Oilers Travel to Lake Erie
The University of Findlay football team (4-3, 4-2 will be back out on the road this week to take on Lake Erie College (1-6, 0-6). The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) contest is scheduled to begin at 1 pm in Painesville, Ohio.
Sights and Sounds
All Oilers football games can be heard on 88.3 FM "WLFC" or on the internet via their web site.
You can listen to the broadcast by clicking on the following link:
The University of Findlay will also broadcast all of their home football games on America One. The games can be viewed on your computer for a small fee by visiting America One website at the following address:
UF athletics will also offer live stats for all home games. A link to this process can be retrieved by clicking on the live stats window located on the left side of the Oilers athletic website.
The Series
The Oilers currently trail in the all-time series against Lake Erie 1-0 as the two programs met for the first time last year.
Lake Erie won the contest last year by a score of 48-45 on a last second, 22-yard field goal.
Monterae Williams paced the offense with 202 yards on 30 carries and also scored two touchdowns on the afternoon.
John Soli finished the game by completing 14-of-27 passes for 138 yards and three scores.
Dustin Zielaskiewicz recorded seven receptions for 68 yards and two scores while DaJerrian Smith hauled in four catches for 45 yards and a score.
Defensively, Brandon Butler made 15 tackles while Kenny Klatt registered 13 stops.
Craig Hoying added 11 tackles to go along with three tackles for a loss and a sack.
Head Coach Rob Keys
Rob Keys is currently in his first year as the head coach of the Oilers football team and has his squad off to a 4-3 start with a 4-2 record in the GLIAC in 2011.
Keys was previously the co-defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator for the Oilers from 2000-04.
In 2010, Keys served as the defensive backs coach at the University of New Hampshire. He helped coach the team to an 8-5 record in 2010 and a spot in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Playoffs. The Wildcats, who were ranked #10 in the nation, were then upended by the #5 University of Delaware Blue Hens 16-3 in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Before his time with the Wildcats, Keys spent four years as the special teams coordinator, recruiting coordinator and defensive backs coach at Slippery Rock University (2006-10).
Prior to his work at Slippery Rock, Keys served one season as the safeties coach and special teams coordinator at Indiana State University (2005) after his five-year run at Findlay.
Keys also spent three seasons coaching at his alma mater, West Virginia University, coaching running backs, special teams, tight ends, tackles, quarterbacks and wide receivers.
As a player at West Virginia, Keys was a two-year letter winner and a 1995 team co-captain. He won the Mountaineer Club Award twice (1994-95), the highest honor a West Virginia player can receive. He was also given the Scott Shirley Award for the special teams MVP in 1995 and participated in the USF&G Sugar Bowl and Carquest Bowl during his tenure as a player.
Keys graduated from West Virginia in 1996 with a bachelor's degree in physical education and then later earned his master's degree in the same field in 1998 from WVU as well.
He also obtained a post-graduate degree from the Marine Military Academy (Harlingen, Texas).
Coach Keys and his wife, Jenifer, are the parents of three daughters, Katie, Casey and Kaylee.
For Findlay's 2011 coaching staff, please click on the following link:
The Oilers
The Oilers are coming off of a 27-24 win at home against Ohio Dominican.
Isaiah Ballard forced and recovered two fumbles in the fourth quarter to seal the game and ended with ten stops in the win.
Monterae Williams led the offense with 111 yards on 27 carries while Clay Belton completed 12-of-20 passes for 140 yards and a score.
Jaryd Brown caught five passes for 58 yards and a score while Seth White registered three catches for 59 yards.
Ray Ballard had the one carry for 51 yards while Nathan Morris and Harold Jones-Quartey each hauled in one pass each.
Defensively, Donte Johnson registered a career-high 14 tackles.
For Findlay's 2011 season statistics, please click on the following link:
For Findlay's 2011 roster, please click on the following link:
Lake Erie Head Coach
Head coach Mark McNellie is currently in his fifth year with the Storm and his squad off to a 1-6 start.
McNellie arrived at Lake Erie by way of Mercyhurst College, where he spent 17 years on the football coaching staff - the last four as assistant head coach.
While coaching for the Lakers, McNellie served as both an offensive and defensive coordinator.
Before his tenure at Mercyhurst, McNellie spent two years at Fairmont State University where he served one year each as the offensive line and defensive line coach.
The Storm
The Lake Erie College football team went toe-to-toe for 45 minutes with Grand Valley State University last Saturday night, but the visiting Lakers exploded for 28 points in the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter to turn a tight two-point game into a 61-31 win at Jack Britt Memorial Stadium.
Sean Bedevelsky completed 22-of-38 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns, but had his consecutive streak of passes without an interception ended at 151. He also rushed for 66 yards as the Storm totaled a season-high 482 yards on offense.
David Romeo led the ground game for Lake Erie with 79 yards on four carries and Rodney Smith chipped in with 74 yards on 15 attempts.
Brandon James caught six passes for 82 yards and Aaron Lindgren had four grabs for 81.
Marcus Rogers, Steve Bensinger and Cameron Bryant each had nine tackles apiece on defense for Lake Erie.
For Lake Erie's 2011 season statistics, please click on the following link
For Lake Erie's 2011 roster, please click on the following link:
Forcing Turnovers
The Oilers are currently third in the GLIAC with a +9 advantage in the turnover column. The total is also the 12th best mark in the nation.
Churning Out Rushing Yards
The Oilers currently lead the GLIAC and are 18th in the nation in rushing yards per game at 232.9.
Individually, junior running back Monterae Williams ranks second in the GLIAC in rushing yards per game at 131.7 per contest, which is also the ninth best mark nationally.
Getting In the End Zone
Junior running back Monterae Williams has scored 13 touchdowns this season, the second best total in the GLIAC.
Wiliams has found the end zone 12 times on the ground and one other time through the air. His touchdown total is the sixth best in the nation.
Making Stops
Junior linebacker Brandon Butler ranks third in the conference in tackles per game at 9.6.
Senior defensive back Isaiah Ballard is tenth with 8.3 tackles per game while senior defensive back Donte Johnson is 14th at 8.0 stops per contest.
Defending the Pass
The Oilers currently rank fifth in the GLIAC, surrendering only 190.4 yards per game through the air.
The team has also picked off nine passes on the year, the third best mark in the GLIAC.
Individually, senior defensive back Isaiah Ballard ranks eighth in the league in passes defensed with six while junior defensive back Bryan Womack and senior defensive back Donte Johnson are tied for ninth with two interceptions.
Knocking the Ball Loose
Senior defensive back Isaiah Ballard currently leads the GLIAC and all of NCAA Division II football in forced fumbles with six on the season.
Ballard has also recovered four fumbles, which is also the best mark in the GLIAC as well as the nation.
Junior linebacker Brandon Butler has also benefited from Ballard and ranks fourth in the GLIAC with two fumble recoveries on the year.
Moving the Chains
The Oilers are averaging 21.6 first downs per game, the fifth best total in the GLIAC. They are also ranked sixth in time of possession, controlling the ball for 30:25 per game.
3 Points
Freshman kicker Zack Housholder is currently eighth in the GLIAC and ranks 32nd in the nation with six field goals.
He is chasing the single season school record of 14, set by Cameron Stevens in 2009.
Rumblin', Bumblin' and Stumblin'
Freshman defensive tackle D.J. Williams had an 86-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Oilers 27-24 win over Ohio Dominican on October 15. The interception return for a touchdown was the Oilers first since Bryon Rizzi returned one 27-yards for a score against Ferris State on September 12, 2009.
GLIAC & National Defensive Player Of The Week
Senior defensive back Isaiah Ballard was tabbed the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and NCAA Division II Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Oilers 26-20 win at Grand Valley State University on Saturday, September 24.
Ballard had a big hand in the Oilers defense forcing six turnovers as he caused three fumbles and returned one 39-yards for a touchdown.
The Toledo, Ohio native also notched a season-high ten tackles and made one stop behind the line of scrimmage in the victory.
Piling Up Yards
Junior running back Monterae Williams is the Oilers most decorated player. In 2009, Williams was tabbed the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Freshman of the Year and also earned second team all-league honors. Last year, Williams was named honorable mention all-conference and is looking to add to his accolades this season.
During his freshman year, Williams rushed for 937 yards and six touchdowns and followed with 1,107 yards and four scores during his sophomore campaign.
This season, Williams has rushed for 922 yards in seven games.
For his career, Williams has rushed for 2,966 yards and will have the opportunity to crack the top-five mark in school history this season.
Nate Sprunger (1989-92) currently has the fifth best total in career rushing yards at 3,021, which is 55 yards more than Williams' total.
Nelson Boldon (1977-80) is the all-time leader in rushing yards at UF. He accumulated 4,009 yards during his tenure with the Oilers.
Preseason GLIAC Coaches Poll
The Oilers were selected to finish fifth in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) South Division during the 2011 season as the league office unveiled their annual preseason coaches poll on August 18.
The Oilers received 36 votes, to tie Lake Erie College.
The Oilers finished last season with a 1-10 record, which included a 1-9 mark in the GLIAC.
Links
For complete NCAA Division II football statistics, please click on the following link:
For information about the American Football Coaches Association, please click on the following link:
For more information about NCAA Division II football, please click on the following link:
For more information on the GLIAC, please click on the following link: