Off a Bye Week, Findlay Set to Welcome Walsh in Home Opener
The Game
After a bye in Week 2 of the season, the Oilers will host their home opener on Saturday, March 27 as they welcome the Walsh Cavaliers to Donnell Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6:00 pm between the two Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) opponents and will be one of just 12 NCAA Division II college football games being played in the country.Tickets
Fans wishing to purchase tickets for the University of Findlay football game against Walsh University can do so the day of the game at Donnell Stadium. Tickets will be available for purchase beginning at 5pm at the North Gate. There will be NO presale.
All home football games will be ticketed at 30% capacity in Donnell Stadium due to the most recent local and state guidelines concerning outdoor events. Ticket prices for home football games will be $10 for general admission and $5 for students (6-17).
General Admission – $10
Student (6-17) – $5
UF Students – Free
Seniors (65+) – Free
UF Faculty/Staff – 2 complimentary
UF Football Players – 2 complimentary
UF Cheerleaders – 2 complimentary
UF Band – 2 complimentary
Fans wishing to take advantage of tailgating on the South side of the stadium will be permitted to do so. The tailgating lot will be opened at 3:30pm for Saturday's game against Walsh University.
UF Tailgating Prices
RV – $10
Car – $5
This is just the eighth meeting all-time between Findlay and Walsh. The Oilers hold a 6-1 record with the only loss coming in 2015, a 39-38 defeat in Canton. Since then, the Oilers have won three consecutive in the series including last season when the Orange and Black took down Walsh in Hall of Fame Stadium by a score of 19-10.
Radio Coverage
Saturday's contest can be heard in Findlay by tuning in to 88.3 WLFC or listeners can stream online by visiting 883wlfc.com.
Video Stream
Video streaming of the contest will be produced by the Findlay Media Network and UFTV and will be streamed on the Great Midwest Digital Network.
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Head Coach Rob Keys
Head coach Rob Keys is in his tenth season at the helm of the Oilers football program in 2021. He has recorded a 64-37 record with the program as a head coach, which includes a 52-31 mark in conference games. He has coached Findlay to winning records in eight of his nine seasons including 2017 when he lead the Oilers to their first-ever NCAA Division II Playoffs.
For Findlay's 2021 coaching staff, please click on the following link:
Findlay Oilers (1-0, 1-0 G-MAC)
Although it is a small, one-game sample size, the Oilers offense looks to again be one of the top offenses in the G-MAC this season after putting up 45 points against Hillsdale in the season-opener. That is the most points scored in a game this year by a team in the Great Midwest, 17 more than the next-best performance which was 28 points by Ohio Dominican against Lake Erie in the season-opener.2021 Season Statistics
2021 Roster
Walsh Cavaliers (0-2, 0-2 G-MAC)
Hailing from the tradition-rich area of Canton, Ohio, home of the National Football League (NFL) Hall of Fame, the Walsh Cavaliers have seen their fair share of struggles on the gridiron. Since joining the ranks of NCAA Division II in 2012, the Cavs have not had a winning season and have a record of 21-54. In fact, the last winning year for Walsh was three head coaches and two conference changes ago back in 2010 when the team went 7-4 as an NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) member.
In the most recent 2019 season, Walsh finished 3-8 with a 2-5 record in G-MAC play. Now in year three under head coach John Fankhauser, the Cavs are off to an 0-2 start after losses to Tiffin and Ohio Dominican to start the year. In the preseason poll, the Cavs were selcted fifth behind perennial conference contenders Tiffin, Findlay, Ohio Dominican, and Hillsdale.
Calling the signals for the Cavliers is redshirt senior quarterback Jeremy Hodge who transferred to Walsh from New Mexico State. While at NMSU, Hodge did not see action. The senior has comlpeted just 51% of his passes (32-for-63) this season for 251 yards and two touchdowns and comes into the third week of the season with the lowest passing efficiency rating in the conference at 91.6.
To counter a lack of experience at quarterback, Walsh will trot out Koby Adu-Poku as the team's starting tailback for the fourth consecutive season. In his career at Walsh, Adu-Poku, who was a second-team all-GMAC performer last season, has rushed 546 times for 2,186 yards and 19 touchdowns. As much success as he has had, in three games against the Oilers, the senior has rushed 38 times for 157 yards and two scores. He has added the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield this season and through two games, has 11 catches for 113 yards.
The Cavs' top wideout is sophomore Keyshawn Johnson who has ten receptions for 67 yards and a score while senior Tyre Gray has four catches for ten yards and a score.
On defense, senior linebackers Sal Sidebotham has stolen the show as he has 24 tackles this season, the most in the conference. He is coming off a game against Ohio Dominican in which he had 14 tackles including a half sack and one interception. For that effort he was named defensive Player of the Week.
Links
NCAA Division II Stats
NCAA
NCAA Division II Football
American Football Coaches Association
D2Football.com
Great Midwest