Week 8 Preview | Findlay Heads North to Battle Hillsdale
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The Game
A slow start last week had fans on the edge of their seat, but a big second half propelled Findlay to a dominating victory at Kentucky Wesleyan. The Oilers now stay on the road as they travel to take on Hillsdale for just the second time in the last five seasons. The G-MAC contest will kick off in Frank 'Muddy' Waters Stadium at 2:00 pm on Saturday, Oct. 22.
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Head Coach Allen
Head Coach Kory Allen is in his first year at the helm of the Findlay football program and, as an assistant, has helped lead the Oilers to multiple NCAA D2 Playoff appearances and a Great Midwest Championship. Allen has spent 16 years on staff in various other roles including offensive coordinator, offensive line coach, and recruiting coordinator.
Comments from the Coach
Kory Allen Interview | Hillsdale (Coaches Corner with Tim Montgomery)
2022 Findlay Football Coaching Staff
Findlay Oilers (3-4, 2-2 G-MAC)
Findlay has won back-to-back games for the first time this season and have combined to score 78 points in those two games while allowing just 21 points, just seven of which have been scored by opponents offense.
Quarterback Jeremy Hunt is 101-193 this year and has thrown for 1,348 yards and 11 touchdowns. Last week, Hunt threw for 209 yards and a touchdown, his fourth game this season with more than 200 yards passing and his fifth consecutive game with a touchdown pass.
Juniors Tanner Schroeder and Mike Rigerman have caught everything thrown their way this season and make for reliable targets for Hunt. Schroeder has 36 receptions for 436 yards and a score while Rigerman has 19 catches for 310 yards and three scores. Findlay's top scoring threat at wide receiver is freshman Bryan Hunt who has burst onto the scene, making 12 catches, five of which have been for scores including touchdowns of 34, 39, and 67 yards.
On the ground, Garret Clark is the key. This year he has 114 carries for 627 yards, which ranks third in the G-MAC, and four touchdowns. As of late, sophomore Jayden Farmer has been carrying the load, as well, and has 65 carries for 343 yards, an average of 5.3 yards per carry. He has three touchdowns scored.
Junior Grey Brancifort is the team's leading tackler, making 56 stops through seven games this season. Senior Marqis Stokes has 45 tackles while senior Jeremiah Jackson has 40. On the line, junior Dalton Rockhold leads the way with 36 stops, 6.5 tackles-for-loss, two sacks, and has also forced two fumbles. He has been on a tear lately, picking up five TFL in the last three weeks alone.
About the Opponent – Hillsdale (4-3, 3-2 G-MAC)
Much like the Oilers this season, the Chargers have pretty well played themselves out of winning a conference title, barring some wild shakeups late in the season. A gut-wrenching loss to Kentucky Wesleyan on Oct. 1 was followed by a brutal 41-0 loss at Tiffin the following week, making the Chargers a two-loss G-MAC team which makes a championship unlikely. However, that will not stop this squad from showing up and playing to win. A proud program, the Chargers always play a tough, physical brand of football and each year, bring out their best against the Oilers.
Last season, Findlay was 3-0 in conference play and came off a big win against Ohio Dominican before being beaten at home by the Chargers in Donnell Stadium by a score of 34-29. That loss made things interesting down the stretch, but was the only blemish on the Oilers' G-MAC Championship season.
It is just the second time in five seasons that Findlay will make the trip north to take on Hillsdale, a place where the Oilers have not lost since 2010.
This season the Chargers are 4-3 overall and, despite the loss to Kentucky Wesleyan and a close four-point win against Lake Erie, are always dangerous.
That danger begins with the combination of quarterback Luke Keller and wide receiver Isaac Teslaa. Keller is the most efficient quarterback in the conference with an efficiency rating of 146.0. This year he has completed 86-of-144 passes for 1,246 yards and 12 touchdowns. He has, however, thrown ten interceptions which are second-most in the conference after Tom Vatter of Walsh. Keller's career has been a good one as the QB has thrown for more than 4,000 yards and 34 touchdowns in his time. Interceptions have been a constant as he has thrown 30 of them in his career.
Isaac Teslaa is the next in a line of great Hillsdale wideouts and this season, is leading the conference in receiving yards and touchdowns. He has 42 catches for 808 yards and nine scores, both by far the best in the league. His receiving yards rank fifth in the country while his touchdowns rank second.
Running back Michael Herzog is the leading rusher for Hillsdale and is the only back with significant carries this season. Herzog has rushed 140 times for 680 yards and five scores, picking up 97.1 yards per game.
Defensively, linebacker Kyle Kudla is the unquestioned leader of the Chargers. In his career he has made 188 tackles and is on pace for a career-high this season. To-date he has 64 stops including three sacks and eight tackles-for-loss and has also chipped in three pass breakups.
Links
NCAA Division II Stats
NCAA
NCAA Division II Football
American Football Coaches Association
D2Football.com
Great Midwest