University of Findlay

Indianapolis, Ind. – The University of Findlay football team, ranked No. 15 in the country, kicked off a new era on Saturday, Sep. 5 with a statement win in a top-15 matchup. The Oilers, coming off a co-conference championship season, went on the road to battle with the No. 9 University of Indianapolis Greyhounds to open up the 2026 campaign and earned an impressive 30-10 victory.
 
Saturday's win marks the first under head coach Tyler Johns who took over the program in December. It also is the first win over a ranked team in a season-opener since 2002 and just the second-ever win for the Oilers in a top-25 matchup. Coach Johns is the first head coach at Findlay to win his debut since Jon Wauford won his first game at the helm in 2007.
 
On a day where the temperature reached more than 100 degrees on the turf, the Oilers came ready to play in the marquee Division II matchup of the week. The two teams went back and forth early, trading possessions for the first seven minutes of play.
 
Findlay finally broke through midway through the first period, using passing plays of 31 and 28 yards from senior Chase Harrison to senior Delon Hurt to break into Indianapolis territory. On a third and nine from the 18, Harrison found senior Denny Furlong Jr. for the first touchdown of the season.
 
The Greyhounds, which were an NCAA Playoff team and Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) champions a season ago, answered with a score of their own. That touchdown would be the only one of the game for the home team.
 
A 29-yard touchdown from sophomore Andrew Leonard to Hurt put the Oilers back in front.
 
Leading 13-10 with just under two minutes to play in the first half, Findlay started a drive on their own 25 yardline. A holding penalty backed the Orange and Black up to the 15, but junior Christian Davis erased that and more, scrambling 85 yards to the house to shocked the home fans in Key Stadium and put the Oilers in front 20-10 going into the break.
 
Due to the extreme heat, UIndy officials closed the game to spectators at the half, encouraging everyone in attendance to head home. As the heat on the field rose, so did the pressure of the Oilers' defense which would pitch a shutout in the second half.
 
At the end of the third quarter, Findlay drove 81 yards, setting up a one-yard touchdown run by Davis at the beginning of the fourth. That score was a dagger, putting the Oilers in front 27-10.
 
A late field goal added to the scoring as the Oilers went on to the 20-point victory, the largest margin of victory against a top-ten team in the NCAA era of Findlay football history.
 
Findlay stifled the Greyhounds offense, holding the home team to just 250 total yards including only 57 on the ground and 193 in the air. UIndy struggled to stay on the field, converting just 1 of 13 on third or fourth downs in the game.
 
Offensively, UF put up 466 yards with 194 on the ground and 272 through the air and was 3-for-3 in the red zone.
 
Harrison completed 17-of-27 through the air for 222 yards and a score while Leonard was 3-for-4 for 50 yards and a score. Hurt was the top target, collecting 8 receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown. On the ground, Davis carried the load, rushing 12 times for 107 yards and two touchdowns. The duo are the first since Dylan Blunk and Chauncey Bridges against Hillsdale in 2016 to catch and rush for at least 100 yards in a season-opener.
 
Furlong Jr. recorded five receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown while junior Julian Johnson had a pair of catches for 63 yards including a 43-yard reception.
 
Junior linebacker Jon Slaper had a big game defensively, making nine tackles including a pair of tackles-for-loss. Senior Christiona Stokes, junior Samuel Lawanson, and junior Luke Weihrauch each made five stops. Lawanson had an interception to his ledger which he snagged in the fourth quarter.
 
Findlay will be back in action on Saturday, Sep. 12 with a matchup against Fairmont State in the Oilers' home opener. That game will kick off at noon.