Week 7 Preview | Findlay Heads to Owensboro to Battle KWC
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The Game
After four home games in the first six weeks, the Oilers are hitting the road for back-to-back Saturdays starting on Oct. 15 with a trip to Kentucky Wesleyan to take on the Panthers. The game will kick off at 5:00 pm EST and features two teams with 2-4 records overall and 1-2 marks in the G-MAC. Findlay has not lost to KWC in the all-time series, holding a perfect 5-0 record in a clash that began in 2017.
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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.
In Week 3 against Southwest Baptist, Coach Allen picked up his first victory as a head coach, defeating the Bearcats 52-35 in Donnell Stadium.
Comments from the Coach
Kory Allen Interview | Kentucky Wesleyan (Coaches Corner with Tim Montgomery)
2022 Findlay Football Coaching Staff
Findlay Oilers (2-4, 1-2 G-MAC)
Following the loss to #1 Ferris St., Head Coach Kory Allen challenged his team, urging the Oilers to turn this season around. "Let's go 6-0 with six to go". The first step of that came with a dominating victory on Homecoming against Northwood last week. Findlay will now take that goal on the road, looking to go 1-0 this week against G-MAC foe Kentucky Wesleyan.
The Oilers offense came alive last week as they put up 34 points, but still ranks sixth in the G-MAC at 22.8 points per game. Running the ball has been a strength of the Oilers, ranking third in the conference at 144.2 yards per game on the ground. That has been important because throwing the ball has been a struggle thus far for an offense that averages 197.8 yards per game through the air, sixth in the G-MAC.
Quarterback Jeremy Hunt is 89-168 this year and has thrown for 1,139 yards and ten touchdowns. Last week, Hunt threw for 202 yards and a touchdown, his third game this season with more than 200 yards passing.
Juniors Tanner Schroeder and Mike Rigerman have caught everything thrown their way this season and make for reliable targets for Hunt. Schroeder has 31 receptions for 335 yards and a score while Rigerman has 17 catches for 279 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 103 carries for 565 yards which ranks second in the G-MAC. As of late, sophomore Jayden Farmer has been carrying the load, as well, and has 52 carries for 234 yards, an average of 4.5 yards per carry. He has a pair of touchdowns scored, both of which came last week against Northwood.
Junior Grey Brancifort is far and away the team's leading tackler, making 54 stops through five games this season. Last Saturday, Brancifort had four tackles that included 2.5 tackles-for-loss and 1.5 sacks. Senior Marqis Stokes has 43 tackles while senior Jeremiah Jackson has 36. Sophomore Johnny Harris has 32 tackles, 13 of which came against Ferris State, a career-high. Freshman Sam Weihrauch helped lead the defense last week, picking up a team-high 14 tackles and a forced fumble en route to picking up G-MAC Defensive Player of the Week. On the line, junior Dalton Rockhold leads the way with 30 stops, 5.0 tackles-for-loss and has also forced two fumbles.
About the Opponent – Kentucky Wesleyan (2-4, 1-2 G-MAC)
It has been a long time since the Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers have put together a winning season. As an NCAA Division II Independent, a 7-4 season in 2014 was the last year that ended with more wins than losses and even then, that season included wins against schools including Trinity Bible College, Arizona Christian, Faith College, Virginia-Lynchburg, amongst other schools without a rich football tradition. What that team did have was Keelan Cole who is still currently in the National Football League (NFL) with the Los Angeles Raiders.
Fast forward to 2022 and the Panthers are in a new era, now under the direction of Tyrone Young who formerly served as an Associate Head Coach under the former boss, Craig Yeast, whose splash hiring in 2019 did not pan out the way KWC fans had hoped, winning just five games in three years.
Couch Young has this year's version of KWC playing hard and, despite some ugly losses including a 55-13 blowout at the hands of Northwood to start the year, a 24-17 loss to William Jewell which previously had lost 27 consecutive games, and a 46-9 loss to Quincy, the Panthers have some reason for optimism this season. That optimism is the result of a 31-27 Homecoming Game victory over the Hillsdale Chargers two weeks ago, a big win for a program looking to break into the upper-tier of Great Midwest football programs.
Offensively, KWC struggles to score, putting up just 17 points per game which is second-to-last in the conference. Due to a rushing offense that picks up just 81 yards per game, the Panthers will likely rely heavily on the passing attack which ranks third in the G-MAC at 267 yards per game.
At quarterback, the Panthers may roll out a pair of options, but junior Christian Arrambide is listed as the starter, likely splitting time with senior Wiley Cain who was the Day 1 starter but was injured early in the year. The duo has combined for 124 completions for 1,571 yards and 11 touchdowns this year and neither is much of a threat to run the ball.
At wideout, senior Brennen McGuire leads the Panthers with 30 catches for 509 yards and three scores while senior David Florence has 37 catches for 464 yards and five scores.
Junior Landon Newman is the leading rusher with 240 yards and a touchdown this year, but senior Jatorian Dillard actually has the most carries, toting the ball 66 times for 183 yards, picking up just 2.8 yards per carry.
On defense, KWC begins with fifth year linebacker Jalen Humphrey. This season he has 51 tackles including three tackles-for-loss to lead the Panthers. Senior defensive back Ramond Jackson, who picked up G-MAC Defensive Player of the Week honors after a two-interception game against Hillsdale, is second on the team with 34 tackles. Defensive lineman Jaden Santos-Lopez leads the team in sacks with 3.5.
Links
NCAA Division II Stats
NCAA
NCAA Division II Football
American Football Coaches Association
D2Football.com
Great Midwest