No. 14 Oilers rally past ODU, remain undefeated

FINDLAY – History in the making.Jayon Harvey's interception set up Denny Furlong for his third touchdown catch of the day, a 35-yarder from Chase Harrison with just over two minute to play, and the University of Findlay rallied from a 20-7 deficit to beat Ohio Dominican 27-20 on Saturday in a Great Midwest Athletic Conference battle at Donnell Stadium."It feels great to get this win," Furlong said. "We are just getting started."The Oilers (8-0, 6-0) were ranked No. 14 in NCAA Division II prior to the game, and currently sit at the top spot in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. It's the first time in 14 years, since 1997, that UF has had an undefeated record this far into the season."I thought at times we were our own worst enemy on offense," Oilers coach Kory Allen said. "You can't turn the ball over three times. But, I'm incredibly proud of the fight from the entire team, especially our offense and defense."At the half, both teams were tied 7-7. Allen had a message for his guys."We told them at the half that there's three opponents we were playing," Allen said. "Missed tackles, penalties, and turnovers. If we eliminate those, then I knew we could win."One of UF's mistakes was a pick-six that Ohio Dominican's Brayden Sanders took back 41 yards in the first 15 seconds of the third quarter.After a UF punt, ODU quarterback Carson Parker hit Nathan Webster for 20 yards and Jayden Cornell for 43. Cornell capped the drive with a 2-yard run and the Panthers led 20-7.Ohio Dominican was driving again when a defensive play stopped the Panthers and likely turned the momentum. Parker dropped back to pass from his own 37, but linebacker Sam Weihrauch, a Findlay High grad, stepped in and picked it off."I think if you are in the right place, right time defensively, you can make things like that happen," Allen said. "Of course, you have to credit the D-line for putting pressure on the quarterback to make the decision to do that."Harrison, who would complete 18-of-25 passes for 267 yards and all four UF scores, capped that possession with a 4-yard strike to Aidan Guilbeau.Two big passes by Harrison – a 50-yarder to Brennan Ramy and a 35-yarder to Furlong for the score – gave UF its first lead of the game, 21-020.Harvey's interception then set up another Harrison-to-Furlong TD to clinch it."We knew we had to stick together," Furlong said. "If we stuck together, we knew we could do it to get the job done."Furlong caught six passes for 136 yards and currently leads the G-MAC in receptions (32) and receiving yardage (639). He is also the first player at UF with at least four games with 100 receiving yards or more since Ruben Flowers played for the Oilers in 2019."Offense did what they had to do," said Furlong about the receiving stats. "Chase found me and we all did what we had to do."Allen credits Furlong's growth in the program, along with his passion for the sport to be the player he is today."Denny is a kid that has grown in our program," said Allen of the junior wide receiver. "He has got fight and drive. He is banged up but is still coming out there and playing well."Jayden Farmer led UF's ground game, rushing 25 times for 113 yards.Next up for the Oilers is a road trip to Northwood University in Midland, Michigan. NU is currently 7–1, 5-1 GMAC after beating Kentucky Weslyan 49-14 Saturday."We told the guys, hard is here," Allen said. "It will only get harder from here. We have to go face a great team next week." Dominican 0 7 13 0—20Findlay 7 0 7 13—27 First QuarterUF – Furlong 28 pass from Harrison (Barzd kick) Second QuarterODU – Cornell 21 pass from Parker (Vakerics kick) Third QuarterODU – Holmes interception return, 41 yards (Vakerics kick)ODU – Cornell 2 run (kick failed)UF – Guilbeau 4 pass from Harrison (Barzd kick) Fourth QuarterUF – Furlong 35 pass from Harrison (Barzd kick)UF – Furlong 35 pass from Harrison (kick failed)