Tiffin University got off to a great start over the first eight minutes, but the final three quarters spelled doom for TU, as Findlay (1-2, 1-1 GLIAC) wore down the Dragons (0-3, 0-2) at Donnell Stadium in Findlay.
Tiffin struck early, putting six on the board when
David McKnight ran it in from 9 yards out at the 12:50 mark of the first quarter. The highlight of the fast drive was a long 54-yard pass play from
James Capello to
Nathan Scully that got the Dragons into the UF red zone.
After holding Findlay to three-and-out, the Dragons moved downfield again, reaching as far as the Oilers 20 yard line. But
Seth Pekoe's 39 yard field goal attempt just missed wide right as the score remained 7-0.
The tide began to turn on Tiffin's third possession as the Oilers started to get pressure on Capello, forcing him to scramble or attempt short passes for most of the game. The defense held its ground for most of the first quarter, only breaking down at the end of the quarter when Monterrae Williams blasted through for a 26 yard touchdown run, capping a three-play, 59 yard drive at 1:02 of the first.
Findlay scored twice more in the second quarer, seizing the momentum with strong play up front on both sides of the ball. Findlay hit a 47 yard touchdown pass at the 11:03 mark, then finished the half with another 74 yard drive that ended with 26 seconds left with a 4-yard pass from Clay Belton to Jaryd Brown. Score at the half was 21-7.
At the half, Findlay's Williams already had 117 yards rushing on 16 carries (7.3 per carry). Capello had 115 yards passing on 12 of 18 completions, but 54 of those came on the Dragons opening drive.
Findlay effectively put the game away with two more scores in the third quarter that put them ahead 35-7 with under 4:00 to play in the third quarter. Capello hit
Obadiah Dykes on a 20 yard pass in the end zone to make the score 35-13, but a fumbled conversion attempt was returned by the Oilers' Brian Swartz for two more points.
Tiffin had two scores in the fourth quarter. James Hall ran it in from two yards out after a 70 yard drive at 7:10 and with 10 seconds to play, Dykes caught a nice 2-yard pass in the corner of the end zone to finish the scoring.
Capello finished with 247 yards and 2 touchdowns, hitting on 28 of 40 passes with only one interception. He was sacked twice but under constant pressure all day. He also rushed for 41 yards, while David McKnight finished with 69 yards rushing on 13 carries.
Nine different Dragons caught passes, with Nate Scully getting 71 yards on 4 catches. James Hall had 51 yards, Darrion Brown 47 yards and Dykes 43 yards with 2 scores.
Mike Virgin was the leading tackler with 12, while Vincent Noble also had 11 stops. Logan Kaminski had 9 tackles up front while Phillip Morris had 8 tackles with 2 sacks. Kody David also had 7 tackles and Michael Gomez had 6 tackles with a sack.
TU now returns home to take on Ferris State at 1:30 pm Sept. 24.
