KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – The Truman State Bulldogs tried to overcome a 21-0 early deficit but fell 37-21 in the season opener to the University of Findlay (Ohio) on Saturday afternoon at Stokes Stadium.
The Oilers cashed in touchdowns on their first three possessions of the game including a 15-yard rushing score from Jayden Farmer and a pair of three-yard passes to Tristan Cross from Matthew Rueve.
The Bulldogs got a key touchdown late in the first half with
Jackson Overton reeling in a four-yard pass from
Dylan Hair with 18 seconds remaining in the second quarter. Truman then had the opening possession to open the third and drove the ball down the field until
Kel Battle had his reception stripped away by Joel Kpassou. The Oiler raced 79 yards for a touchdown and a 28-7 advantage.
Denim Cook powered in from 32 yards out with 5:44 left in the third to cut the lead in half. Truman recovered a muff on the ensuing kickoff and had the ball at the Oilers 29, however, an interception halted the drive.
Findlay added a 21-yard field goal to go up 31-14 early in the fourth.
Hair scored on a 4-yard TD run with 5:54 remaining to cut the lead back to 10. The Bulldogs did force a punt on the Oilers next possession, however, Truman was forced to go for it on fourth and long but did not convert. Findlay tacked on a late touchdown to cap off the scoring.
The Bulldogs gained 203 yards rushing on the day with Cook going for 82 and Hair adding 80.
Jack Butchko exploded for 50 yards on six attempts. Hair completed 19 of 41 pass attempts for 191 yards with Overton being his top target with six catches for 52 yards.
The Truman State defense surrendered 401 yards of offense by Findlay with Rueve tossing 318 yards on 21 completions.
Brock Jones led Truman tacklers with eight and six each from SJ Johnson,
Jake McCollum and
Tyler Shanks.
Truman heads out on the road for its next two games with the Great Lakes Valley Conference opener with defending champion Indianapolis next Saturday. Kickoff from Key Stadium is slated for 6 p.m. (ET.).
