Findlay Heads to Columbus to Duel Ohio Dominican on ESPN3
The Game
Findlay will again be featured as part of the NCAA Division II Showcase on Saturday, Sep. 21 when they head to Ohio Dominican. The game will kick off at 12:05 in Columbus, Ohio at Panther Stadium.
The Series
Ohio Dominican has had the edge in the short series history, defeating the Oilers six times in seven tries. Their last meeting was a season ago, also a DII Showcase contest, a game in Findlay that the Panthers won 34-21.
Radio Coverage
Every Oilers football game will be broadcast on 88.3 WLFC and can be listed to locally on the radio or streamed online at WLFC.com.
Video Stream
Video streaming for the contest will be produced by the Niles Media Group and aired on ESPN3.
Click any of the options below to find the contest live:
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Head Coach Rob Keys
Head coach Rob Keys is in his ninth season at the helm of the Oilers football program in 2019. He has recorded a 57-34 record with the program as a head coach, which includes a 46-29 mark in conference games. He has coached Findlay to winning records in seven of his eight seasons including last season when he lead the Oilers to their first ever NCAA Division II Playoffs.
For Findlay's 2019 coaching staff, please click on the following link:
Findlay Oilers (1-1, 0-0 G-MAC)
Entering their first conference game of the season, the Oilers are knotted up at .500 on the year. After a one-point heartbreaker at the hands of #2 Ferris State, Findlay rebounded an handled Northwood University in their home opener. With a full slate of Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) games ahead, the Oilers still have everything to play for and appear to be a formidable contender for the league crown.
Findlay is currently the top scoring team in the league at 27 points per game with Ohio Dominican in second at 22.5 points per game. Most of those points have come from the arm of quarterback Matt Winzeler who leads the G-MAC with five touchdown passes. The junior has completed 33-of-64 passes for 461 yards this year and has just one interception. Has also rushed for a touchdown.
Out of the backfield, junior Brian Benson is off to a special start, rushing for more than 180 yards in each of his first two games. He currently leads the league with 362 rushing yards, 206 yards more than the next closest back. Benson also leads the league with 50 carries.
Defensively, linebacker Jack Trombetti has had a solid start through two games as he has tallied 20 tackles, which ranks third in the G-MAC. Close behind is senior Richard Sheler who has 17 tackles including one TFL. He also had his first interception as an Oiler last week against Northwood.
2019 Season Statistics
2019 Roster
Ohio Dominican (1-1, 0-0 G-MAC)
Despite only having a football program since 2004, the Ohio Dominican Panthers have established themselves as a contender for a league title year-in and year-out. The team out of Columbus has put together eight consecutive seasons with at least seven wins including three seasons with nine or more wins. Picked second in the G-MAC Preseason Poll this season, it's clear that those around the league expect the Panthers to be in the hunt as the leaves start to fall.
While Findlay plays a more difficult schedule as a whole, ODU kicks off their season with a gauntlet of challenging contests. The year began with a road game against perenial top-25 opponent Shepherd University, who the Oilers defeated in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Playoofs. The Panthers then took a 12 hour bus trip for their second game of the year as they took on defending national champion Valdosta State in Georgia. Throw in two of the top contenders in the G-MAC in Findlay and Tiffin in weeks three and four and there isn't a tougher four-game stretch for any team in the league.
Against Shepherd, the Panthers found themselves down 14-0 just 20 seconds into the second quarter. An ODU field goal made the halftime lead 14-3 for the home Rams. In the second half, the visiting Panthers outscored Shepherd 21-7, including a touchdown and two-point conversion with just over a minute left in the game, to secure the season-opening victory.
Next on the schedule, a team that had won 16 consecutive games and is the reigning DII National Champion. In front of a crowd of more than 5,000, the #1 team in the country opened up to a 14-0 lead, including scoring on their first offensive play, and ultimately a 28-14 lead at halftime. The home team would put three more touchdowns on the board to secure a convincing 48-21 victory.
This season, the Panthers have been pass-heavy, throwing it 70 times compared to just 48 attempts on the ground. That puts the offensve under the direction of sophomore captain Evan Ernst.
Ernst has thrown for 483 yards this year this year and has thrown two touchdowns in each game this season. His favorite target has been senior David Turner who has 17 receptions for 115 yards, however, it's been the play of junior Devanaire Conliffe that has opened eyes. Conliffe has eight receptions for 227 yards and four touchdowns on the young season.
Of the eight ODU Panthers who were named first team all-conference last season, only punter Logan Neidhardt returns.
Links
NCAA Division II Stats
NCAA
NCAA Division II Football
American Football Coaches Association
D2Football.com
Great Midwest