The Findlay Oilers garnered a 42-17 homecoming victory over the visiting 23rd-ranked Hillsdale College Chargers in Donnell Stadium. The win gives the Oilers a 5-1 record on the season with a 4-1 mark in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), putting them in a 3-way tie for 2nd place (with Wayne State and Northern Michigan.)
The Oilers offense exploded for 550 total yards and 6 touchdowns. Senior QB Andrew Beam (transfer from BGSU) led the way with 21-28 for 312 passing yards and two touchdowns - the most passing yards Findlay has had since November 8th, 2008 when Billy Noonan threw for 364 yards against Ashland University. Beam completed passes to six different receivers among which was senior Mike Chambers who caught six balls for 127 yards and a touchdown. The score was 17-14 with a last-second Mark Petro field goal to put the Chargers up at the half. The second half was all Oilers, who notched 2 TDs in each of the final frames to complete the win.
College: Findlay Univ Conference: GLIAC Columnist: Jay Horn
Name # Ht Wt Speed Pos Class Game Notes
Mike Chambers 2 6' 1.7" 199 4.55 WR 2010
Chambers has benefitted greatly from the arrival of Beam - to date he has caught 36 passes for 734 yards and 6 TDs - he leads the GLIAC with 122.4 yards per game and 20.4 yards per catch. Today, he had 6 catches for 127 and a TD (on a SE reverse pass for 48 yards from junior WR Dustin Zielaskiewicz.) He is drawing 'extra attention' from defensive secondaries (he caught 6 of just 7 thrown to him, versus 10 of 18 in an earlier game in the season), and his teammates were open (Beam completed 16 passes to 5 other receivers). He continues to be physical in his blocking and precise in his route running. He has the tools to become a good receiver at the next level - a 7th round pick could be a great investment for an athlete like Chambers.
GRADE: POSITIVE
Joe Knopick 6 5' 11.5" 220 4.85 LB 2010
I said in another report Knopick is lacking NFL size & speed, but not in NFL effort and desire. He made some great stops early-on against Hillsdale's running back, Panizzi to help set the defensive tone. He had 10 tackles (3 solo) and a QB hurry. I was more impressed by his play today against HC than against Wayne State. Last year, he also handled all the punting duties for the Oilers - he is now used as the 'short punt' specialist, with a great 33-yard punt on the first series that pinned the Chargers down on their own 1-yard line. Very versatile player but needs more mass and speed to be competitive at the next level.
GRADE: SLIGHTLY POSITIVE
Anthony Fields 22 5' 9.0" 195 4.60 S 2010
Fields led his team in tackles with 12 - 10 solo and 5 passes broken-up (Hillsdale came into the game as the #2 passing team in the GLIAC and passed 51 times but only completed 24 for 280 yards and 1 TD) - he did not have any returns as HC kept the ball away from him. His athleticism was evident as Hillsdale challenged him twice in the first series, attempting to exploit the height advantage of 6'5" Andre Holmes - Fields broke up both attempts and another later in the game. While he was excellent in coverage, he was also there in run support with at least 5 tackles of Panizzi to limit him to runs as few as 3 yards. His toughness overcame any questions I had about his height - with continued improvement he could be another good investment as a PFA.
GRADE: VERY POSITIVE
College: Hillsdale College Conference: D-2 GLIAC Columnist: Jay Horn
Name # Ht Wt Speed Pos Class
AJ Kegg 3 5' 11.8 189 4.60 WR 2010
Kegg was limited to just 3 catches for 43 yards (with 8 balls thrown to him - 2 other catches were nullified by penalties) - I have seen him over the past several seasons with some impressive games, but he's only had 1 big game - 10 catches for 114 and a TD against Northwood - this year. He caught a great 15-yard comeback for a first down early in the game, but little after that; he shows good downfield blocking ability. The Chargers needed some senior leadership from Kegg today.
GRADE: SLIGHTLY NEGATIVE
Drew Berube 99 6' 3.8 280 4.85 DT 2010
As dominant as Berube was at Ashland the week before, he was just as silent against Findlay today - he had just 4 tackles (2 solo) and no sacks, hurries or TFLs in a game where Hillsdale really needed someone to provide a defensive spark. He was unable to penetrate the Findlay line - Oiler LT Orlosky is a 6'3 285 sophomore who handled Berube well with help from junior LG Condeni. He is going to have to generate more consistent high-level play to capture NFL interest - CFL/UFL is a real possibility with his potential.
GRADE: NEUTRAL
Jared Veldheer 66 6' 6.8 321 4.87 OT 2010
Veldheer did a solid job one-on-one, but the Chargers could only manage 124 rushing yards (4.1 per carry) against Findlay - a far cry from the 6+ ypc they had the week before at Ashland. The Charger LT uses his wingspan effectively in pass protection (Hillsdale gave up no sacks but did allow 15 hurries) but as a team, the Hillsdale o-line was less than effective. Veldheer still can improve on his footwork to position himself more effectively - but his upside is very big. I expect him to be taken in the 4th to 6 th round and maybe higher with a great showing at the combine.
GRADE: SLIGHTLY POSITIVE
GAME NOTES - Findlay senior DT E.J. Whitlow had 6 QB hurries of his team's 15 total hurries, he also had 3 pass break-ups and 4 tackles ... HC senior LB Matt Szula led his team with 10 tackles (8 solo) two others - Hixson and Galvan also had 10 total take-downs ... Findlay is now ranked #26 and has not been in the national top-25 since November 16, 2002 when they peaked at #19 ... HC kicker Mark Petro leads the GLIAC in kick scoring with 21-22 PATs and 12-13 FGs and he remains among the national D-2 leaders.
This week, Findlay (5-1, 4-1) travels to Michigan Tech (1-4, 1-4) to take on the Huskies who spanked Ferris state 38-3 this weekend. Hillsdale (4-2, 3-2) hosts GLIAC leading and national #1 Grand Valley State (6-0, 5-0).