6-3 at halftime. HC junior DL Kendall Tobin had the highlight with back-to-back sacks to stall Truman State’s final drive of the second quarter.
Tobin single-handedly pushed the Bulldogs out of field goal range and a 54-yard field goal try before the intermission fell short. All-conference kicker Julian Lee booted a 34-yard field goal to match Truman State’s field goal from 26 yards on the game’s opening drive.
There are only four different bowl games in Division II football (three played on Saturday, Dec. 4) including the Farmers Bank and Trust Live United Bowl and Fun Town RV Heritage Bowl. The Mineral Water Bowl was canceled for the second consecutive season.
Truman State RB Cory Schrader came into the game as Division II’s leading rusher and added to those totals while going over 2,000 yards on the season. Schrader had 219 yards on 28 carries while being named Offensive MVP. He also had three rushing touchdowns from distances of 44, 23 and 1-yard out.
His teammate Ben Watson earned Defensive MVP honors after recording six tackles and an interception in the end zone to stop a Hillsdale scoring threat
Anschutz made the game 27-17 with a strip sack and a return of 88 yards with 2:48 in regulation.
Aissen completed 24-of-35 passes for 263 yards in the effort. He threw a long bomb caught by TeSlaa for a 56-yard touchdown that gave the Chargers a 10-6 lead early in the third quarter out of the locker room. This season, Aissen performed admirably after being pressed into duty with a slew of injuries that affected the backfield personnel. Those injuries went as far back as the spring that reshuffled around the team's depth chart most notably at running back.
From then, The Bulldogs reeled off 21 unanswered points in the second half to make up the brief deficit. Schrader capped an 89-yard play drive with a 23-yard dash as the Bulldogs nearly drove the entire length of the field.
Hillsdale finished out the 2021 season with wins over the conference championship finalists Tiffin and Findlay to get in position for the bowl game appearance. The Chargers closed out the year with an 8-4 record under head coach Keith Otterbein. Truman State concluded the 2021 fall with a record of 7-5 overall.