Hillsdale — As the Hillsdale fans rushed the field, Grand Valley State University quarterback Heath Parling and the rest of the Lakers walked off the field in shock after falling 34-31 on a last-second Chargers’ field goal.
A botched snap, a lowly 22-yard punt by and a roughing the kicker penalty gave Hillsdale just enough time to sink the No. 4 Lakers. The Chargers nailed a 30-yard field goal with nine seconds left, giving GVSU their second loss to Hillsdale in three years.

Going into the fourth quarter, the Lakers had held Hillsdale’s star tailback, Joe Glendening, to only 2.8 yards per rushing attempt and had just taken the lead on a Norman Shuford touchdown. From their, the execution fell apart, as Hillsdale made a 30-yard field goal and scored on an 85-yard touchdown pass to take a 31-28 lead.
“Horrendous execution. We talked about that all week and we didn’t execute at all,” said GVSU head coach Matt Mitchell, whose team allowed 462 total yards in the game. “There were mistakes made at all levels – starting at the head coach and moving all the way down to the assistants and players.”

Those mistakes came early and often in the first half. Quarterback Heath Parling was only 5-of-12 for 118 yards in the first half, while the running backs – Shuford and Hersey Jackson – combined for only 49 yards on the ground. Parling also finished the first half with two interceptions, including one on a key drive late in the half.

“I‘m disappointed in myself, you can‘t throw three picks and expect to win a football game,” said Parling, who threw for only 194 yards. “We just need to keep working, there’s nothing else we can do. We’re not going to throw in the towel and we’re going to get better each and every week.”
To add insult to injury, Parling’s interceptions weren’t the only turnovers impacting the GVSU offense. Midway through the first quarter, the Lakers attempted a fake punt in their own territory, but came up two yards short and allowed the Chargers to take a 14-7 lead.
“The fake punt game them a short field – I count that as a turnover,” said Mitchell. “And then we had two (first half) picks by Heath, so we limited our possessions.”
Limited possessions was the name of the game in the first half. Hillsdale possessed the ball nearly twice as long as GVSU (20:10 to 9:50), while also out-gaining the Lakers, 246 yards to 172.
The second half brought new life for the Lakers, as they rallied to take the 28-21 lead going into the fourth. They held the Chargers, then playing backup quarterback Matt Bryan, to only 22 yards in the third.
However, the strong effort of the third did not carry over to the fourth. The GVSU rushing offense stalled in the quarter as the Lakers failed to punch it in from three yards out with 8:40 to go.
Wide receiver Charles Johnson had a big game, finishing with six receptions for 161 yards and a touchdown, while Shuford had his moments – finishing with 94 rushing yards – but the team’s inability to score in the redzone cost them late in the game.

“We just need to get better, watch film, get better in practice. That‘s what it’s going to come down to,” Parling said. “Ultimately, we have to get it done when the game’s on the line in the redzone. I don’t know how we’re going to, but we’re going to find a way to get it done.”

Despite the immediate shock of the loss, the Lakers will not dwell on the game. Mistakes cost them a key conference road win, and they acknowledge that, but the team will look to put the loss behind them and begin to focus on next week’s game at the University of Indianapolis.

“Hillsdale is a tough opponent and they always play us well, but it was a big game for all of us – we all knew it and we all knew what we were coming into,” said senior linebacker Brad Howard. “All next week, throughout practice, we just have to focus. We just need to get our minds off this game, it’s a tough loss, but we need to focus on the task ahead of us next week.”