Football Earns Dramatic 33-30 Win Over Findlay

OVERVIEW – FINDLAY
SCORE: Northwood Timberwolves 33, Findlay Oilers 30
RECORDS: Northwood (2-4, 2-2 G-MAC), Findlay (4-2, 3-1 G-MAC)
LOCATION: Hantz Field – Midland, Mich.
RECAP: Northwood football earns a dramatic 33-30 win over Findlay Saturday (October 7).

INSIDE THE GAME

• On the opening drive, the Oilers traveled 78 yards in six plays, finished off with a 13-yard rushing touchdown run to give Findlay the early 7-0 lead.
• With 7:24 remaining in the opening quarter, Findlay got on the board again to extend their lead to 14-0.
• A strong kickoff return from Brian Kinley set the Timberwolves up on their own 46-yard line. Jake Kelbert completed the drive with a one-yard touchdown pass to Cashual Goldsmith, putting the score at 14-7 with 3:48 to go in the first quarter.
• With the Findlay offense going for it on 4th and 1 at the 1-yard line, Brandon Ross and the Northwood defense came up with a huge stop to keep the score at 14-7 and give possession back to the Timberwolves.
• With 4:10 remaining in the first half, Northwood put together a seven-play, 93-yard drive to tie the contest at 14-14. Jacob Barlage found an open Sebastian Toland, who rushed into the endzone untouched for the 29-yard touchdown completion. 
• Racing against the clock, the Northwood was able to get into field goal range right before half. Max Gonos connected the 41-yard field goal as Northwood took their first lead of the contest, 17-14.
• After the halftime break, Findlay regained the advantage with a 26-yard touchdown pass that capped off a six-play, 61-yard drive. The Oilers took the 21-17 lead with 9:25 remaining in the third quarter.
• Facing a 4th and six on their own 29-yard line, punter Matt Paull completed the fake punt pass, connecting with Cole Simpson on a 22-yard gain. Deonte Higgins followed with a 19-yard rush to give the Timberwolves momentum. Barlage connected with Danny Krajewski to push Northwood to the Findlay four-yard line. Andy Durand finished off the drive with a four-yard rush. The extra point was off the post, giving the Timberwolves the 23-21 lead.
• The Oilers responded by traveling yards in seven plays, completing a 25-yard field goal attempt to gain the slight 24-23 advantage.
• The Timberwolves had the opportunity to go back on top with 11:40 remaining in the contest. The 40-yard field goal attempt was wide to the right for Northwood as Findlay regained possession.
• Max Gonos put the Timberwolves back on top with a 45-yard field goal, his longest of the season. Northwood held onto the slim 26-24 advantage with just under six and a half minutes to go in the contest.
• Findlay took the lead back with 3:19 remaining on a touchdown. Their two-point attempt was no good, making the score 30-26.
• The Oilers defense got a stop on the next drive, but the Northwood defense responded on the first play on the following drive. Duwayne Legette forced a fumble which was recovered by Jack Kalakay, giving Northwood possession on their own 46-yard line with just over two minutes to go.
• The Timberwolf offense got all the way to the Findlay 10 on the following drive but were unable to find the end zone, giving the Oilers back the ball with 55 seconds remaining.
• The Timberwolves had all three of their timeouts remaining, however, and stopped the Oilers on three plays, allowing just 18 seconds to go off the clock. NU got the ball back with 37 seconds remaining at the Findlay 37.
• In thrilling fashion, the Northwood defense got the stop and gave the offense one final chance to score with under a minute to go. Barlage found Bryan Kinley for a 10-yard touchdown pass, giving the Timberwolves the 33-30 lead with 19 seconds left in the contest.
• Findlay was not done yet, as the Oilers got a 15-yard NU penalty followed by a 27-yard completion to put the ball at the Northwood 33. The 50-yard field goal attempt to tie the game was blocked by Brock Cook, giving the Timberwolves the victory.

GAME STATS

• FIRST DOWNS: Northwood 22, Findlay 24
• RUSHES-YARDS: Northwood 38-144, Findlay 34-135
• PASSING YARDS: Northwood 280 (26-47, 3 TDs, 0 INTs), Findlay 310 (21-29, 3 TD, 0 INTs)
• TOTAL OFFENSE, PLAYS-YARDS: Northwood 85-424, Findlay 63-424
• TIME OF POSSESSION: Northwood 27:58, Findlay 32:02

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

• Barlage: 24-45, 257 yards, 2 TDs
• Andy Durand: 62 yards receiving
• Goldsmith: 59 yards rushing
• Teal: 58 yards receiving
• Kinley: 51 yards receiving, TD
• Stephen Douglas: 12 tackles, pass breakup
• Kalakay: Six tackles, two tackles for loss, fumble recovery
• Brandon Ross: Two tackles for loss.

UP NEXT

• The Timberwolves will travel host Ashland Saturday (October 14). Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.