Oilers to Host Eagles on Saturday
The University of Findlay football team will host Ashland University on Saturday, Nov. 2. The GLIAC game is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. in Donnell Stadium.
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 the internet. You can watch the games live by clicking on the following link:
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.
Coach Keys Weekly
Don't forget to tune into 88.3 FM "WLFC" for Coach Keys Weekly. The radio show will be broadcast live from Fricker's every Monday evening during the season. The show is aired live from 6-7 p.m. on Monday evenings. Fans are encouraged to attend the show so they can listen live over the sound system and enjoy the great food Fricker's has to offer.
Fans are also encouraged to send questions in for coach Keys through Twitter. Please send questions during the show to Tim Montgomery and Jason Granger at @Oilersonair.
To find an archive of the show, please click below:
For more information on Fricker's, please click below:
The Series
The Oilers trail 25-14-4 in the all-time series against the Eagles dating back to the 1924 campaign when Ashland came out on top by a score of 33-0.
The Eagles topped the Oilers by a score of 41-21 last year in Ashland.
Clay Belton finished the game by completing 24-of-38 passing attempts for 288 yards and two touchdowns.
Seth White caught nine passes for 107 yards while Jaryd Brown hauled in six passes for 76 yards.
Alex Kovach made five receptions for 65 yards while Monterae Williams churned out 83 yards and a score on 24 carries.
Head Coach Rob Keys
Head coach Rob Keys is currently in his third season at the helm of the Oilers football program and has his team off to a 5-3 start.
In his second season with the Oilers, Keys posted a 7-3 record with the same mark in GLIAC competition. The Oilers showed improvement from their first season under Keys and saw six players earn either first or second team all-conference honors.
Keys led the Oilers to a 6-5 record during his first season as head coach, which included a 6-4 mark in the GLIAC. The win total marked a five-game improvement from the year before and included standout wins against Grand Valley State University and Wayne State University.
The Oilers, who had lost 11 straight to GVSU, claimed a 26-20 win on the road against the Lakers in the fourth week of the season and then defeated #22 Wayne State University on the road by a score of 43-42 in overtime to close the campaign.
Keys, who was hired as the head coach of the Oilers football program on December 16, 2010, previously served as 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.
For Findlay's 2013 coaching staff, please click on the following link:
The Oilers
The Oilers used a record-breaking performance by Daiquone Ford to claim a 48-27 win over Lake Erie last week.
Ford ended the game with 44 carries for 317 yards and six touchdowns, which included a 91-yard scamper for a score late in the third quarter.
His rushing attempts eclipsed the previous record of 42, which was set by Joel McDaniel against Wayne State University during the 2007 season. His 317 rushing yards bested the previous single-game record of 286, which was set by Allen Smith against Waynesburg in 1965.
Defensively, Harold Jones-Quartey registered a career-high 17 tackles and also added an interception in the game.
Tory Clark made seven stops to go along with an interception while Jamon McClain also had seven tackles and a pick.
Kevin Brewton lived in the Storm backfield during the win and came away with five tackles, four tackles for a loss and three sacks.
For Findlay's 2013 season statistics, please click on the following link:
For Findlay's 2013 roster, please click on the following link:
The Eagles
The Eagles are 4-4 on the season with a 4-3 record in conference play. They have been led by Anthony Taylor, who has 221 rushing attempts for 1,302 yards and ine touchdowns.
Tra'Von Chapman has thrown for 77 yards and six touchdowns while Vance Settlemire has rushed for 233 yards and five scores.
Jamie Meder leads the Ashland defense and has racked up 72 tackles on the year.
Chris Harvey has made 68 stops while Kyle Tomko has picked off three passes.
For Ashland's 2013 season statistics, please click on the following link
For Ashland's 2013 roster, please click on the following link:
A Game for the Ages
Sophomore running back Daiquone Ford carried the ball 44 times for 317 yards and six touchdowns in the Oilers 48-27 win over Lake Erie on Oct. 27. His carries and yards in the game were good enough for new school records.
His rushing attempts eclipsed the previous record of 42, which was set by Joel McDaniel against Wayne State University during the 2007 season. His 317 rushing yards bested the previous single-game record of 286, which was set by Allen Smith against Waynesburg in 1965.
Running into the Record Books
Sophomore running back Daiquone Ford is chasing multiple single-season rushing records this season. He is looking to break the records for most carries in a season, most rushing yards in a season and most rushing touchdowns in a season.
Robert Campbell holds the record for most rushing attempts in a season with 340 during the 2002 campaign. Dana Wright meanwhile holds the record with 1,824 rushing yards during the 1985 season while Allen Smith set a record with 24 rushing scores during the 1965 campaign.
With three games remaining, Ford has accumulated 237 rushing attempts for 1,394 yards and 19 touchdowns.
A Workhorse Back
Sophomore running back Daiquone Ford ranks first in the GLIAC and third in the nation in rushing yardage per game, churning out 174.2 yards per contest. He also leads the GLIAC and ranks ninth nationally in all purpose yardage, racking up 191.9 yards per game.
Ford ranks leads the league in rushing touchdowns with 19 on the year, which is also the second best total in the nation, and leads the GLIAC with 237 rushing attempts.
He has run for over 100 yards in seven games this season.
Record Catching
Senior wide receiver Seth White broke the school record for career receptions in the Oilers 35-14 win at Tiffin on Oct. 12. White now has 142 catches during his career.
White also ranks sixth all-time at Findlay with 1,847 career receiving yards and is chasing Hatfield for fifth place. Hatfield accumulated 1,920 receiving yards during his career.
In addition, senior tight end Jaryd Brown is seventh all-time with 121 career receptions and seventh all-time with 1,488 career receiving yards.
He is chasing Jason Hamby (1995-98) for sixth place on the all-time receptions list. Hamby caught 127 passes for the Oilers during his tenure with the team.
An Elite Offense
The Oilers rank second in the GLIAC and 12th nationally in yardage per game, racking up 514.6 total yards per contest. They are averaging 254.6 yards per game on the ground, the third best total in the league and 16th best total in the nation, and are throwing for 260.0 yards per game through the air, which is the fifth best mark in the GLIAC.
Putting Points on the Board
The Oilers are averaging 37.2 points per game on the year, the sixth best total in the GLIAC.
Moving the Chains
The Oilers are averaging 24.9 first downs per game, the third best total in the GLIAC. Their first down average is also the 15th best mark in the nation.
Sticky Hands
Junior wide receiver Lloyd Henry ranks second in the conference in receptions with 56 on the year. He is also ranked second in receiving touchdowns with six on the season and ranks third with 94.4 receiving yards per game.
The Garfield Heights, Ohio native ranks 21st nationally in receptions and 28th in receiving yards.
Henry is also on pace to break several school records this season. He has a chance to break records for receptions in a season and receiving yards in a season. He currently has 56 receptions for 755 yards.
Mike Chambers (2008-09) holds both marks. He had 74 receptions in 2008 and posted 1,027 receiving yards in 2009.
Additionally, senior wide receiver Seth White is ranked 12th in the conference in receiving yards with 466 and is 18th in the league with 30 catches.
The Swiss Army Knife
Senior Seth White does a little bit of everything for the Oilers football team. On the year, White has made 30 receptions for 466 yards and three touchdowns. He has also made 4-of-6 field goal attempts and connected on 19-of-21 point after attempts.
White is also averaging 37.7 yards per punt and has placed nine inside the 20-yard line. For good measure, White has also recorded 33 passing yards and caught one two-point conversion on the year.
Antagonizing the Quarterback
Junior defensive end Kevin Brewton leads the GLIAC and ranks 13th nationally with 8.5 sacks on the year. He is also the league leader in tackles for a loss with 11.0 so far.
As a team, the Oilers lead the GLIAC with a total of 29 sacks on the season. The sack total is also the sixth best mark in all of NCAA Division II football.
14 different players have recorded at least one sack on the year.
Getting Good Field Position
The Oilers are averaging 25.4 yards per kick return, the second best mark in the GLIAC. Their total is also the 12th best mark in all of NCAA Division II football.
Freshman defensive back Tory Clark ranks second in the GLIAC and 18th nationally with a 28.8 kick return average.
Racking up the Points
The Oilers scored 51 points in their win over Urbana this season. Under head coach Rob Keys, the Oilers have hung 50 or more points on an opponent twice now. They also accomplished the feat in a 50-27 victory against Tiffin in 2011.
The team has scored over 40 points in a game ten times since Keys took over control of the program in 2011.
GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week
Junior quarterback Verlon Reed was named the GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 30 after passing for 166 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 156 yards rushing and two scores on the ground in the Oilers 40-19 win over Michigan Tech on Sept. 28.
Record Smashing
The Oilers threw for 427 yards in their 41-31 loss at Northern Michigan on Sept. 14, which established a new school record. The previous record of 364 passing yards in a game was set in a 45-38 loss to Ashland on Nov. 8, 2008.
A Bolt of Lightning
Junior wide receiver Nathan Morris returned a kickoff 91 yards for a score against Urbana on Sept. 5 to mark the first time an Oilers player had accomplished the feat since the 1991 campaign.
Milan Smith was the last Oilers player to return a kick for a score and he did it from 92 yards out on Oct. 19, 1991 against Geneva College.
The school record for the longest kick return is 93 yards, accomplished by Adam Burdette against Wayne State during the 2000 campaign.
Morris was also named the GLIAC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in the win over Urbana.
Captains
Senior tight end Jaryd Brown, senior offensive lineman Justin Music, senior Seth White and senior Jamon McClain were voted as captains for the Oilers football team in 2013.
GLIAC Preseason Poll
The Oilers were picked to finish third in the GLIAC South Division this year, receiving 69 total points and one first place vote in the annual coaches poll.
The Oilers finished the 2012 campaign with a 7-3 record, which was good for a tie for second place with Ohio Dominican in the South Division.
Preseason All-American Honors
Senior defensive back Ray Ballard was voted a 2013 preseason NCAA Division II All-American by USA College Football.
Ballard, a second team all-conference performer last year for the Oilers, was tabbed a first team All-American by the organization.
Senior wide receiver Seth White also earned praise from the organization and was tabbed a preseason honorable mention selection.
Preseason All-Ohio
Ohio College Football released their annual preseason All-Ohio teams on Aug. 6 and four Oilers were tabbed first team.
Senior wide receiver Seth White, senior tight end Jaryd Brown and senior offensive lineman Justin Music all earned first team honors on offense while senior defensive back Ray Ballard captured first team honors on the defensive side of the ball.
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: