Hillsdale 29, UIndy 17
INDIANAPOLIS- Lightning forced the game back 90 minutes as the visiting Hillsdale Chargers provided the early thunder in a 29-17 win to spoil UIndy's home opener Saturday night at Key Stadium. A crowd of 3,213 waited patiently for the weather system to pass and had to wait until the second half to cheer for a home team score with its conference rival.
UIndy (1-3, 0-3 GLIAC) struggled to find a rhythm offensively and Hillsdale took advantage of a pair of interceptions to build a 19-0 halftime lead. The lead could have been more if not for a missed field goal at the end of the half after the Greyhounds burned multiple time outs in an attempt to ice the kicker.
Coming out of the locker room for the second half, both teams made a change at quarterback. For UIndy, it was Lance Lasker coming on to relieve Rob Doyle and Hillsdale was forced to go to its backup after Troy Weatherhead sustained an injury and was unavailable.
Lasker was intercepted on his first drive and Billy Kanitz later cashed it in from two-yards out for a commanding 26-0 margin. But, as is standard in this series, the game would feature a comeback by the home team.
The Hounds finally got on the board late in the third when Lasker faked a handoff and marched into the endzone unscathed from four yards out and a 26-7 score. On the next drive, Deontrai Campbell (pictured) raced for 25 yards, part of his his game-high 101 yards rushing, to get the Hounds back into the red zone. Jace Morrison tacked-on a 38-yard field goal to whittle the lead to 26-10.
After the defense forced a punt, a muffed punt return gave Hillsdale the ball inside the 15-yardline, where Mark Petro gave three points back for a 29-10 score. The Hounds continued to battle, scoring on a fourth-down play in the next drive on a strike over the middle to Kevin Sanford, who eluded tacklers en route to a 34-yard catch-and-run to make it 29-17.
UIndy got the onsides kick, but could not convert on a fourth-and-nine play, giving Hillsdale the ball back with 3:20 left and just one timeout remaining. The Chargers salted the clock to earn the win to improve to 3-1, 2-1 in league play.
Mike Dum tallied a dozen total tackles and Leonard Bush had 10 to lead the UIndy defense. Dum also added 2.0 tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry. Eric Weber had three sacks for Hillsdale, part of the Chargers' four-sack night.
Doyle and Lasker combined to complete just 12-of-36 passes for 192 yards, a score and three interceptions. Sanford led all receivers with 81 yards on four catches.
The Greyhounds head back to the road for a noon kick at Saginaw Valley State next Saturday.
Notes: Campbell registered his second collegiate 100-yard rushing game ... Morrison's 38-yard field goal in the fourth quarter was the first field goal make for UIndy this season and marked a career long for the junior ... Sanford went over 2,000 yards receiving in his career, moving him into fourth place on the school's all-time list ... his TD catch was the 15th of his career, moving him into a tie for fifth in program history.
