Week 11 Preview | Oilers Invade Tiffin in Regular Season Finale
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The Game
Week 11 in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) football means it's time for what has turned into arguably the best rivalry in the conference. For the fifth consecutive season, Findlay and Tiffin will battle in the final week of the regular season. This year's game will kick off at noon in Tiffin, Ohio on Saturday, Nov. 12. For Tiffin, a share of the G-MAC Championship and outside shot at a playoff berth is on the line and for Findlay, a possible trip to the America's Crossroads Bowl in December and, of course, all important bragging rights are at stake.
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Head Coach Allen
Head Coach Kory Allen is in his first year at the helm of the Findlay football program and, as an assistant, has helped lead the Oilers to multiple NCAA D2 Playoff appearances and a Great Midwest Championship. Allen has spent 16 years on staff in various other roles including offensive coordinator, offensive line coach, and recruiting coordinator.
Comments from the Coach
Kory Allen Interview | Tiffin (Coaches Corner with Tim Montgomery)
2022 Findlay Football Coaching Staff
Findlay Oilers (6-4, 5-2 G-MAC)
After a 1-4 start to the season, those outside the program had written Findlay off. Fast-forward to the final week of the regular season and it is the Oilers who own the longest winning streak in the conference, five straight dating back to Oct. 8. Back in the top half of the conference standings, Findlay's playoff hopes are gone but a berth in the America's Crossroads Bowl is still possible with a victory over Tiffin and a loss by Ohio Dominican. That bowl game is reserved for the top finishing team in the conference that does not earn a playoff trip, a spot not many would have put the Oilers through five weeks of the season.
"6-0 with six to go" was the rallying cry for the Orange and Black and now, that mission is nearly accomplished with just one team standing in the way. Familiar foe and northwest Ohio rival, Tiffin.
The two towns are separated by just 25 miles and are often competing for the areas top prospects. While Saturday's game is not a winner-take-all for the conference crown as it was a season ago, make no mistake, this one is always significant.
Findlay owns a 27-3 advantage in the 30 times that this game has been played, but it's the Dragons who have won two of the last three. The Oilers won last year in Findlay by a score of 26-21, claiming the G-MAC Championship in the process.
Senior Jeremy Hunt and senior Alec Bornhorst will split the snaps again this week as has been the case for the previous three games. Hunt is 123-for-231 for 1,641 yards and 11 touchdowns while Bornhorst has completed 21-of-40 for 175 yards.
Out of the backfield, sophomore Garret Clark is the workhorse and has 171 carries for 900 yards and seven scores this season. His 900 yards are the most in the G-MAC. Also look for multiple carries from freshman Jayden Farmer and senior Derek Lynch who have combined for almost 700 yards and nine touchdowns.
About the Opponent – Tiffin (6-3, 6-1 G-MAC)
A win gives the Dragons a share of the conference crown and likely a berth to the America's Crossroads Bowl. Lose, and fans of the green and gold will look back on this season as a year full of 'what ifs'.
This fall, Tiffin has a 6-3 record with a 6-1 mark in conference play. Their three losses? All to teams that enter the final week of the season with 8-1 records, and all are single-score defeats. The first loss came against Indianapolis, a 27-20 loss at home to the then #19 Greyhounds who have now climbed to #14. The following week, a single-point loss in overtime at Truman State who is currently ranked #20. The last loss came at #6 Ashland a month ago, again, just an eight-point loss. Had any of those games gone in favor of the Dragons, Tiffin would likely be looking at a spot in the NCAA DII Playoffs but instead, after not achieving a spot in the rankings yet, likely have no path to the postseason, despite a potential share of the conference crown.
Tiffin is the most lethal offense in the G-MAC, scoring 37.8 points per game, 12th-best in the country and more than a touchdown more per game than Ashland which sits in second in that category. They also lead the G-MAC at 421.3 yards per game and are one of the best in the country on third down, converting on 52% of their attempts, fourth-best in DII.
Senior quarterback Christian Carter leads the Dragons' offense in his first year with the team. Carter began his career at Merrimack College and was named the Northeast-10 Freshman of the Year in 2018 before later transferring to Western Illinois where he did not play due to the COVID pandemic cancelling that season. Now in Tiffin, Carter has completed 152-of-235 passes for 1,751 yards and eight scores but has thrown five interceptions. The QB can also be elusive with his legs and actually leads the Dragons with nine rushing touchdowns this season.
His top target is one of the most dangerous playmakers in the conference, junior Anthony Lowe. This season, Lowe has 61 receptions for 721 yards and three scores, but some of his best work has been done on special teams. He has a pair of kickoff return touchdowns this season and also has a punt return TD to his credit.
Running back Darius Pinnix will get the bulk of the carries for the Dragons. This year he has 128 totes for 715 yards and eight touchdowns. He is joined by David Nelson who has 62 carries for 389 yards and seven touchdowns.
Defensively, Tiffin is giving up the least amount of points in the conference at just 14.3 ppg. The big name for the Dragons is on the defensive line in the form of Charlie Cleveland who has won three consecutive Defensive Lineman of the Year awards in the G-MAC. Cleveland has 43 stops this season including 7.5 tackles-for-loss and four sacks. In his career, the senior has 50.5 tackles-for-loss and his 29 career sacks rank fifth among active players in Division II.
Sir Zion Dance is the leading tackler with 67 stops, but it is sophomore Chucky Lewis and senior Jermaine Wimpye who are the game changers behind that stout defensive line. Lewis is tied for the lead in the G-MAC with five interceptions while Wimpye is tied for second with four picks, one of which he returned for a score.
Links
NCAA Division II Stats
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NCAA Division II Football
American Football Coaches Association
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Great Midwest