Game 8 Football Preview
Wilmington Quakers (3-4, 3-3) at Marietta Pioneers (4-3, 3-3 OAC)
6:00 p.m. Saturday, Oct 30
Don Drumm Stadium • Marietta, Ohio

Oct. 29, 2004
MARIETTA, Ohio - The Pioneers welcome Wilmington to Don Drumm Stadium this evening (Oct. 23) for a week eight showdown between two teams that are 3-3 in Ohio Athletic Conference play in 2004.

Here is a look at what both teams did last week:

Wilmington College: Head coach Phil Dorn’s squad is looking to carry the momentum into tonight’s game from a 20-13 victory at home over Otterbein Saturday (Oct. 23) afternoon. Senior defensive tackle Brandon Tisdale (Wilberforce/Xenia) recorded three sacks, moving him into third in NCAA history in career sacks and second in career tackles for loss in NCAA all-divisions. Freshman Corey Smith (Leechburg, PA/Kiski Area), in his first collegiate game, was 15-of-29 passing for 215 yards and a touchdown, while rushing 13 times for 57 yards, including the winning touchdown with 1:19 to play in the contest. Deon Short (Cincinnati/Mt. Healthy) hauled in a team-high six passes for 67 yards while Marque Jones (Wilmington) had four catches for 86 yards, including the 51-yard touchdown. Jermaine Isaac (Eastpointe, MI/Renaissance) led the rushing attack for the Quakers with a career-high 167 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown. The Quaker defense was led by safety Cory Norvell (Dayton/Dunbar) who had nine tackles while Chad Otte (Maria Stein/Marion Pleasant), Jeff Jenkins (Bellbrook) and Tisdale each had seven tackles for the Green and White.

Marietta College: The Pioneers are looking for a second-straight and fifth win of the year following a 12-7 victory over archrival Muskingum Saturday (Oct. 23) afternoon. For the fifth straight year the game came down to a final possession and for the fourth consecutive time Marietta was able to pull out the victory. A Muskingum turnover led to Marietta's first points of the game, as senior Brett Munn (Newbury) forced and recovered a fumble on a punt and senior Bobby Lemasters (Winfield, WV) connected on a 42-yard field goal to give the Pioneers a 3-0 lead midway through the first quarter. Marietta forced Muskingum to punt on its next drive and junior Steven Wagner (Harwick, PA/Fox Chapel) scampered 60 yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage to give MC the 9-0 lead. Muskingum blocked the extra point. Lemasters later added a 34-yard field goal to extend the lead to 12-0. Muskingum scored a third quarter touchdown to pull within five, but MC’s defense stopped the Muskies on their final three possessions, all in the red zone, to secure the win. Wagner finished the afternoon with 21 carries for 114 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore quarterback Jason Vrable (South Park, PA) completed 11-of-17 passes for 91 yards. Sophomore Nic North (Madison, WI/Madison East) pulled in three grabs for 28 yards to lead Marietta's receivers. Lowell Warden (Vincent/Warren) and Nate Brownrigg (Zanesville/Philo) led Marietta with 10 tackles in the win. Thadd Sharrett (Circleville) and Munn each had an interception for MC.

Series: Today marks the 14th meeting between the Quakers and the Pioneers on the gridiron. Wilmington leads the all-time series, dating back to 1915, 8-5. Marietta has lost three of four since Wilmington joined the OAC in 2000. The Pioneers’ last win was in 2002 when they won 32-31.

Last meeting: The Pioneers and Quakers battled down to the wire, but MC’s inexperience allowed Wilmington to score in the final minute to pull out the 37-31 victory. Justin Papania completed 27-of-45 passes for 308 yards and two scores and Steven Wagner rushed for 25 yards in the loss. Wilmington’s Trae Tate ran for a game-high 154 yards and one score and Deon Short pulled in eight receptions for 138 yards and two touchdowns in the win

About the coaches: Marietta’s Todd Glaser (UW-Eau Claire ‘93) enters his second season with the Pioneers, after guiding the team to a 2-8 mark last year. He has already doubled last year’s win total with wins over Dubuque, Heidelberg, Otterbein and Muskingum. He is MC’s 26th coach and has a record of 6-11. Prior to joining Marietta, Glaser was the defensive coordinator at UW-Eau Claire for four seasons. Wilmington’s Phil Dorn (Wittenberg ‘82) is in his first season with the Quakers. Prior to joining Wilmington this season, Dorn was the Assistant Head Coach at the University of Cincinnati. During his 23 years of coaching experience, he has also spent time at California University of Pennsylvania, Butler, Michigan, Ball State, and Capital, as well as three high schools in Ohio.

Noteworthy: Chris Sidick needs four kickoff returns to break the NCAA DIII all-time record (104)... Sidick also needs 38 yards to break the NCAA DIII all-time kickoff return yards record... The Pioneers are 3-0 when Steven Wagner rushes for over 100 yards... Mike Valiante (Wadsworth) needs 12 receptions to break Antonio Hutton’s school record for career receptions (151)... Marietta has not won five games in a season since 1998, when they finished 6-4... The Pioneers are 1-1 at home while Wilmington is 1-3 on the road in 2004... Brandon Tisdale sits third in NCAA history in career sacks and second in career tackles for loss in NCAA all-divisions.

Great Coverage: Saturday’s football game is being broadcast live by WMRT - FM 88.3, Marietta College’s campus radio station. Their broadcast can also be heard live online at www.mariettaonline.com.

Bricks: Donations to the Fields Project are still being accepted. Everyone who contributes at least $250 to the gets a personalized brick that will be placed at the entrance way on Green Street. For more information or to make a contribution call 1-800-274-4704.

Halloween Bowl: Student Life is hosting Halloween Olympics during the tailgate party before the game. Winners will be announced during the game. All spectators dressed in full or creative Halloween costumes will be admitted free to the game.

Next game: The Pioneers will host Baldwin-Wallace, while Wilmington plays Ohio Northern at home on Saturday (Nov. 6) at 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       —            54             Jason Price
C         —            64            Joe Brennan
RG      —            76            Lance Parrish
RT       —            79            Kellen Dunlap

Defense
DT       —            50          Pete Hashman
NT       —            98         Clay Ream
DT       —            94          Jeff Mast
OLB    —            41          Anthony Huffman
ILB       —            52          Brian Hahn
OLB    —              3           Thadd Sharrett
ILB    —             39          Nate Brownrigg
CB      —            25          J. J. Wheeler
CB      —            2            Brett Munn
FS       —           12            Lonnie Meyers
SS       —            9            Anthony Banks