No. 16 Oilers look to get offense going again against Panthers

As the wins have piled up, so have the accolades for the University of Findlay football team. The Oilers, 6-0 and 4-0 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, were ranked 16th in the latest American Football Coaches Association Division II poll. Things are going well for UF as it prepares to host Kentucky Wesleyan at Donnell Stadium at noon Saturday. But Findlay coach Kory Allen said he wants his team to be its own worst critic. "We have something to prove and we want to play to a standard," Allen said. And Allen said the Oilers have a lot to improve on – specifically on offense – after last week's 16-14 win over Hillsdale. "I think our pride was hurt a little bit last week," Allen said. "There were execution issues." "It was not a performance we're proud of, and that's collectively," Allen said. Findlay will look to get its offense rolling against the Panthers, who come into Saturday's game 0-6, 0-4 in the G-MAC. Kentucky Wesleyan is scoring 6.33 points a game, and giving up almost 38. But the Panthers have the Oilers' full attention. "We go into every week 0-0. It's not 6-0, trying to win every game," said UF quarterback Andrew Leonard after the Oilers beat Hillsdale. "We're trying to win the game in front of us. Let's not get ahead of ourselves." "I see some guys running around and playing really hard on film," Allen said of KWU. While Findlay's offense struggled some last week, it's defense has continued to play at a high level. The Oilers allowed just one offensive touchdown, and made some key stops late to secure the win. "There's a lot of guys out there who have played a lot of football together, and there's consistency," Allen said. And most of the Oilers defensive players – as well as Allen – have credited the program's defensive coordinator, Tom Rebholz – for the squad's success. "Our defensive coordinator, coach Reb, he just emphasizes running to the ball and being more physical," said Findlay defensive back Johnny Harris. "That solves a lot of problems in itself. When you mix in details with that, we'll always be performing at a high level." Allen put it another way. "We're very fortunate to have a defensive coordinator who understands the x's and o's and the Johnny and Jones," Allen said. One of the players who has stood out has been tackle Londyn Claxton, who has 13 tackles, three for a loss. Allen said Claxton has exemplified the defense's attitude and performance. "Londyn's a prime example," Allen said. "You do things the right way and you play with a hard, physical edge, good things happen." The Oilers will be playing for more good things, and a seventh consecutive win, Saturday.