Owensboro, Ky. – The No. 9 ranked University of Findlay football team went on the road to open up Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play on Saturday, Sep. 19. Playing in Owensboro, Kentucky against Kentucky Wesleyan, the Oilers and Panthers moved kickoff to 10 am local time due to extreme temperatures in the area. As a team, Findlay was just as hot as the environment, dominating the Panthers to the tune of a 64-0 win. That win gives the Oilers a 3-0 record (1-0 G-MAC) while KWC, which has now suffered 18 consecutive losses, falls to 0-3 (0-1 G-MAC).
The 64 points scored by Findlay are the most since scoring 75 against Alderson Broaddus back in the 2019 season while the 64-point margin of victory in the NCAA era of the program, and the largest since a 70-0 victory against Lindenwood back in 1994.
This is the second consecutive year that the Oilers have shutout the Panthers, who last scored against Findlay back in October of 2024.
Findlay forced a quick three-and-out to open the game and then needed just six plays to cover 91 yards, capping the drive with a touchdown pass from senior Chase Harrison to junior Cameron Wright. A two-point conversion made the score 8-0.
Through one quarter, the Oilers would lead 15-0 and held the Panthers to just 13 total yards.
Saturday's game was all but finished in the second period where Findlay poured it on, scoring 28 points to open up a 43-0 advantage. In the opening half, the Panthers did not cross midfield and had a total of just 45 yards.
With the game in hand, Findlay turned down the throttle offensively in the second half but, the Oilers defense kept up the pressure, preserving the shutout.
Findlay's offense moved up and down the field at will, posting 636 yards of total offense, the most in a game since November of 2018. Of those total yards, 301 came on the ground and 335 through the air. It is the first time UF has rushed for more than 300 yards in a game since the fall of 2021.
KWC finished with just 141 yards of total offense, 119 of which came through the air. The Oilers held the Panthers to negative rushing yards in both the second and third quarters. Findlay racked up ten tackles-for-loss including four sacks.
Harrison completed 15-of-24 passes for 275 yards and five touchdowns, the first five-touchdown performance in a two years. Cameron Wright had three receptions for 57 yards and had a pair of touchdown catches.
On the ground, senior Dominic Bennett carried the ball 13 times for 94 yards and a score while sophomore Jordan Matthews rushed ten times for 93 yards and two scores. Junior Christian Davis, the Oilers' starting back, picked p 85 yards on 11 totes.
Junior Riley Caldwell led the team with six tackles including a tackle-for-loss while junior Antonio Williams Jr. had five stops.
Findlay has a critical matchup coming next week, Saturday, Sep. 26 when #25 Northwood comes to town for what should be a top-25 matchup. That game will kick at 2:00 pm and will serve as the Oilers' homecoming game.
