Oilers Open 2016 at Home | Face SVSU
The Game
The Oilers will open up the 2016 season with a home game against Saginaw Valley State on Saturday, September 3 at 7:00 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:
If you can't watch the game in person, you can view the UFTV broadcast by clicking on the following link:
Live stats will also be available for all contests. A link to retrieve the live stats can be found on the schedule page of the website.
Coach Keys Weekly
Don't forget to tune into 88.3 FM "WLFC" for Coach Keys Weekly. The show is aired from 7-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday evenings.
Fans are also encouraged to send questions in for coach Keys through Twitter. Please send questions throughout the week on Twitter Tim Montgomery @Oilersonair.
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Follow the Oilers on social media to keep up with all the exciting news surrounding UF athletics.
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The Series
The Oilers currently trail the Cardinals in the series and have a record of 3-9. The series dates back to the year 2000 when the team's first matchup ended in a 31-6 loss for Findlay.
2013 was the last time the two squads clashed and that contest also ended in a Findlay loss, this game by a score of 35-34.
In that contest, the Oilers jumped out to a 20-7 lead after the first quarter, but SVSU outscored Findlay
21-7 in the second to take a 28-27 lead into halftime. After the break, Findlay took the lead on
a touchdown run from Daiquone Ford, but gave up a touchdown with 9:51 to play and could not answer.
Ford ended up rushing for 180 yards and four touchdowns while quarterback Verlon Reed threw picked up 265 yards through the air. His favorite target was Lloyd Henry who caught ten balls for 135 yards.
Head Coach Rob Keys
Head coach Rob Keys is in his sixth season at the helm of the Oilers football program in 2016. He has recorded a 32-22 record with the program as a head coach, which includes a 28-21 mark in GLIAC games.
For Findlay's 2016 coaching staff, please click on the following link:
The Oilers
The Oilers enter the 2016 season after posting a record in 2015 of six wins and five losses. That winning season marks the fourth winning season in the past five years for the Orange and Black. In those five seasons, the Oilers are averaging 34.24 points per game.
As a team in 2015, the Oilers were third in the GLIAC with 477.5 yards per game and fourth with 36.1 points per game.
Junior quarterback Rhys Gervais headlines the group of returners from last year's squad. Gervais is re-writing the Oilers' record books after just one season under center. Last year, the Puyallup, Washington native completed 228 passes in 362 attempts for 3,353 yards. 33 of those pases were for touchdowns. All of those numbers represent single-season records at Findlay.
The running attack will be led by junior Chauncy Bridges who will be taking the bulk of the handoffs for the second time in his careeer. Bridges rushed for 491 yards on 90 carries last year after picking up 643 yards on 119 carries in 2014. He, along with junior Daouda Sylla, transitioning from linebacker, are expected to take the bulk of the rushing attempts this season.
Senior linebackers Myles Alexander and Anthony Linnear will anchor the Oilers defense in 2016 after leading the team in tackles a year ago. The duo combined for 176 tackles, five sacks, and ten tackles for loss.
As a unit, the Oilers defense returns every starter from a year ago. This extra year of experience gives fans a reason to believe that the 37.2 points allowed per game in 2015 will not be repeated.
2016 Season Statistics
2016 Roster
The Cardinals
The Cardinals are coming off a season in which the compiled a record of just 1-10 with a 1-9 mark in GLIAC play. They lost their first six games of the season before defeating Lake Erie in Week 7. They
they lost their final four games. The biggest loss of the season came in the second game of the year against Tiffin where the Cardinals were shut out by a score of 40-0.
2016 Season Statistics
2016 Roster
Records for Rhys
Entering his second year as the Oilers signal caller, Rhys Gervais already has his name all over the Findlay record books. Last year he set multiple season records; passing yards (3,353), completions (228), pass attempts (362), total offense (3,439), and passing touchdowns (33).
After this outstanding first season, Gervais' name can also be found in the career record book, as well. He is currently seventh at UF with 362 pass attempts and, with a similar number in 2016, will pass Kevin Crooks' mark of 685 set from 2001-04. He is sixth in pass completions and again, could move into the top spot as Gervais is just 159 completions shy of Crooks' mark of 387.
Perhaps most impressive is the amount of yards Gervais has thrown for in just one year. Rhys currently sits in fifth at UF with 3,353 yards, just 1,150 yards shy of the record set by Verlon Reed from 2013-14.
Finally, Gervais is already tied for number one on the career list for passing touchdowns with 33 meaning that each of his touchdown passes this season will be adding to a record that is already his.
Throw it to Blunk
Senior wide receiver Dylan Blunk ranks ninth all time at Findlay with 97 receptions after leading the team last year with 65 receptions. He can quickly move into sixth place, needing to reach 119 to pass Ty Rhoad (106 / '03), Darren Paige (117 / '07), and Andy Witker (118 / '04).
Blunk is also nearing the top in receiving yards in a career as he currently ranks eighth all-time with 1,264 yds.. If he can duplicate his 839 yard performance from a season ago, he will move into second all-time. In game one, look for Blunk to pass Ty Rhoad (1,267 yds.) to move into seventh place on that list.
GLIAC Preseason Poll: The Oilers were picked to finish fourth in the GLIAC South Division this year, receiving 13 total points in the annual coaches poll. They trailed Tiffin University (19), Ohio Dominican (19) and Ashland University (25) in the South Division poll.
Grand Valley State University was tabbed as the favorite to win the North Division as the Lakers, ranked third in the country to begin the season, racked up a league-high 47 points.
Links
NCAA Division II Stats
NCAA
NCAA Division II Football
American Football Coaches Association
D2Football.com
GLIAC