Findlay Opens Conference Play with Trip to Painesville
The Game
Conference play is officially here as the University of Findlay football team will travel to Painesville, OH on Saturday, Oct. 2 to take on the Lake Erie Storm in the first Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) contest of the season. The game between familiar foes is scheduled to kick off at 3:00 pm.
Tickets
To purchase presale tickets for this contest, please follow THIS LINK to the home school's ticketing site.
Media
Video streaming of the contest will be produced by Lake Erie and will broadcast on the Great Midwest Digital Network.
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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 69-41 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:
The Series
Findlay is 8-1 all-time against the Storm with the only loss coming in the first-ever matchup between the two schools in 2010. That was a 48-45 victory for Lake Erie. Since then, the Oilers have won eight straight in the series, the last seven of which have been by at least three touchdowns and two of which have been by more than 60 points.
Findlay Oilers (2-2, 0-0 G-MAC)
At 2-2 entering conference play, the Oilers have seen mixed success four games in. Offensively, the Oilers rank third in the conference with 31.5 points per game and is second with 458.8 yards of offense per game. The bulk of that success has come on the ground as the Oilers are the only team in the league with more rushing yards than passing yards and also feature the only offense that has at least 900 yards both rushing and passing.
On the ground, Derek Lynch still stands alone at the top of the league with 400 rushing yards, albeit that is thanks to a herculean 45 carry, 303 yard performance in week two against UNC Pembroke. However, along with Lynch, Josh Booker has 41 carries for 230 yards and three scores while Garret Clark has 25 carries for 161 yards and three scores. Booker's 230 yards rank fourth in the conference while Clark's 161 yards rank tenth giving the Oilers three of the top ten rushers in the G-MAC.
That success on the ground is thanks to an offensive line that has continued a tradition of excellence in the trenches. Four games in, the Oilers offensive line has allowed just three sacks, or a half-sack per game. That number ranks sixth in the country and leads the conference. Findlay also leads the conference in tackles-for-loss allowed, giving up just 2.75 per game, the fifth-best mark in the nation.
Throwing the ball, Matt Winzeler has been up and down thus far but still ranks fourth in the conference with 851 yards and ranks third with eight touchdowns. He undoubtedly would like to see his completion percentage of .573 improve and entering conference play, that is likely a focus of his preparation. Despite that, Winzeler is quickly moving up in the Oilers record books and now ranks fourth all-time at Findlay with 4,461 yards and will likely move into third this week as he needs just 43 yards to pass Verlon Reed (2013-14) who threw for 4,503.
Defense has been a bit of an issue so far this season, specifically pass defense. To-date, the Oilers have allowed 1,433 yards through the air, the most passing yards allowed in the country. The 37.8 points per game allowed also rank worst in the G-MAC and near the bottom nationally, but that does include two games against quarterbacks who will undoubtedly be in the conversation for the Harlon Hill Trophy at the end of the year. In looking across the league for a unit that has something to prove this week, it is the Oilers defense which means the Storm offense might just face one of their toughest tests of the young season.
2021 Season Statistics
2021 Roster
Lake Erie (3-1, 0-0 G-MAC)
Coming into the 2021 season, the Lake Erie Storm were selected last in the G-MAC Preseason Poll, and rightfully so based on their recent performance on the field. The Storm have put together 12 consecutive losing seasons including a pair of 0-11 campaigns, the most recent of which was in 2018. Three different head coaches in a span of four years (2016-2019) did not do much for the stability of the program, as well. However, the newest of those coaches, current coach Reilly Murphy, is now in his third season at LEC and has the team out of Painesville off to a 3-1 start to the season, the best record through four games in school history and tied for the best record in the G-MAC through four weeks.
The Storm are coming off a 28-20 loss to Southwest Baptist, a game in which LEC led at the half. That loss came in Lake Erie's home opener. Prior to that game, the Green and White had been on the road three times, each time returning to Painesville with a victory. While Lake Erie's opponents thus far have a combined record of 2-14, a win is a win and that's something the Storm have not done in a long time.
Quarterback Gerald Gardner will take the snaps for the Storm and has gotten his 2021 campaign off to a good start. Through four games, Gardner has completed 61-of-94 (65%) passes for just shy of 800 yards, three interceptions, and five touchdowns. His completion percentage ranks third in the G-MAC while his passer efficiency rating of 155.9 ranks second. He will split time with backup Xeavier Bullock who has appeared in three of the four games this season and has completed 24-of-45 passes for 257 yards. Bullock is more of a running threat as he has 28 carries for 150 yards, second-more rushing yards on the team
The top rusher is running back Devin Brown who has 62 totes for 252 yards and four touchdowns while the top receiver is Peyton Brown who leads the squad with 19 receptions for 287 yards. All-conference tight end Josh Hufstetler is also a threat and has 15 receptions for 199 yards.
Links
NCAA Division II Stats
NCAA
NCAA Division II Football
American Football Coaches Association
D2Football.com
Great Midwest