Full Game Notes (PDF)

Game:        Malone University                                                0-8 (0-8 GLIAC)   
                  at University of Findlay                                        4-5 (3-5 GLIAC)
Date:         Saturday, November 7, 2015
Kickoff:    12:00 p.m. EST at Donnell Stadium (Findlay, Ohio)
Live Audio: www.malonepioneers.com/showcase
                  11:40 a.m. EST pre-game (Clint Scroggs – play-by-play, Larry Ridgeway – color)
Live Video: http://athletics.findlay.edu/video/Live_Video
Live Stats:  http://athletics.findlay.edu/sports/fball/2015-16/boxscores/20151107_8kn5.xml
Tickets:      $8.00 adults; $5.00 students (ages 6-17); 5 and under & 65 and older are free 

Series:       
Findlay has won each of the five previous meetings with Malone.  The two schools, both former NAIA members, first met in an NAIA playoff game at Findlay on December 2, 1995 – a contest the Oilers won 15-7.  Findlay then tallied a 13-10 regular-season victory in Canton on October 5, 1996.  Since the series was renewed in 2012, the Oilers have registered wins of 38-14 (at Findlay in 2012), 35-21 (in Canton in 2013) and 38-0 (at Benson Stadium last fall).

Coaches:   
Malone – Eric Hehman is in his sixth season as the Pioneers' head coach and has tallied an 11-50 record at Malone.  Prior to arriving in Canton, Hehman spent the previous five years as the head coach at NCAA Division III Greenville (IL) College where he led the Panthers to a 28-22 record and a berth in the 2009 NCCAA Victory Bowl.
Findlay – Rob Keys is now in his fifth season as the Oilers' head coach and has guided UF to a 30-22 overall record.  Keys previously served as an assistant coach for the Oilers from 2000-04.  He then held assistant coaching positions at Indiana State Univ., Slippery Rock (PA) University, and the Univ. of New Hampshire before returning to Findlay to become the Oilers' head coach.

Last Season's Records: Malone 1-10 (1-9 GLIAC), Findlay 5-6 (4-6 GLIAC)

Malone Notes: In its most recent contest prior to its bye week (October 24th), Malone suffered a narrow 27-24 overtime loss at Lake Erie College...After the Storm tied the game at 21-21 early in the third quarter, both teams had opportunities to pull ahead….However, turnovers in the red zone by each team and a missed 35-yard field goal by the Pioneers helped keep the game knotted at 21-21…Malone got the ball first in overtime and connected on a 21-yard field goal to pull in front…Lake Erie answered back quickly, though, sealing the win with a 19-yard touchdown pass…Malone piled up a season-high 338 rushing yards against LEC, the highest single-game total for the squad since posting 434 rushing yards in a victory over Alderson Broaddus in 2013…The Pioneers are currently ranked fifth in the GLIAC in rushing, averaging 184.0 yards on the ground per game…The Malone defense recovered two fumbles against the Storm and now have eight fumble recoveries on the season, the fourth most in the GLIAC.

Malone players to watch:  RB Matt Blasiole posted his fourth 100-yard performance of the season in the game vs. Lake Erie, ending the night with 140 yards on 26 carries…The sophomore has rushed for 878 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, needing 122 more yards to become the sixth player in Malone history to rush for 1000 yards in a single season…His average of 109.8 yards per game is the fourth highest in the GLIAC…Blasiole needs one more rushing TD to move into a tie for third (with Malone Athletics Hall of Fame member Dan DeGeorge) on the Pioneers' list for most rushing TDs in a single season…QB John Iacucci rushed for 61 yards against the Storm…On the season, the redshirt freshman has thrown for 374 yards and a TD…Although he has missed substantial time this year with injuries, QB Will Szpor has completed 56% of his passes (44 of 78) for 687 yards with four TDs...WR Eian Elsass is Malone's leading receiver with 31 catches for 453 yards and two TDs…LB Ryan Weber, who had seven tackles, a sack and a forced fumble against Lake Erie, is currently tied for sixth in the conference with an average of nine tackles per game (72 total).

Findlay Notes: The Oilers opened the year with three straight victories, but have since lost five of their last six games, including a 31-26 defeat at Wayne State (MI) University last Saturday… Findlay fell behind 17-0 before fighting back to tie the game at 17-17 midway through the third quarter…Wayne State stretched its advantage back out to 31-20 midway through the fourth stanza…The Oilers scored on a five-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 31-26 but were unable to convert on their ensuing two-point conversion attempt…Wayne State then ran the final 3:46 off the clock to preserve the five-point victory…The Oilers were held to 214 yards through the air on Saturday, but still lead the GLIAC with an average of 297.7 passing yards per contest…The Findlay offense also ranks among the conference leaders in total yards (469.8 per game), first downs (24.7 per game) and third-down conversion percentage (50%)…Despite their offensive success, the Oilers have had trouble slowing down opponents, yielding an average of 38.9 points and 495.7 yards per outing.

Findlay players to watch: QB Rhys Gervais, a transfer from Western Illinois University, has completed 190 of 303 pass attempts (62.7%) this season for 2682 yards with 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions…Gervais leads the GLIAC in both passing yards per game (298.0) and completions while ranking second in the conference in touchdowns and fifth in completion percentage…Four different Oilers have caught five or more touchdowns this season while five different Findlay players have eclipsed 300 yards receiving…WR Dylan Blunk has been the top target with 57 receptions on the season for 742 yards and five scores…Blunk is third in the GLIAC rankings in both receptions per game (6.3) and receiving yards per game (82.4)…RB Daiquone Ford has carried the ball 136 times for 724 yards and five TDs…RBs Chauncy Bridges and Marcus Jones have also contributed in the running game…Bridges has picked up 430 yards on the ground with two scores while Jones has registered 336 rushing yards and seven touchdowns…DB Anthony Linnear paces the Findlay defense with 72 total tackles on the season…Linnear has also made two sacks and recovered a fumble

2015 Rosters
Malone  |  Findlay

2015 Statistics
Malone  |  Findlay