Defense leads the way for Findlay against Warriors

FINDLAY – The University of Findlay put 38 points on the board in an opening win over Indianapolis.Saturday at Donnell Stadium, it was the defense's time to shine.After getting a first down at the 2-yard line, a strong defensive stand by UF forced Wayne State to settle for a field goal in the fourth quarter.A second big defensive play – an interception by Adonai Bumba with 1:04 on the clock – ended WSU's final threat and allowed the Oilers to run out the clock in a 7-3 victory. "I think it was a tale of two different weeks," said UF coach Kory Allen."We were really clicking on offense last week, and this week we were really clicking on the defense. It's a mark of a great team, and I couldn't be prouder of the defense."Last week, the Oilers (2-0) defeated the University of Indianapolis 38-35 while the Warriors (0-2) dropped their last game to Tiffin University 34-7."It felt really good to get a win today," said sophomore running back Christian Davis, who scored the game's lone touchdown."I think there are a lot of things that we can learn and clean up on, but I think the most important part is that we came out with a win and worked well as a team."Both defenses dominated most of a back-and-forth first half.But UF quarterback Chase Harrison engineered a 90-yard drive to put the Oilers up 7-0 at the half.Harrison, who completed six of his first eight passes for 98 yards, connected with Bryan Hunt for a 37-gain early in the drive, and the Oilers followed with 13-, 17- and 11-yard gains to reach the red zone.Davis finished off the drive with an outside zone play for a 16-yard touchdown run with 6:13 remaining in the first half. "Davis was able to run through the seams and arm tangles," Allen said. "I give the defense a lot of credit," Davis said. "They were putting us into good positions, it was a big one, and we left a lot out there. I think the one touchdown showed that we can do it when we come together. When we string strong plays together, it shows what we are capable of."Wayne State would stage a huge drive of its own in the fourth quarter, and UF's defense would face its stiffest test.With Champion Edwards at the controls, Wayne State drove to the UF 31-yard line. Edwards' pass to Drew Hickmott then gave the Warriors a first-and-goal at the 2.One Edwards' pass fell incomplete.A run by D'Vaun Bentley gained zero yards and another by Edwards gained barely one.WSU lined up to go for it on fourth down, but there was a false start, the Warriors were backed up 5 yards and they opted to take the field goal rather than try to convert on fourth-and-6."You just want your best players to make plays," Allen said. "and our defensive coordinator handed us a great call. For us to be able to stand tall with first, second, and third down, with our backs against the wall, against the goal line, it was incredible."Wayne State did get another opportunity with just over four minutes left. Edwards again had the Warriors on the move, but his pass sailed high and Bumba grabbed the interception that sealed it."We knew when we got that interception that it was best to take a knee and get out of here. The most important thing isn't yards and points; it was to win and we did that."Two Findlay High grads played key roles in the win. Senior linebacker Sam Weihrauch led the Oilers with 10 tackles, including two tackles-for-loss. And junior punter Owen Clevenger helped the Oilers win the battle for field position, averaging 43 yards on his five punts. Two of his kicks pinned WSU inside the 20.Johnny Harris and Javon Harvey both had five tackles for the Oilers.Harrison completed 14-of-21 passes for 172 yards. Hunt had eight catches for 92 yards.UF hits the road for the first time this season and opens Great Midwest Athletic Conference play Saturday when the Oilers face the Lake Erie Storm in a 2 p.m. kickoff.