Listen Here
UF football takes on Tiffin tomorrow
By Kevin Schrock
@KRock_6
Saturday will mark the 25th time the Oilers take on their rival up highway 224. Historically, it is a matchup Findlay has dominated. They hold a commanding 23-1 record against Tiffin with their lone loss coming way back in 1993. Still, last year’s game was decided by four points and the Dragons will come into this game on a three-game win streak.
The Dragons are on pace for one of their best years in school history. They enter Saturday’s contest with a 5-2 record and their only losses have come at the hands of #2 Grand Valley State University and #22 Wayne State University.
“We’ve got a tough opponent in Tiffin and they win a lot of games,” said Findlay coach Rob Keys. “They’re poised to compete, possibly even for a conference title.”
The Oilers will enter the game with a 3-4 record, hot off of a dominating performance against Hillsdale a week ago. They won’t focus on that, though.
“Every game is its own entity,” said Keys. “We’ve had losses and come back and played great and had wins and came back and not played so great. We haven’t let the losses affect us the last few weeks and we can’t let the win affect us this week.”
One thing the Oilers will have to do is find a way to stop Tiffin Quarterback Antonio Pipkin. A year ago they did not have much success in that department. In last year’s matchup, Pipkin ran for 234 yards against the Oilers and passed for an additional 334.
“He’s one of the most dynamic players in the league and in the country,” said Keys of Pipkin.
This year Pipkin has been the offense for the Dragons. The Indiana native leads the team in rushing and passing. His main target to throw to has been Charles Holland who is averaging 86 yards receiving a game and accounts for five of the Dragons touchdowns.
Still, the Oilers showed last week that in addition to one of the best passing quarterbacks in the conference, they also have a running back that needs to be accounted for. Chauncey Bridges broke out for 193 yards and three touchdowns against the Chargers a week ago. It will force the Dragons to respect the run as well as the passing game.
The Dragons and Oilers currently sit at sixth and seventh in the conference in rushing, while the Oilers hold the second spot in passing. The Dragons have not seen as much success through the air, ranking eighth in the GLIAC.
If you make the trip to Tiffin you can expect a high scoring game. With neither team known for their defense, it may be the type of game that results in the team with the ball at the end of the game winning.
“They have a lot to play for right now and they’ll be at home,” said Keys. “Every year they’ve closed the gap between us.”
Findlay will look to continue their history of success against the Dragons Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Frost Kalnow Stadium.
