Oilers Lose Nailbiter to #8 Shepherd in NCAA Playoffs
Shepherdstown, WV – The University of Findlay football team saw their season come to an end on Saturday, Nov. 20 in the first round of the NCAA Division II Super Region One Playoffs in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Findlay fell on the road against #8 Shepherd University by a score of 38-31, ending the season with a record of 8-4 and a Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Championship. Shepherd improves to 11-1 on the year and advances to take on Notre Dame College, who defeated Slippery Rock on Saturday.
Taking on the top offense in the country, Findlay knew that it would need stops in order to defeat the Rams. In the first quarter, that is exactly what happened.
The Oilers forced Shepherd to punt on its first possession and, on its second, Findlay's Johnny Harris intercepted the nation's leader in touchdown passes, Shepherd's Tyson Bagent. The interception led to the first score of the game, a touchdown pass from Matt Winzeler to Garret Clark on the first play of the second quarter, putting the Oilers on top 7-0.
The Rams did not panic and in 12 plays, answered with a touchdown of their own to tie the game. Shepherd's defense then got an interception and three minutes later, the home team took a 14-7 lead.
With less than three minutes to play in the first half, the Oilers forced a punt and in just two plays, Winzeler found senior Marlin Richardson down the home sideline. Richardson made a spectacular one-handed catch for the second week in a row and raced 78 yards for a touchdown to tie the game before the half.
Touchdowns by each team in the beginning of the third quarter knotted the game up at 21-21 before a field goal by Shepherd gave the home squad a three-point advantage.
The Oilers had a chance to answer late in the third quarter as they drove deep into Rams' territory. But that drive ended with a blocked field goal, keeping Findlay behind by three.
Findlay's defense needed a big stop and did just that as Jack Trombetti intercepted Bagent to start the fourth quarter. The next play, Winzeler connected with Mike Rigerman for a 53-yard score, the third 50+ yard touchdown of the game, to give the Oilers a 28-24 advantage.
Shepherd scored on its next possession to take back the lead and, after a punt by Findlay, got the ball back with seven minutes remaining.
On a second-and-seven from Findlay's 31 yard line, Shpeherd QB Tyson Bagent lofted a ball to the corner of the end zone to Greg Leonard. The ball appeared to go through the hands of Leonard and into the hands of Findlay's Kijana Caldwell who possessed the ball on the ground. However, the play was ruled a touchdown for Shepherd, giving them a ten-point lead with just four minutes remaining.
A 51-yard field goal by Findlay's Austin Snyder pulled the Oilers to within one score and led to an onside kick attempt. The kick was perfect as it bounced high into the air, giving Findlay a couple chances at possession, but Shepherd came away with the ball and iced the game with a couple first downs.
Shepherd, which came into the game averaging 540 yards of offense per game, had 488 yards of total offense while the Oilers had 478. Shepherd, which leaned heavily on the pass all year, rushed the ball 38 times for 200 yards while Findlay, which has been more balanced for much of the year, went pass heavy, totaling 398 yards through the air.
Matt Winzeler, playing in his final game for Findlay, completed 16-of-31 passes for 398 yards, the second-most in a game in his career, and four touchdowns, the sixth time in his career he threw for four scores. He ends his time at Findlay ranked second all-time with more than 6,000 yards passing, 60 touchdowns, and almost 500 completions.
Mike Rigerman was Winzeler's top target as he had eight receptions for a career-high 178 yards and one touchdown. Senior Marlin Richardson, also in his final game, had three catches for 101 yards and a score while Tanner Schroeder had two receptions for 80 yards and a score. Marlin Richardson finishes his career for the Oilers with 93 catches for 1,505 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Garret Clark was the Oilers' leading rusher, carrying the ball 15 times for 57 yards. Clark also had a 19-yard reception out of the backfield that went for a touchdown.
Defensively, Jack Trombetti was the leader, making ten tackles including a tackle-for-loss. He also had an interception in the contest. Johnny Harris finished the game with nine tackles, all of which were solo stops, while Marqis Stokes had seven tackles including a tackle-for-loss.
In the game, freshman kicker Austin Snyder was 1-for-2 on field goals, making a 51-yard attempt in the fourth quarter of the game. That kick is the second 50-yard kick in program history and ties the G-MAC record for the longest field goal in conference history.