3-0 and #25

By Pulse Staff

It’s been more than four years since the University of Findlay football team played under the lights at Donnell Stadium. This Saturday, Sept. 27, they do so as the No. 25 team in the country in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Coaches Poll.

Players like senior defensive back Christion Stokes say there is nothing like a night game.

“One of the best things about playing a night game is just it’s kind of a different energy when you’re playing under the lights,” Stokes said. “It’s dark outside, it’s a ‘blackout,’ so we’re wearing all black.”

Senior full back Tristan Cross says night games have a certain electricity to them.

“I just feel like a lot more can happen with the energy being high like that,” Cross said. “A lot more big plays are going to happen.”

The last home night game for the Oilers was Sept. 11, 2021. Jim Givens, UF Director of Athletics, says there are a lot of things to consider when making the athletic schedule and determining if they will have a night game.

“The conference (G-MAC) office determines who and when you play a particular opponent and it is up to the home team to determine start times,” Givens said in an email interview.

The football team plays on Saturdays and that is a busy day for all UF sports teams. The Athletic Department wants to make sure there are enough hands on-hand to pull off the best event possible for each sport.

“With a limited number of staff, it creates issues in making sure each event is run properly and a great experience is provided to our student athletes and fans,” Givens said. “We take a lot of pride in how we present our events and it is impossible to do if they are stacked on top of each other.”

Givens said they also consider how far away the other team has to travel in determining start times.

This week UF plays G-MAC opponent Thomas More, 0-3. The Saints lost their first G-MAC game of the year last week to Northwood University. Findlay goes into this game 3-0, 1-0 in the conference after taking down the Lake Erie Storm last week 33-3.

Sophomore defensive lineman Tyreeq Reaves looks forward to the match up under the cover of night.

“It’s something about playing under the lights–it’s just a different feeling,” Reaves said. “It’s hard to explain, but it’s one of those things that you don’t want to take for granted.”

“I think another big part, too, is the anticipation,” senior long snapper Mylin Brown said. “You have a noon game and you wake up, you go to the stadium, and then you play the game. But now you got to wait all day to get onto the field. The fans have to wait all day to get into the stadium.”

“There’s definitely an anticipation aspect of it,” Cross said. “But I wish maybe we could get one more (night game) in there. That would be cool.”

“We certainly look at doing it each year but it is dependent on the conference schedule and what other events we have going on the same day,” Given said.

“A lot of us really haven’t played a true night game since high school, so it kind of hits home for some of us,” Stokes said.

Findlay is the only G-MAC team in the top 25 and the players are ready to show off how they got there.

“Everybody’s going to come out, hopefully,” Cross said. “We just want to put on a show and give the people what they want.”

*Brady Gazareck talks to team captain Sam Weihrauch about what it’s like for the players when the stands are packed.