Findlay Puts Streak on the Line at Hillsdale
The Game
The Oilers head to Hillsdale, Michigan to take on the Chargers of Hillsdale College in a Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) matchup that features two of the conference's top title contenders. The game, which will be streamed on ESPN3 and WatchESPN, will kickoff at 1:00 pm.
Radio
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:
Video Stream
Video for the contest will be provided by ESPN and can be watched on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app:
Commentators
Dave Armstrong (play-by-play): Armstrong spent nine years doing play-by-play in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals and Colorado Rockies and has done National Football League (NFL) broadcasts for both the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs. He has also announced games for the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Denver Nuggets. He has done play-by-play for ESPN, Prime Network, Fox Sports, and the American Sports Network for college conferences such as the Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, and the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Richard Baldinger (color commentary): Baldinger was an offensive lineman in the NFL and played in 157 games over 12 seasons, spending time with the New York Giants, Kansas City Chiefs, and the New England Patriots. Since he retired, Baldinger has done color commentary for CBS, ESPN, FOX, and the Big Ten Network.
Coach Keys Weekly
Don't forget to tune into 88.3 FM "WLFC" for Coach Keys Weekly. The show is aired at 7:00 pm on Tuesdays.
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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The Series
Findlay and Hillsdale have played 26 times in the history of the two schools with the first game being played back in 1925, an 18-0 win for the Chargers. Their most recent matchup came in 2016 when the Oilers won by a score of 46-28, the most recent of a three-game win streak for Findlay against the Chargers.
Head Coach Rob Keys
Head coach Rob Keys is in his seventh season at the helm of the Oilers football program in 2017. He has recorded a 43-28 record with the program as a head coach, which includes a 35-26 mark in conference games. Keys has led the Oilers to five winning seasons in his six years as head coach.
For Findlay's 2017 coaching staff, please click on the following link:
The Oilers (5-1, 2-0 GMAC)
The University of Findlay football team is off to its best start under seventh year head coach Rob Keys. Findlay has won four consecutive games and is looking for a fifth straight win for the first time since 2002.
Over the past four games, the Oilers have been as dominant as any team in the school's history. Findlay is outscoring its opponents 226-23 over the win streak, winning by an average of more than 50 points. The 226 points are the most points scored over any four-game stretch in University of Findlay history and is also the first time that the Oilers have won four consecutive games by at least 35 points. The two 60+ point performances this season mark the first time Findlay has had two 60+ point games in a season since 1997, the year the Oilers last won an NAIA National Championship.
Along with the dominating offense, Findlay's defense has risen to the occasion. The 23 points allowed are the fewest amount of points surrendered over a four-game stretch since 1995 and the least allowed in the NCAA Division II era of Oilers' football.
Findlay is powered by a lethal rushing attack that has proven to be one of the best in the nation. Led by senior Daouda Sylla, who leads the Great Midwest in nearly every rushing statistic, the Oilers' rushing offense is churning out 290 yards per game, the fourth-best in the country. With the ability to run the ball, Oilers' quarterbacks have combined for an efficiency rating of 178.4, second-best in the league.
2017 Season Statistics
2017 Roster
The Chargers (3-3, 1-1 GMAC)
The Hillsdale Chargers were chosen to finish second in the Great Midwest by the conference's coaches in the preseason poll and enter the game with a 3-3 record and a 1-1 mark in conference games, curerntly in third in the G-MAC.
The Chargers, also in their first year in the Great Midwest, are one of the best scoring teams in the league as they are currently second in points per game (32.0), third in touchdowns scored (25), and third in yards per game (467.5). Their defense has also been solid as they ranked second in the league in yards allowed per game (359.0) and points per game allowed (24.7).
Powering the offense is 2016 all-American and first team all-GLIAC performer, Trey Brock who currently leads the Great Midwest with 127.8 receiving yards per game, 8.2 receptions per game, and is tied for fifth with four touchdown receptions. Brock's best game this season was in a seven-point loss to then #14 UIndy. Hillsdale's start receiver had 12 receptions for 302 yards, the most receiving yards in a game in both school and league history and the most receiving yards in a game in NCAA Division II this season.
Throwing Brock the ball is junior Chance Stewart, an honorable mention all-GLIAC performer last season. Stewart is currently third in the league in passing efficiency (140.3), second in the league with 1,579 yards passing, third in the league with eight touchdowns, and second in the league with 119 completions. He also had a big game against UIndy when he completed 31-for-44 for 485 yards and two touchdowns. Stewart currently ranks seventh in Hillsdale history with 5,152 passing yards.
G-MAC Preseason Poll
The Oilers were picked to finish third in the eight-team Great Midwest Athletic Conference this season. Findlay received two first place votes and is selected to finish behind Ohio Dominican and Hillsdale College. Alderson Broaddus, last year's G-MAC champion, received one first place vote.
1,000-yard rusher
Daouda Sylla is just 156 yards shy of the 1,000-yard mark for the season. If he reaches 1,000 yards, Sylla will become the 21st back to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Allen Smith had a pair of 1,000 yard seasons (1964, '65) while Nelson Bolden (1978, '79, '80) and Monterae Williams (2009, '10, '11) did so three times.
Against Different Conferences
Findlay has played opponents representing four different conferences this season. They are 1-1 against the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), 1-0 against the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC), 1-0 against the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), and 2-0 against the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC).
Links
NCAA Division II Stats
NCAA
NCAA Division II Football
American Football Coaches Association
D2Football.com
Great Midwest