Game 4 Football Preview
Marietta Pioneers (2-1, 1-1) at Otterbein Cardinals (1-2, 0-2)
7 p.m. Saturday, Oct 2
Memorial Stadium • Westerville, Ohio

Sept. 30, 2004
MARIETTA, Ohio - When Marietta goes on the road to Otterbein Saturday (Oct. 2), the Pioneers will look to prove that last week was not a sign of things to come.

Coach Todd Glaser and his squad is looking to rebound from their first loss of the season, 20-3 to John Carroll, last Saturday. The Pioneers were held to just 82 yards of offense in the loss.

Returning to the win column will not be easy as Otterbein (1-2, 0-2 OAC) boasts one of the OAC's top offensive weapons in senior running back Josh Braden (Baltimore/Liberty Union) and an experienced defense led by senior cornerback Micheaux Robinson (Fostoria).

Braden ranks second in the conference with 330 rushing yards and posted big numbers against the Pioneers last season, carrying the ball a school-record 45 times for 235 yards and a touchdown. 

"(Braden) is a big, physical kid," Glaser said. "He is not a slasher, but he can make you miss and he can run you over. They are ball control on offense and defensively they take some chances."

Another weapon, junior wide out Ricardo Lenhart (Sidney), leads the OAC in both receptions (5 per game) and receiving yards (89.3 per game).  He has caught a pass in each of the last 13 games. 

Robinson has broken up five passes in 2004, but most teams simply avoid his side of the field. Sophomore Justin Ross (Canal Winchester) is the leading tackler with 23 stops on the year.

Marietta's Jason Vrable (South Park, PA) will need to step up this week to help revive the Pioneer offense. Vrable has completed 32-of-53 passes on the year for 323 yards and a touchdown. He has also ran for 50 yards on two more scores.

Junior Steven Wagner (Harwick, PA/Fox Chapel) was held to 10 carries for 19 yards against the Blue Streaks. He has amassed 314 yards on the ground this season.

Senior Mike Valiante (Wadsworth) is the leading receiver, averaging four grabs a game.

The defense is second in the league in sacks with 14 and is led by an experienced group of seniors. 11 Pioneers have collected double-digit tackles through three games this season. Senior Brett Munn (Newbury) has three interceptions, while sophomore J. J. Wheeler (Zanesville) has a team-high 23 stops.

"I truly believe Otterbein is the best football team that we have seen up to this date," defensive coordinator Tony Jennison said. "We'll need our best effort to beat them."

Series: This is the 77th meeting between Marietta and Otterbein, which dates back to 1892. The Pioneers lead the all-time series 39-37, but the Cardinals have won the last five match ups.

Last meeting: Otterbein left Don Drumm Stadium with a 26-21 victory in week two. MC scored a late touchdown on a 25-yard pass from Justin Papania to Jason Curry (Akron/Springfield), but the Cardinals recovered the onside kick to end the threat.

About the coaches: Marietta’s Todd Glaser (UW-Eau Claire ’93) enters his second season for the Pioneers, after guiding the team to a 2-8 mark last year. He’s already equaled last year’s win total with wins over Dubuque and Heidelberg. He is MC’s 26th coach and has a record of 4-9. Prior to joining Marietta, Glaser was the defensive coordinator at UW-Eau Claire for four seasons. … Otterbein’s Joe Loth (Otterbein ’91) is in his second season with the Cardinals. He also has a 4-9 mark with his current team after finishing 3-7 a year ago. Prior to joining Otterbein in 2003, Loth spent three seasons as the head coach at Kean (NJ) and helped rebuild that program and expects to do the same at Otterbein.

Noteworthy: Marietta is 2-1 for the first time since 1998 when it opened with wins over Waynesburg (32-15) and Muskingum (35-7), before falling to Baldwin-Wallace (42-28). … The Pioneers have not gone 3-1 since 1996 when they finished the season 7-3... The Cardinals' Josh Braden has rushed for more than 100 yards in six of his 11 career games with Otterbein. … Marietta has not had a 1,000-yard rusher since Nathan Sellers in 2001 (1,025), but junior Steven Wagner is on a pace to 1,047 yards.

Next game: The Pioneers will return to Don Drumm Stadium to battle nationally ranked Capital on Homecoming. Kick off is slated for 1:30 p.m.

Marietta’s probable starters:

Offense
QB      —            16            Jason Vrable
TB       —            20            Steven Wagner
FB       —            44            Corey Jacobs
WR     —            14            Jason Curry
WR     —            82            Mike Valiante
TE       —            80            Bryan Adams
LT       —            66            Gary Snyder
LG       —            60            Jack Simpson
C         —            64            Joe Brennan
RG      —            76            Lance Parrish
RT       —            79            Kellen Dunlap

Defense
DT       —            50          Pete Hashman
NT       —            47          Jason Price
DT       —            94          Jeff Mast
OLB    —            41          Anthony Huffman
ILB      —            11          Chris Sidick
ILB      —            7            Eric Workman
OLB    —            39          Nate Brownrigg
CB      —            25          J. J. Wheeler
CB      —            2            Brett Munn
FS       —            12          Lonnie Meyers
SS       —            9            Anthony Banks