Findlay Cruises Past Storm in Conference Opener
Painesville, Ohio – The University of Findlay football team opened up Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play on Saturday, Oct. 2 with a trip to Painesville, Ohio. The Oilers handled the Lake Erie College Storm to the tune of a 37-10 win on the road. With the win, Findlay is now 3-2 on the season and 1-0 in G-MAC play while the Storm fall to 3-2, their second consecutive loss after starting the year 3-0. The win is Findlay's ninth straight in the series against Lake Erie.
Lake Erie got on the board first with a field goal on their opening drive, but Findlay then scored 17 unanswered points to take control of the contest.
The Storm's only touchdown of the day came in the second quarter and cut the lead to 17-10, but just before halftime, Oilers running back Derek Lynch capped an eight-play, 79 yard drive with a ten-yard touchdown run to give Findlay a 23-10 lead at the half.
Lynch opened the scoring in the second half with a seven-yard run and at the end of the third, a 22-yard pass from Matt Winzeler to tight end Mike Rigerman put the Oilers on the board again to make the score 37-10.
In the win, the Oilers put up a season-high 579 yards of total offense thanks to a season-best 359 yards through the air. The most balanced offense in the conference also tallied 220 rushing yards, the third time in five games that the Orange and Black have rushed for at least 200 yards.
Findlay's defense, which has struggled through four games this season, played their best game of the season, allowing just 326 yards on 75 plays, the fewest yards allowed in a game by the Oilers this season.
Matt Winzeler completed 16-of-28 passes for a season-high 335 yards and two touchdowns. His top receiver was Marlin Richardson who posted a career-high 165 yards, his fourth 100-yard receiving performance of his career. With that performance, Richardson eclipsed the 1,000-yards receiving in his career. He now has 1,094 yards.
Tanner Schroeder had two receptions for 84 yards while Mike Rigerman and Ruben Flowers each had a touchdown reception.
Derek Lynch, the league's top rusher, had 12 carries for 86 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead the Oilers' ground attack. Winzeler added a pair of carries for 64 yards and Brian Benson had 11 totes for 45 yards and a touchdown.
Grey Brancifort made it four consecutive double-digit tackle performances this season with 12 tackles on Saturday. Those 12 tackles, ten of which were solo stops, included 1.5 tackles-for-loss, a half sack, and a forced fumble.
Johnny Harris had eight tackles and an interception while Kijana Caldwell, Marqis Stokes, and Jack Trombetti had five tackles. Trombetti had two tackles-for-loss, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
Findlay returns home next Saturday, Oct. 9 when they play host to Kentucky Wesleyan. That Homecoming contest will kick off at 4:00 pm.