HILLSDALE, Mich. – Trailing by 13 at halftime and by nine at the end of the third quarter, the Ohio Dominican football team rallied to defeat Hillsdale 34-29 on the road Saturday afternoon in GLIAC play.

The Panthers (4-2, 4-2 GLIAC) earned their fifth come from behind victory when trailing at halftime since becoming an NCAA Division II institution in 2010. This was the first win for ODU when trailing at intermission since a 28-24 victory over Grand Valley State on September 13 of last season. ODU has also recorded 31 consecutive victories over unranked opponents.

After a 43 yard field goal from Hillsdale, the Panthers trailed 23-14 with just under three minutes remaining in the third quarter. Sophomore Grant Russell (Newark, OH) connected on a 23 yard touchdown pass over the middle to freshman Cory Contini (Dover, OH) for his first career receiving score to bring ODU to within 23-21 less than a minute into the fourth quarter.

Just three plays later, redshirt senior Brad McCurdy (Columbus, OH) would pick off Charger quarterback Chance Stewart, giving ODU the ball on the Hillsdale 41 yard line.

After runs of 14 and 19 yards by redshirt sophomore Darryl Johnson (Mason, OH) the Panthers would have first and goal inside the 10 yard line. Freshman Esaias Chapman (Waverly, GA) capped the drive with a five yard touchdown run, giving ODU a 27-23 lead with 12:14 left, its first lead since the opening possession.

The Chargers (1-5, 1-4 GLIAC) would take their next drive to midfield before the Panthers forced a turnover on downs. On the first offensive play, Russell connected again with Contini for a 55 yard catch and run, giving ODU the ball on the Hillsdale one yard line. Redshirt sophomore Aaron Everson (Bartlett, IL) would score on the next play as the Black and Gold led 34-23 with 9:24 left in the fourth quarter.

After a 12 play, 65 yard touchdown drive and a failed two-point conversion, Hillsdale cut the Panther lead to 34-29 with 4:19 remaining in the fourth period. This would be the last score of the contest, however, as ODU's defense was able to stop the Charger offense on fourth down inside the Panther 30 yard line.

Johnson finished the contest with a career high in both carries and rushing yards, going for 133 yards on 23 attempts. He also posted two touchdowns for his second multi-score game this season.

Russell completed 15-of-25 pass attempts for 221 yards and the one touchdown. Russell has now thrown for over 200 yards in five consecutive games, and posted zero interceptions for the third time this season.

In his first extended action of the season, Contini tied for the team lead in receptions with four, going for a team high 112 yards. ODU has now had one receiver go for at least 100 yards in four consecutive games.

McCurdy paced the Panthers with a season high 10 tackles, falling one shy of his career best. He also had a team high two tackles for loss to go along with his interception.

Senior Austin Osborne (Jackson, OH) and junior Marquise Tyus (Lakewood, OH) each added eight tackles, and each had one tackle for loss.

The Panthers opened up the scoring on their first drive with an 11 play, 74 yard drive, capped by a 20 yard touchdown run up the middle by Johnson. This was the first time this season the Panthers scored a touchdown on their opening possession.

Hillsdale answered on the next possession with a 90 yard touchdown pass, tying the game at 7-7 with 7:23 remaining in the opening period. The Chargers added two field goals and touchdown, as they took a 20-7 lead into the intermission.

ODU would be outgained offensively 440-365 for the contest. The Panthers had a balanced attack offensively, throwing for over 200 yards and rushing for 144. The Black and Gold defense stepped up in the second half allowing under 200 yards of offense to Hillsdale.

The Panthers will be back in action at 12 p.m. next Saturday when they travel to No. 4 Ferris State in a rematch of the 2014 NCAA Regional Semifinal.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu