Oilers Lead G-MAC with 23 All-Conference Selections | Jefferson Earns Defensive Player of the Year
Findlay, Ohio – On Friday, Nov. 22, the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) released their all-conference awards for the 2019 season, as voted on by the league's head coaches. The Oilers placed 23 players on all-conference teams, the most of any team in the conference, and received the league's Defensive Player of the Year.
Defensive Player of the Year
Simply put, it was an unbelievable season for sophomore defensive back Christopher Jefferson, earning him G-MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors in just his second year of college football.
The Euclid, Ohio had a decent freshman year, playing in nine games and recording one interception while making 16 tackles, but his sophomore season was far beyond 'decent'.
Jefferson's progress as a defensive back was evident in the first game of the year when he finished with five tackles, one tackle-for-loss, and an incredible leaping interception against the second-ranked Ferris State Bulldogs.
His season went from good to great midway through the year when he went on a stretch of seven interceptions over a four-game stretch to burst onto the national scene. Jefferson, a two-time recipient of the league's Defensive Player of the Week honors, would end the year with nine interceptions, tying the Findlay school record. Those nine picks are also tied for the most in the country, regardless of NCAA division, and helped the Oilers defense to a turnover margin that ranked seventh in the country.
Jefferson, who was also named first-team all-conference, rounded out his year with 62 tackles, fourth on the team, and recorded one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and a conference-leading 1.4 passes defended per game.
First Team All-Great Midwest
Picking up his second-consecutive first-team all-G-MAC honor, junior Brian Benson had another great year out of the Oilers' backfield that, for years, has produced some of the best running backs in the region. The Mansfield Senior product rushed 150 times this year for 889 yards which ranked third in the conference. His 98.8 rush yards per game were second-best in the league. Benson, who picked up six yards per carry, found the end zone three times this season and now has 19 touchdowns in his career and almost 2,000 yards.
One of the big question marks coming into the 2019 season, especially with the injury to Andrew Ogletree, was at wide receiver. Those questions were answered quickly by junior Ruben Flowers who has earned first-team all-conference in his debut season. Flowers exploded onto the scene with a ten-catch, 156-yard performance in his debut with the Oilers back on September 5. On the year, the Lima, Ohio native would post six 100+ yard games at receiver, finishing with 985 yards on 65 receptions, both second in the conference. The Pitt/ICC transfer scored seven touchdowns this season and picked up more than 15 yards per catch.
Despite an injury-plagued senior year, tight end Luke Stuffel established himself as the best tight end in the conference. In seven games, Stuffel, a second-team honoree last season, recorded 19 receptions for 208 yards. In the red zone, Stuffel was almost unguardable as the 6-6, 268-pound target scored four touchdowns.
If there's one thing that has been made clear in the past few years, it's that the Oilers consistently churn out some of the best offensive linemen in the conference, year-in, and year-out. After placing two linemen on the first team in 2018, Findlay received three first-team selections on the 2019 version of the 'O-Line Nation'. Seniors Clay Colvin, Neal Davis, and Logan Bailey all earned first-team nods after blocking for one of the top offenses in the country. These three anchored a line that thrived on protecting their backfield, allowing just 1.36 sacks per game and 4.6 tackles-for-loss per game, both tops in the conference. They also paved the way for a rushing offense that ranked second in the conference at 221.4 yards per game and were key to Findlay's offense that scored 37.7 points per game, second in the league and 27th in the country.
Picking up his third consecutive first-team all-G-MAC award and capping a stellar career for the Oilers is senior Isaac Miles. The hardnosed linebacker from Indianapolis, Indiana recorded a team-high 68 tackles this season, the most in a season of his career. He had two sacks and a career-best 7.5 tackles-for-loss to go along with two forced fumbles. Miles played one of the best games of his career against Ashland on Nov. 9 of this year where he had 11 tackles and a sack, helping hold the Eagles to just 18 points. The 6-2, 240-pound linebacker finishes his career with 226 tackles, nine sacks, 23.5 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries.
Second Team All-Great Midwest
A pair of players in the Oilers' backfield picked up their first all-conference honors as junior quarterback Matt Winzeler and senior running back Nate Slagel have been voted to the second team. Winzeler filled the shoes of all-time leading passer Rhys Gervais with a successful first season. The Toledo native completed 197 passes for 2,577 yards and was second in the league with 27 touchdowns while running back Nate Slagel found the end zone ten times, the third-most rushing touchdowns in the league. Slagel had 105 carries for 742 yards and picked up more than seven yards per carry.
Helping block for those two was senior Andrew Dickinson, who earns his second consecutive second-team all-G-MAC selection. With his second-team honor, the Oilers placed four of their five offensive linemen on either first or second team.
When the season began, Head Coach Rob Keys called his defense one of the most athletic and fast defenses he's coached. The amount of awards that his defense collected shows that he was right. Findlay placed five defensive players on the G-MAC second team, giving them seven on either first or second team.
On the defensive line, sophomore Logan Speyer, senior Justin Ellis, and junior Kyle Gibson each earn second-team honors. Speyer recorded 27 tackles and four tackles-for-loss while Ellis had 20 tackles and 2.5 tackles-for-loss. Gibson, earning his second consecutive all-G-MAC honor, made 39 tackles, had three sacks, 5.5 tackles-for-loss, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
At linebacker, junior Jack Trombetti earns his first all-conference award, tying for the team lead with 68 tackles. He also had 5.5 tackles-for-loss and an interception while teammate Richard Sheler also had one pick. Sheler, also a second-team selection, recorded 67 tackles as a first-year defensive back for Findlay.
The Oilers' final second-team selection was kicker Chris Demler. The junior knocked in 9-of-11 field goals this year with a long of 40 yards. He scored 51 points this season and was once named G-MAC Special Teams Player of the Week after knocking in four field goals against Walsh on Oct. 12.
Honorable Mention All-Great Midwest
Grant Kinsinger - Defensive Line - Senior
Derek Lynch - Wide Receiver - Sophomore
Jacob Brown - Fullback - Sophomore
Tanner Schroeder - Wide Receiver - Freshman
Mitch Hebenstreit - Punter - Freshman
Cade Rogers - Defensive Back - Junior