Findlay Travels to Missouri for Battle with Southwest Baptist

The Game

In November of 2019, the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) and Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) announced a scheduling alliance for the 2021-22 seasons. Saturday, Sep. 18 is the debut of that alliance as Findlay will travel to Southwest Baptist to take on the Bearcats in Plaster Stadium in Bolivar, Missouri. The contest is scheduled to kick off at 2:00 pm EST / 1:00 pm CT.

Video Stream

Video streaming of the contest will be produced by Southwest Baptist and will be streamed on the GLVC Network.

Findlay at SBU Video

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Head Coach Rob Keys

Head coach Rob Keys will enter his 11th season at the helm of the Oilers football program in 2021.  He has recorded a 68-40 record with the program as a head coach, which includes a 34-26 mark in GLIAC games and a 21-7 mark in G-MAC games.

For Findlay's 2021 coaching staff, please click on the following link:

2021 Coaching Staff

The Series

This is the first time that Findlay and Southwest Baptist have met on the gridiron.

Findlay Oilers (1-1, 0-0 G-MAC)

After a tough loss in the season opener that saw the Oilers drop a road contest against arguably the top team in the country, Findlay battled back to win their home opener, a game which the Oilers had less than two days to prepare for as it was scheduled last minute due to COVID.

 

With a last-minute game added, Findlay's offensive strategy was clear; run the ball. Junior Derek Lynch, who to-date had a single-game career-high of 15 carries in 2019, rushed the ball for a school and conference record 45 times for 303 yards, becoming just the second back in UF history with 300 yards on the ground. His 303 rushing yards are the most by a player in the country so far this season. Lynch also scored a pair of touchdowns in the win.

 

Senior quarterback Matt Winzeler was not as sharp as he would like, but did make important throws when the team needed them, including a touchdown pass to Mike Rigerman in overtime, ending the game in walkoff fashion. This season Winzeler has completed 35-of-65 passes for 477 yards and leads the G-MAC with five touchdown passes.

 

On the receiving end of Winzeler's throws have been a myriad of players as five players have at least five receptions thus far. Jake Brown, Tanner Schroeder, and Austin Watt each have eight catches on the year while Marlin Richardson and Mike Rigerman each have five. Rigerman leads the team and the conference with three touchdown receptions while Jake Brown, who leads the team with 126 receiving yards, has two.

 

Defensively, Marqis Stokes leads Findlay with 20 tackles and has one interception while Jack Trombetti has 18 tackles. Ervin Besingi was a force defensively against UNCP last week as he picked up his first two sacks on the year in the victory.

2021 Season Statistics
2021 Roster

Southwest Baptist (0-2, 0-0 GLVC)

Southwest Baptist football has struggled to find it's way over the past five seasons as they have amassed a record of just 9-27 since their last NCAA DII Playoff appearance in the 2016 season. That struggle includes a dismal 0-10 season in 2018-19 and just a 3-8 record the last time a full fall season was played in 2019. Those struggles have SBU selected sixth out of eight in the GLVC Preseason Poll this season.

Through two games this season, SBU is 0-2 and has held a lead for just under four minutes of gametime after scoring first against #1 West Florida last week, a game that ended in a 63-14 loss.  Like Findlay thus far, the SBU defense has been tested and is allowing 43.5 points per game (Findlay's is giving up 41).  

Taking the snaps on Saturday will be junior quarterback Cooper Callis who is in his first full season as the Bearcats' signal caller. This year Callis has completed 52-of-78 (67%) for 519 yards and two scores, throwing just one interception. He is coming off a decent performance against the top team in the country, completed 22-of-34 for 230 yards and a touchdown against West Florida.

Preston Carson is the Bearcats top receiver coming into Saturday's game. He has 12 catches for 171 yards on the year but has yet to find the endzone. His top game was a 7 catch, 108-yard performance in the opener against Texas Permian Basin. Curtis Cuillard also has 12 receptions on the season, has 118 yards and has one receiving touchdown. Cuillard had 103 receiving yards against Permian Basin, as well.

Picking up the bulk of the carries out of the backfield will by Eric Knight. This season he has 14 carries for 39 yards. The most totes on the team, however, belong to quarterback Cooper Callis who has rushed 15 times for 32 yards. At just 54 team rushing yards per game, the Bearcats seem to rely heavily on the passing game for the bulk of their offense.

2021 Season Stats
2021 Roster

Links

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