FOOTBALL: Ferris Defense To Face Very Balanced, Tough Hillsdale Offense

Ferris State University is hoping its defense will be able to stand the test of a strong Hillsdale College offensive unit. (Photo/Rob Bentley, Ferris State University Athletics Communications)

Ferris State University is in for a tough contest when it heads down to Hillsdale College to play the Chargers in this season-opening contest scheduled for 7 p.m. at Frank "Muddy" Waters Stadium on Friday evening.

Hillsdale brings a balanced attack to the field (on the offensive side of the football). The Chargers suffered some graduation losses, but don't think this team is not stacked enough to cause a lot of teams a lot of problems.

Lets take a look at Hillsdale on the offensive side of the football (borrowed from the preview I wrote for the GLIAC):

Offensively, quarterback Troy Weatherhead, a junior, is back and with a valuable year of experience under his belt. Andre Holmes, a senior receiver, could be ready for a breakthrough campaign after leading the GLIAC in yards last season. Mike Blanchard returns as a senior, too. He is a solid possession-type receiver while Holmes is more of the game-breaker type. In the offensive backfield, Joe Glendening could be the man Weatherhead hands the ball to quite a bit to keep defenses honest with a solid running attack. The offensive line should be anchored by Phil Doerfler, a senior. Last season, the Chargers had a powerful offensive unit led by standout all-everything lineman Jared Veldheer, receiver A.J. Kegg and workhorse running back Vinnie Panizzi.

What makes Hillsdale tough is the balanced aspect of its offensive attack. You have to like that the Chargers have an experienced quarterback (Weatherhead), a game breaker at receiver (Holmes), a possession-type receiver (Blanchard) and a solid running back (Glendening).

The offensive line suffered major loss in Jared Veldheer, who is working on his National Football League dream, but the unit remains solid.

Ferris knows that Hillsdale has a potent offense that is likely to put up 21 to 28 points (if not more). The Bulldogs are going to have to score some points and the defense is going to have to get off the field by getting third-down stops.