Late Field Goal, Fourth-Down Stand Lift Football To First Win Of 2024

The Traveling Trophy will come back with the Ashland University football team from Michigan.
 
On Saturday (Sept. 21) afternoon, the Eagles won their first game of 2024, 24-21, at Hillsdale, following a 30-yard field goal from junior kicker A.J. Rhodes with 1:46 to go, then a fourth-down defensive stand.
 
Ashland is 1-2 overall and 1-0 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, and the Chargers are 0-3, 0-1. The Eagles will maintain possession of the Traveling Trophy, following a contest which is one of only a few NCAA-recognized trophy games.
 
Ashland took its first lead of the season on its longest run of the year to date when sophomore tailback Olando Kamara went 17 yards on a run for a 7-0 advantage. For Kamara, it was his first collegiate TD.
 
The Eagles then got a defensive touchdown to go up two scores when sophomore linebacker Jack Talkington stepped in front of a pass and went 73 yards to score his first collegiate major.
 
Hillsdale then got its own pick-six, a 68-yarder from linebacker Carson Ingram, early in the second quarter to cut the Charger deficit to 14-6.
 
Coming out of halftime, the Eagles extended their lead back to two touchdowns when sophomore tailback Ty'aris Stephenson went in from a yard out. Ashland led 21-6 with 10:12 left in the third quarter.
 
Hilldale kept coming back thanks to a 40-yard touchdown pass late in the third from quarterback Colin McKernan to wide receiver Connor Pratt.
 
Trailing 21-13 going into the final period, the Chargers knotted the game at 21 with 5:29 left in regulation when McKernan found tailback Zach Tetler for a 15-yard passing TD. The two-point conversion succeeded, as well.
 
That lead to Rhodes' field goal inside of the two-minute timeout – which was followed by a Chargers fourth-down pass which was broken up by sophomore linebacker Ben Holzopfel.
 
JOHNSON'S BIG RECEIVING DAY…AND THE REST OF THE STORY

• Junior wide receiver Dru Johnson, announced this past week as a member of the 2024 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, caught a career-high four passes for a career-best 124 yards in the victory.
• Kamara came close to his first collegiate 100-yard rushing game, ending with 89 yards and a score on 19 carries.
• Talkington finished with nine total tackles (six solo) and the pick-six, Holzopfel had seven total stops (three solo), a forced fumble and two pass breakups, and junior defensive end Michael Shimek recorded two sacks.

UP NEXT
Back home to Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field on Sept. 28 at 1 p.m. vs. Tiffin. That will be AU's Military and First Responder Appreciation game.