Posted: Apr 22, 2021

Findlay to Tangle with Tiffin for a Share of the Conference Crown

The Game

The Oilers will travel east on Route 224 on Saturday, April 24 to cap the 2021 spring season against the Tiffin Dragons at 7:00 pm. Because the conference champion is decided solely on the basis of conference win percentage, a win for Findlay would give the Oilers a share of the G-MAC Championship with Ohio Dominican. For Tiffin, a win gives them the outright title while a loss sends the Dragons to third place. It is the third time in four years Findlay has ended it's regular season with conference championship on the line.

The Series

The Oilers have a 26-2 record all-time against the Dragons and won 19 consecutive games against the Dragons before losing at the end of the 2019 season in a G-MAC Championship game. The only other loss to Tiffin came in the 1993 regular season.

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 Tiffin University and will be streamed on the Great Midwest Digital Network.

Findlay at Tiffin Video

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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 67-38 record with the program as a head coach, which includes a 55-32 mark in conference games. He has coached Findlay to winning records in nine of his ten 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:

2021 Coaching Staff

Findlay Oilers (4-1, 4-1 G-MAC)

The Oilers find themselves in familiar territory again in 2021 as they enter the final week of the season, win, and you are a conference champion. It's the third time in four years the Oilers have had that on the table entering the season-finale. The previous two occasions did not the the Oilers way as Ohio Dominican took the crown in 2017 and Tiffin in 2019. The spring of 2021 has been a whirlwind because of COVID-19 causing a delayed season, testing guidelines, and many new protocols to help limit the spread of the virus. The Oilers have battled those challanges and now find themselves 60 minutes away from hoisting a conference championship trophy for the first time since 1997.

After a loss against Ohio Dominican two weeks ago, Findlay bounced back in a big way as they put a 51-14 beatdown on the Lake Erie Storm last week, knowing they needed a win to keep any hope of a title in their sight.

Findlay, which is putting up 395 yards per game, is led by quarterback Matt Winzeler, now wrapping up his second year as the starting signal caller. This year, Winzeler has completed 76-of-133 passes for 905 yards and a league-best 11 touchdowns. His efficiency rating of 135.6 is the best in the conference. Senior Marlin Richardson has been his favorite target and has 20 receptions for 372 yards, ranking second in the conference with 74.4 yards per game. His six receiving touchdowns are the most in the G-MAC.

The Oilers rushing attack, which leads the league at almost 200 yards per game, is arguably the deepest in the conference as they toute four backs with more than 100 yards this season, three of which have more than 200. Senior Brian Benson is getting the bulk of the carries with 62 totes for 324 yards and three touchdowns. Derek Lynch, who spends most of his time in the slot, has 42 carries for 276 yards and two touchdowns while freshman Garret Clark has burst onto the scene, totaling 36 carries for 213 yards and a team-best four rushing touchdowns.

Despite the offensive firepower, if the Oilers want to claim the title, their defense must step up as they face the top dual-threat quarterback in the league in Nick Watson who, this season, has thrown and rushed for seven touchdowns and has won G-MAC Offensive Player of the Week three consecutive weeks. Findlay's defense is led by junior all-American Christopher Jefferson who is tops on the team with 26 tackles and has again been a turnover machine, intercepting two passes and recovering one fumble this season. Jefferson also has four pass breakups to his credit. Junior linebacker Kyle Nunn has 25 stops including 2.5 tackles-for-loss this season while sophomore defensive back Jordan Grimes has 24 tackles. But, to stop a solid rushing attack, Findlay will rely on its players in the trenches. Sophomore Dalton Rockhold is coming off a two-sack game against Lake Erie and has 11 tackles this year including 3.5 sacks and five tackles-for-loss. Senior Ervin Besingi and senior Kyle Gibson each have 11 tackles. Besingi has four TFL while Gibson has 3.5.

2021 Season Statistics
2021 Roster

Tiffin Dragons (5-0, 4-0 G-MAC)

Heading into the final week of the 2021 spring season, the Dragons are in familiar territory as they currently have a record of 5-0 and are a perfect 4-0 in G-MAC play. Because of a cancellation earlier in the year against Lake Erie, Tiffin is in a winner-take-all scenario on Saturday. A win over Findlay and they are the outright champions of the G-MAC's spring season. A loss, and the Dragons drop into third and the Oilers and Ohio Dominican Panthers are declared co-champions.

Since joining the G-MAC in 2018, the Dragons have gone 17-2 in conference games and have proven that they are not the same caliber team that they were as recent as 2015 when they put together their eighth consecutive losing seasons. In 2019, Tiffin made their first NCAA Division II Playoff appearance and ended the year ranked 23rd in the country.

Tiffin's offense ranks second behind Findlay with 28.6 ppg and lead the G-MAC in passing offense (244.4 ypg) and rank second in rushing offense (170.2 ypg). Redshirt junior quarterback Nick Watson is the catalyst to the Dragons' offense. Watson, who has earned three consecutive Offensive Player of the Week honors, is throwing for a league-best 238.4 ypg and also ranks fifth in the league in rushing at 62 ypg. Watson has accounted for 14 total touchdowns in five games played, seven passing and seven rushing, which makes him a true dual-threat quarterback.

On the receiving end, freshman Anthony Lowe has had a solid debut campaign and leads the G-MAC in receiving yards per game with 80. He also has a pair of touchdown grabs to his credit, both of which came in last week's win against Ohio Domnican. Earlier this season, Lowe put together back-to-back games with 100+ receiving yards, highlighted by an 11 catch, 170 yard performance at Hillsdale on April 3. Sophomore Devin Butler has played in three games this year and has totaled 234 yards, 161 of which came in the season-opener against Walsh on March 13.

On the ground, Tiffin is led by running back Marcus Davis who leads the G-MAC with 75 rushing yards per game and ranks second, behind his quarterback, in the league with five rushing touchdowns.

Defensively, the Dragons are allowing just 8.4 ppg and allow just 105 yards per game through the air. It starts with junior defensive end Charlie Cleveland who leads the G-MAC in sacks this season with five and ranks second in tackles-for-loss with eight-and-a-half. Senior defensive back Chrystian Watkins leads the team with 27 tackles and has four pass breakups.

2021 Season Stats
2021 Roster

Links

NCAA Division II Stats
NCAA
NCAA Division II Football
American Football Coaches Association
D2Football.com
Great Midwest