Painesville, Ohio - The University of Findlay football team had no issues in their Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) opener on Saturday, Sep. 16, picking up a decisive 45-3 victory over the Storm of Lake Erie College. With the win, Findlay is now 2-1 on the year with a 1-0 mark in league action while the Storm fall to 1-2 and 0-1 in the G-MAC. 

The Oilers' victory over Lake Erie is the 11th straight in the series that dates back to 2010. The Storm won the first-ever meeting 48-45, but since then, Findlay has not lost and is averaging 50 points per game.

Dominance in the series reared its' head on the first play of the game when the opening kickoff was returned 89 yards by Findlay's Makya Matthews, setting the Oilers up on the Lake Erie six yard line to start the day. It was the longest kick return by a Findlay player since Jacob Hill went 93 yards for a touchdown against Ohio Dominican in the 2017 regular-season finale.

Senior quarterback Alec Bornhorst picked up where he left off last week, rushing for the first score of the game.

Findlay's next possession came after the defense forced a punt, holding the Storm to just 22 yards on their first series. With the ball back in their hands, the Oilers drove the length of the field to ultimately score. Back-to-back big plays made the drive a sucess. The first came on third-and-eight, a play that ended with a one-handed reception by senior tight end Mike Rigerman that went for 29 yards. On the next snap, senior Brian Benson rushed 30 yards, putting Findlay in the red zone. Benson would eventually cap the drive with a four-yard touchdown run.

A 24-0 lead came to the Orange and Black on a 27-yard reception by Mike Rigerman before Lake Erie was finally able to score, making good on a 40-yard field goal with 5:15 to play in the first half. 

That score was not nearly enough to spark a comeback as Findlay would continue to roll. In an effort to run the clock, the ground game took over and the Oilers would go on to a 42-point victory.

In the game, Findlay put up 432 yards of total offense while holding the Storm to just 126 yards. Rushing yards were 238-to-37 in favor of the Oilers while passing yards ended 194-to-89. In the previous two meetings combined, Lake Erie, who rushed for -25 yards last season, has just eight total yards rushing.

Leading the way for the stingy Oilers' defense was the outstanding pair of sophomore linebackers Romaro Warren Jr. and Sam Weihrauch. Warren Jr. led the team with eight tackles while Weihrauch had six stops including a sack, two tackles-for-loss, and one pass breakup. Johnny Harris and Keisean Wilson each had five tackles, as well.

Alec Bornhorst was not relied upon to throw the ball often, but when he did, it was as accurate as he has been in his career. The Georgia native completed 10-of-14 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown while rushing seven times for 59 yards and two scores. Bornhorst now has five rushing TDs on the season, the most in the Great Midwest.

Senior running back Brian Benson also had a big day, rushing 17 times for 121 yards and two scores. It is Benson's first time over the century mark since he went for 244 yards in the G-MAC Championship against Tiffin in 2021. Makya Matthews added six carries for 37 yards and a touchdown.

On the receiving end, Mike Rigerman was again the lead target, making three catches for 64 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Bryan Hunt had two catches for 48 yards.

Findlay concludes their three-game road stand next Saturday, Sep. 23, when they travel north to Hillsdale, Michigan to take on the Chargers of Hillsdale College. That game will kick off at 4:00 pm.