Tiffin University's drive for three consecutive GMAC Championships came to an end in Findlay, as the Oilers won a close battle 26-21.
The Dragons finish their season with an 8-3 record, 5-2 in the GMAC.
The Dragons allowed 23 first-half points, and it proved too much to overcome. The Oilers scored twice in the first quarter, with the second coming on the heels of a fumbled kickoff that gave Findlay the ball on Tiffin's 33 yard line. Both scores came from runs by Findlay's Brian Benson, the first a 9 yard run and the second a 10 yard burst.
Tiffin got on the board with 1:57 left in the opening quarter, as Darius Pinnix rushed in from 5 yards out to finish a 63 yard drive and make it 14-7, Oilers.
The Oilers pushed their lead back to 13 points when Benson ran in another score, this time from 2 yards out after a big 43 yard pass completion set the Oilers up at the 2 yard line. The extra point was blocked to make the score 20-7, Findlay.
TU responded immediately with the half winding down, mounting a 75 yard drive that ate up 5:29 on the clock. Nick Watson connected on 8 passes to move TU down the field, with Pinnix finishing it off with a 13 yard run that brought the Dragons to within 20-14 with 3:50 left in the half.
Findlay tacked on a 38 yard field goal with 1:01 to go, making the score 23-14 at the half.
TU's defense needed to have a big half for the offense to comeback, and they responded, only allowing 3 second-half points to the Oilers. UF got those points at 12:28 of the fourth quarter with a 25 yard field goal coming on a possession after the Oilers recovered a Nick Watson fumble.
The Dragons responded at once, putting together another 75 yard drive over 4:30 before Anthony Lowe rushed in from 3 yards out with 7:58 left in the game to make it 26-21, Findlay.
Tiffin got the ball back with 6:19 to play but could not get past Findlay's 49 yard line. Findlay took over with 5:17 to play, and the Dragons were unable to get the ball back, as the Oilers used their strong running game to pick up 3 first downs and run the clock out.
The running game was the big difference in the contest, as Findlay totaled 257 yards on the ground. It allowed them to control the clock, as the Oilers had the ball for nearly 13:00 more than Tiffin in the game. While first downs were even 22-22, the Oilers outgained TU 420-375, with Benson racking up 244 yards on 38 carries.
Nick Watson finished with 262 yards on 24 of 36 attempts. Pinnix had 43 yards rushing, Lowe had 129 yards receiving on 11 catches, Reggie Colson added 54 receiving yards, and Devin Nelson had 72 all purpose yards (43 receiving, 29 rushing).
Defensively Tyler Richardson, Jacob Mertus, and Patrick Tueimeh had 9 tackles each, with Tueimeh forcing a fumble. Brandon Burks had 7 tackles, Kevin Hyde had 5 stops with a sack, and Jermaine Wimpye also had 5 tackles with a fumble recovery.