Box Score
FINDLAY, Ohio --  Notre Dame got big performances nearly across the board in all facets of the game, but the Falcons lost to Findlay, 43-42, in a game that went two extra sessions on Saturday afternoon.

The Falcons (1-4, 0-4 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) pushed the Oilers (3-1, 3-1) to the brink in a game that saw NDC crank out over 500 yards of total offense.  With the loss, Notre Dame has now dropped four in a row.

[Postgame Notes]

Saturday's game saw an energetic, resilient Falcon squad repeatedly rally against a UF team that is now 9-4 over its last 13 games, dating back to the 2011 season.  Midway through the second quarter, NDC trailed by 10 (10-0), but the Falcons managed to go into halftime with a 14-13 lead. Then late in the game -- with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter -- the Falcons marched 80 yards downfield in a 15-play drive that culminated with a touchdown and subsequent two-point conversion.  That “eight-point play” came with just 51 seconds remaining in regulation and it tied the game, 36-36.

The Falcons and Oilers traded missed field goals in the first overtime period.  In the second overtime, NDC scored first but came away with just six points when a point-after attempt banged off the left upright and back into the field of play.  An emboldened Findlay squad scored a TD and then converted on its extra point to finalize the hard-fought 43-42 win.

Running back Pedro Powell led an effective NDC ground attack, rushing for 162 yards and three TDs.  Quarterback Ray Russ led an equally-effective aerial assault in Findlay's Donnell Stadium.  Russ went 32-for-45 for 322 yards and three TDs.  Jack Foy caught a program-record 11 passes in the game, and Colton Wallace wasn't far behind, hauling in nine of his own. Those skill players -- buoyed by solid play on the Notre Dame offensive line -- combined to score six TDs in the game, double the number NDC struggled to score over the team's last two games combined.

The NDC offense produced its third 500-yard game of the season in a game that saw them outgain the host Oilers in yardage (512 to 419) and first downs (29 to 22). 

The Falcon defense also produced a number of big plays. Linebacker Anthony Berry and defensive end Bob Hansen were uncontainable forces throughout much of the contest.  They combined for 19 tackles, including seven tackles for losses, and were the business end of a Notre Dame defense that held Findlay to a lackluster 3-for-12 mark on third downs and made 10 tackles behind the UF line of scrimmage throughout the game.

The Oilers, however, came up with their fair share of big plays and ultimately emerged victorious in the three-hour war that marked the beginning of GLIAC South Division play for both UF and NDC.  Findlay forced three Notre Dame turnovers that landed them inside Falcon territory each time, and the home side held a decisive advantage in special teams throughout.

One of NDC's turnovers was on a mishandled punt return, the Oilers kicked three field goals (all 35-plus yards in length), and Findlay had a 20-yard punt return and two kick returns of 48 yards or more.

Findlay running back Monterae Williams ran for 121 yards on 25 carries.  Williams scored two TDs and set things up on the ground for quarterback Clay Belton, who went 21-of-32 for 277 yards and two TDs through the air.  Defensively, the Oilers were led by linebacker Brandon Butler, who made 21 tackles.