The Game

A new season of Findlay football is here as the Oilers look to continue their late-season momentum in year two under Head Coach Kory Allen. A six-game win streak capped a season in which the Orange and Black finished tied for second in the G-MAC. 2023 begins with a tall order as the Truman State Bulldogs come to town for a big-time showdown at Donnell Stadium. The game is set to kick off at noon on Saturday, September 2. It is Findlay's first season-opener that will be played at home since 2016.

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Tickets

Tickets for Findlay vs Truman State

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Video streaming of the contest will be produced by Findlay's Pulse TV and streamed on the Great Midwest Digital Network.

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

2023 Findlay Football Coaching Staff

The second year of the Kory Allen era is one with high hopes as the Oilers look to compete, once again, for a conference championship and berth in the NCAA Playoffs. 2022 ended with a six-game win streak, four of which were games decided by more than 20 points. Riding the high of that run, Findlay fans look to the current season as one with incredible potential.

Opening up with Truman St. this season will be a stout test to begin the year. The Oilers and Bulldogs have never met on the gridiron but, last season, shared three common opponents in Hillsdale, Tiffin, and Southwest Baptist. Combined, Findlay and Truman went 7-0 against those squads. Truman and Tiffin actually battled twice, both games ending in one-point victories for the Bulldogs.

Findlay returns a wealth of talent on offense, headlined by a corps of running backs that may be one of the best groups in the country. Junior Garret Clark is listed as the starter and has tallied 1,736 yards and 17 touchdowns in his career including a career-high, 252 yard effort against North Greenville last season. Clark's backup is no slouch as four-time first team all-conference tailback Brian Benson returns to the backfield after a year away. Benson has 2,710 career yards and 28 touchdowns. Joining those two is junior Jayden Farmer who had a breakout season last year where he had 82 carries for 390 yards and five touchdowns including a 109-yard effort against Kentucky Wesleyan in week seven.

Under center will be senior Alec Bornhorst who was a spark plug for the Oilers last season. Findlay went 4-0 in games where Bornhorst had significant playing time. He threw for 224 yards last year but can also stretch a defense with his ability to scramble, rushing for 105 yards and three touchdowns a year ago.

That group will be protected by another solid offensive line which is led by all-American Michael Jerrell who has 29 starts in his career at UF and is projected as one of the top lineman in Division II. Also gaining national attention is tight end Mike Rigerman who, for the second consecutive season, joins Jerrell on the D2football.com Top 100 list. Last year, Rigerman caught 37 passes for 478 yards and three scores.

On defense, there are a good amount of familiar names, as well, as Grey Brancifort, Jack Morrison, Reggie Micheaux, Johnny Harris, Romaro Warren Jr., and Sam Weihrauch all return at the core of the defense. On the outside, Jeremiah Jackson and Brennan Perry will lock down opposing receivers while Adonai Bumba and Jared Thomas will jump into starting roles at safety.

About the Opponent – Truman State Bulldogs (0-0, 0-0 GLVC)

Being a three-time winner of the America's Crossroads Bowl is certainly a solid achievement. Participants of that game are the highest-finishing squad that does not earn a playoff bid from both the GLVC and the G-MAC. However, the Bulldogs are almost certainly hoping to burst through that glass ceiling in 2023 as, winning a bowl game is nice, but making a first appearance in the NCAA postseason since 1994 would be even better.

Truman was selected second in the eight-team GLVC Preseason Coaches Poll behind #20 Indianapolis. Last season, the team from Kirksville, Missouri went 9-2 and came up just shy in the de facto GLVC Championship when the then #20 Bulldogs fell to the #14 UIndy Greyhounds by a score of 28-14 in the regular-season finale.

 Led by last season's GLVC Co-Coach of the Year Gregg Nesbitt, the Bulldogs return a host of talent to the gridiron in 2023. First team selections Justin Watson (OL), Dane Eggert (OL), Ben Miller (DL), Isaiah Estes (LB), Ben Thomas (DB), Jake Closser (DB), and Grant Ross (K) are all back while two-time all-GLVC quarterback and 2020 GLVC Freshman of the Year Nolan Hair also returns as the leader on offense.

In his career, Hair has thrown for more than 4,500 yards and has 43 passing touchdowns while throwing just 16 interceptions in 672 attempts. Last season, however, he threw for a career-low 141.5 yards per game. That does not come as a surprise though considering first team all-GLVC running back Shamar Griffith had the luxury of running behind a pair of first team offensive lineman. Griffith and running back Collin Sutton have since left which now leaves last year's backup Denim Cook to handle the load.

In 2023, Cook was second on the team with 383 rushing yards on 50 carries. Outside of starting quarterback Nolan Hair, who rushed for 274 yards on 78 carries, no other returner had even 20 carries last season which leaves the ground game as a bit of a mystery entering the first week of the season.

What is not a mystery is Hair's favorite target. At 6-3, 205 pounds, wide receiver Tate Crane will be the go-to option with all-region tight end Matt Hall departing due to graduation. Crane was the team's top receiver last year, hauling in 37 receptions for 413 yards and three scores. Also look for an uptick in contributions from Zach Zerwig this year as he is coming off of a 30 catch, 338 yard season.

On defense, linebacker Isaiah Estes is the unquestioned leader. In 2022, Estes made a team-high 78 tackles which ranked seventh in the GLVC. Defensive back Ben Thomas also returns after a 58-tackle season while Peyton Carr and Ulysses Ross are also back and both made 50+ tackles last year.

The Bulldogs received votes in the DII AFCA Preseason Poll showing that the country expects yet another solid season from the team out of Missouri, however, Findlay is also in the 'receiving votes category' which makes this Week 1 matchup one that will undoubtedly draw some national attention.

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