Turnovers Haunt Findlay in Rain vs Ohio Dominican
Findlay, Ohio – The University of Findlay football team suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday, April 10 at the hands of the Ohio Dominican Panthers on a rainy night at Donnell Stadium. ODU's calling card, its stingy defense, came up big all night and held the Oilers potent offense in check to the tune of a 14-10 victory for the visiting Panthers. With the loss the Oilers are now 3-1 on the season with just two games remaining while ODU stays perfect at 4-0 and has a matchup with 4-0 Tiffin next week that will likely decide the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) champion for the 2021 spring season.
A 14-point second quarter gave Ohio Dominican, which has now beaten the Oilers seven consecutive times, a two score lead at halftime as the Oilers, who came into the game averaging more than 44 points per game, were shutout in the first half.
Findlay's first drive of the second half looked promising as the moved the ball 83 yards on 15 plays, chewing up seven and a half minutes of clock, but on a second and six from ODU's 11-yardline, senior Derek Lynch coughed up the football which was recovered by the Panthers, killing a scoring opportunity.
The Oilers forced a punt and got the ball back towards the end of the third quarter. They drove the ball into ODU's territory but again, a fumble gave the ball back to the Panthers.
The heartbreak did not end there.
On a third straight offensive possession, the Oilers drove the ball eight plays for 53 yards and reached the ODU 17-yardline, still looking to crack the scoreboard as they trailed 14-0. The Oilers ran a fade to the far corner of the end zone on a second and eleven, but that pass was intercepted by ODU, again killing a scoring chance for Findlay.
The Oilers defense forced a three-and-out to get the ball back. Eight plays later they finally found the end zone as Derek Lynch rumbled four yards for a touchdown with only 4:02 remaining in the game.
On the ensuing kickoff, ODU's kick returner, David Turner, coughed up the ball which was recovered by Findlay on the ODU 24.
The Panthers' defense stood tall as they allowed just five yards, forcing a Findlay field goal to make the score 14-10 and just over two minutes left.
Findlay still had all three of their timeouts and forced a three-and-out, giving the home team one more chance at a win when Jed Quackenbush shanked a punt, giving Findlay the ball on the ODU 40.
The Oilers picked up six yards on a second-down completion, but a communication mishap resulted in a spike, stopping the clock but sacrificing a down. An incomplete pass on fourth down ended the game as the Panthers took the victory formation.
Findlay finished the game with almost double the total yards as Ohio Dominican, outgaining the Panthers 342 to 192. The Oilers also possessed the ball for 31:15 while ODU had it for just 28:45.
Senior Matt Winzeler was 14-for-33 for 156 yards and threw an interception. Senior Derek Lynch carried the bulk of the offense, rushing it 12 times for 87 yards and a score while senior Brian Benson had 16 carries for 74 yards.
Junior Christopher Jefferson and senior Jack Trombetti had six tackles, apiece. Senior Colin Robertson had five stops including three tackles-for-loss, two of which were sacks.
Findlay returns to action on Saturday, April 17 when they host Lake Erie for Senior Day. Game time is set for 1:00 pm.
