The Game
A loss in the season-opener is no reason pack it in as everything the Oilers hope to achieve in 2023 remains in front of them. The journey continues on Saturday, September 9 with a trip to take on the Pace Setters in a game that is set to kick off at noon EST. This weekend's road trip will see Findlay head nearly 600 miles east, ultimately landing in New York, New York for a first-ever meeting with their opponent out of the Northeast 10 (NE10) Conference and is the first game against an opponent from the NE10 since the 2017 when Findlay took on Assumption University in the second round of the NCAA DII Playoffs.

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Tickets for Findlay at Pace

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Findlay Oilers (0-1, 0-1 G-MAC)
2023 Findlay Football Coaching Staff
After a week of practice and time to reflect on the positives and negatives of Week 1, the Oilers are going to be ready for a showdown in the Big Apple.

In the opener, Findlay showed some positives on both sides of the ball including at running back where junior Garret Clark rushed 11 times for 73 yards, nearly seven yards per carry. Expect a heavy dose of the run game against a defense that gave up 225 yards on the ground last week.

On defense, sophomore Sam Weihrauch picked up right where he left off last season, leading the Oilers with ten tackles including one-and-a-half tackles-for-loss in the opener. Last year's leading tackler Grey Brancifort also had a good opener, making eight stops and one-and-a-half tackles in the backfield. As a team, Findlay had nine tackles-for-loss which was 21^st in the country in Week 1.

One area the Oilers are looking to improve is third down offense where the Orange and Black converted just 4-of-15 (.267) in the opener. Extend some of those drives and keep your defense off the field and Findlay just might have a recipe for success this Saturday.

Now with one start under his belt, quarterback Alec Bornhorst hopes to lead his squad to a win after an opener where he threw for 149 yards on 39 attempts and tossed a pair of interceptions. His play this week will go a long way towards leading the Orange and Black to a win.

About the Opponent – Pace Setters (0-1, 0-0 NE10)
The Pace Setters have been playing football since 1968 and have been an NCAA Division II institution since 1993. Just 13 of those seasons have ended with winning records as history has not been kind to the school that calls the Big Apple its' home. However, head coach Andy Rondeau has led the team to three winning records in the last four seasons, turning the program in the right direction.

Week 1 saw the Setters go on the road and take on East Stroudsburg University, a game that Pace lost by a score of 62-9, failing to score a touchdown. That contest was 20-6 at the half, but a 28-point fourth quarter by the Warriors put the nail in the coffin.

A trio of players for the Setters were named honorable mention all-Americans by the Don Hansen Football Gazette last year. All three are now gone. Most significantly is the loss of their quarterback. Pace is without the services of three-year starter and two-time NE10 Player of the Year, Carlton Aiken, who threw for more than 5,000 yards and was responsible for 71 touchdowns in his career. They also lost the NE10's Offensive Lineman of the Year, Kevin Toote, and Defensive Lineman of the Year, Nasier Givens. In fact, Pace had six players named first team all-conference last season and all six have departed.

The offensive reigns are now in the hands of junior quarterback Sean Kehley who has seen limited action in his two seasons at Pace. His top target is unquestionably wide out Teddy Harper who was a second team all-NE10 pick a year ago. Harper had 29 receptions for 355 yards last year as the team's number two receiver. However, it was Dominic Nicolo who led the team on opening day, hauling in three receptions for 39 yards.

Coming out of the backfield is Israel Lopez who had nine carries for 60 yards last week including an explosive 52-yard run on the second play of the Setters' first series.

Defensively, week one saw no surprise as second team all-conference defensive back Anthony Holmes led the way with ten tackles including on tackle-for-loss. Defensive lineman Christian Aiken added eight stops while linebacker Jaden Farrow had seven.

All told, the Oilers are looking to rebound against a regional opponent after a tough season-opener, but despite being the favorite in this game, Findlay needs to and will be ready to take the Setters' best shot.

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