Oilers Survive Road Test Against Walsh
Canton, Ohio – The University of Findlay football team traveled to Canton, Ohio to take on Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) foe Walsh University on Saturday, Oct. 12 and ground out a 19-10 victory. With the win, the Oilers have now won three straight games and improve to 4-2 on the year with a 3-1 mark in league play while Walsh drops to 1-5 overall and 1-3 in the conference.
Sporting the second-lowest scoring offense in the country at just 7.2 points per game, the Cavaliers of Walsh came out ready to play as they took their opening possession 50 yards on seven plays and scored a touchdown on a fourth-and-one from the Oilers' two yard line to take a 7-0 lead.
On Findlay's opening possession, they drove 81 yards but were stopped at the ten yard line and forced to convert a 27-yard field goal to cut the score to 7-3.
Walsh's next series lasted just two plays thanks to an interception by sophomore Christopher Jefferson, his first of two interceptions on the day.
A touchdown pass from junior Matt Winzeler to junior Marlin Richardson gave the Oilers the lead heading into the locker room at 10-7.
The Cavs would tie the game at 10-10 with a field goal on their first series of the second half, but a pair of field goals late in the third quarter in the early part of the fourth would be all the Oilers needed to escape Hall of Fame Stadium with a win.
Statistically, the Oilers dominated the contest, outgaining Walsh by 259 yards of total offense (454-to-195). 252 of those yards came through the air while 202 were on the ground.
Where Findlay hurt themselves was with penalties. The Oilers were flagged ten times in the game for a whopping 120 yards. Fortunately, the Orange and Black were stout defensively as they finished plus-two in the turnover battle, corralling three interceptions in the game. That gives Findlay ten interceptions on the year and places them in the top ten nationally in that statistic.
Leading the way was Christopher Jefferson who had two of the team's three interceptions, just a week after a three-interception game against Kentucky Wesleyan. Jefferson's five interceptions in two weeks are the most picks in a two-week stretch in program history and the most since London Rogan had four interceptions in two weeks in the 1990 season. Jefferson now leads the country, regardless of division, in interceptions with seven. For good measure, he was also the team's second-leading tackler in the game with six stops.
Quarterback Matt Winzeler completed 20-of-36 passes on the day for 252 yards and a touchdown. His favorite target was Richardson who finished the game with six catches for 80 yards and a touchdown. Freshman Tanner Schroeder chipped in four catches for 83 yards.
On the ground, senior Nate Slagel made it three consecutive games with 100+ rushing yards, carrying the ball 18 times for 110 yards.
Junior Kicker Chris Demler was big for the Oilers today as he knocked four field goals in four tries and added an extra point. His four field goals and points scored tie a G-MAC record. Demler is the first player at Findlay to make four field goals since Roland Hamilton made four against Northern Michigan in 2005.
The Oilers return home on Oct. 19 to take on the reigning G-MAC Champion, Hillsdale Chargers at Donnell Stadium in a game that will kick off at 12:00pm.
Photos by Scott Mayberry Photography (Available for Purchase)