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University of Findlay

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Delon Hurt TD at WSU
42
Winner Findlay FIN 2-0 , 0-0
30
Wayne St. (MI) WSU 0-2 , 0-0
Winner
Findlay FIN
2-0 , 0-0
42
Final
30
Wayne St. (MI) WSU
0-2 , 0-0
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
FIN Findlay 14 21 7 0 42
WSU Wayne St. (MI) 3 0 14 13 30

Game Recap: Football |

Big First Half Sends Oilers Soaring Past Wayne State 42-30

Gallery: Football at Wayne State | 9/14/24

Football at Wayne State | 9/14/24
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Mitch Nielsen (3) in game at Wayne State in Detroit, Mich. on Sep. 14, 2024



Detroit, Mich. – The final score is the one that matters, and after jumping out to a big lead in the first half, the University of Findlay football team held on to pick up a 42-30 win on the road against the Wayne State Warriors. With the victory, which took place on Saturday, Sep. 14 at Tom Adams Field in Detroit, Michigan, the Oilers improve to 2-0 on the year while WSU drops to 0-2 early in the year.

It was a tale of two halves on a sunny Saturday in Michigan as Findlay jumped out early, dominating for the first 30 minutes of play. The second half was too little, too late for the Warriors who, despite scoring 27 unanswered, suffer the defeat.

Wayne State did score first, a field goal, but the Oilers then scored 35 consecutive points in the half.

The Oilers first possession set the tone as it took just four plays to cover 71 yards. Senior quarterback Matthew Rueve found senior wideout Mitch Nielsen on the first play of the game for the Findlay offense, a play that picked up 26 yards. Two players later, Rueve found senior Delon Hurt for a 27-yard touchdown. That score put the visiting team ahead on the scoreboard, a lead that would remain for the duration of the game.

A two-yard touchdown run came later in the quarter and, just five minutes into the second frame, a three-yard run by senior Makya Matthews made it 21-3 Oilers.

Two more scores before the break would give the Orange and Black a 35-3 advantage at the break.

Simply put, Findlay was dominating. The offense had picked up 16 first downs and had 265 yards of total offense while the defense had allowed just three first downs and only 89 yards of total offense on 23 plays, holding the Warriors to just one-of-six on third downs in the first 30 minutes.

Findlay received the ball to start the second half and, once again, looked unstoppable. The Oilers quickly reached WSU territory and, from the Warriors' 24-yardline, UF picked up a fourth-and-five to extend the possession. Two plays later, Rueve found senior Cam Childers wide open in the corner of the endzone for another score. The ensuing PAT capped a 42-0 scoring run by the Oilers with ten minutes left to go in the third quarter.

As it would play out, the Warriors went on a run of their own. A pair of touchdowns inside the final two minutes of the third quickly made the score 42-17 and, after a quick punt by the Oilers, another score gave the Warriors 21 consecutive points scored.

They were not done.

One more touchdown with a minute remaining in the game got the score to 42-30, but a failed onside kick allowed the Oilers to kneel out the remaining clock.

Findlay finished with 377 yards of offense, 281 of which came through the air. All of those yards came from the arm of Rueve who completed 26-of-35 passes, three of which went for scores. The leading receiver was Nielsen who had four receptions for 67 yards and a score. While he didn't find the endzone, senior Redd Douglas had a team-high six catches for 55 yards.

Leading the rushing attack was Matthews who carried the ball 19 times for 78 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Jayden Farmer had 15 yards including a rushing touchdown, as well.

Leading the defense was junior Adonai Bumba who made eight tackles including two tackles-for-loss. He also had a pass breakup on his resume, as well. Junior Sam Weihrauch and junior Christion Stokes each had seven tackles with 1.5 and 1.0 tackles-for-loss, respectively. Stokes also recorded an interception on a tipped ball in the first half, setting up one of Matthews' touchdowns. Findlay's defense finished with ten tackles-for-loss in the game, the first time since Week 2 last year that they have reached double-digits in that stat.

Conference play begins next week as the Oilers welcome Lake Erie College to Donnell Stadium for the team's home opener. That kickoff is set for noon and can be seen live on the Great Midwest Digital Network.

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