Marietta rekindles running attack, defeats Wilmington 18-3
Wagner and Webb combine for 189 yards in victory

Oct. 29, 2005
WILMINGTON, Ohio - Head coach Todd Glaser believes that in order for his Marietta College football team to be successful, it needs to be able to run the football. The offense proved his theory once again Saturday (Oct. 29), as it racked up 191 yards rushing en route to an 18-3 road victory at Wilmington.

The win, the Pioneer's second in a row, bring their record to 4-4 overall and 3-4 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Wilmington falls to 2-6, 2-6 in league play.

Neither team could get much going in the opening quarter, as each squad was forced to punt on its first three possessions.

The Quakers drew first blood with a 38-yard field goal off the foot of Jon Bednarek with 13:22 remaining in the second frame. The kick capped a 10-play, 59-yard drive.

Marietta and Wilmington then traded interceptions and punts over the next four possessions. The Pioneers then put together a five-play 40-yard drive to take a 6-3 lead with 3:31 to play in the half. Junior Jason Vrable (South Park, Pa.) found junior Jason Curry (Akron/Springfield) open in the end zone for a seven-yard touchdown. The extra point attempt was blocked.

The score remained 6-3 in favor of visiting Marietta until Vrable and Curry hooked up again, this time for a four-yard touchdown with 5:49 remaining in the contest. Once again, the extra point attempt was blocked, giving the Pioneers a 12-3 advantage.

Wilmington turned the ball over on downs on its next possession, setting up the final score of the game — a Joe Webb (Monessen, Pa./Ringgold) three-yard touchdown run with 2:35 to go in the game. Marietta missed the extra point to make the score 18-3. The touchdown was set up by a 71-yard pass from Vrable to junior Nick North (Madison, WI/East).

Following another defensive stand, the Pioneers ran out the clock on their second-straight victory.

Marietta finished with 401 total yards of offense, while Wilmington had 231. Both teams rushed the ball 40 times, with the Pioneers netting 191 yards and the Quakers finishing with 81.

Individually, Steven Wagner (Harwick, Pa./Fox Chapel) rushed for his third 100-yard game of the year, finishing with 126 yards on 21 carries. Wagner has now compiled 2,901 rushing yards in his career. Webb added 10 carries for 63 yards and a score.

Brad Monk led Wilmington's ground game with 22 carries for 50 yards.

Vrable finished 16-of-28 for 210 yards and two touchdowns. He was intercepted once. Monk completed 11-of-27 attempts for 115 yards, while throwing two interceptions.

North led all receivers with four catches for 87 yards, while Curry and Wagner added four grabs for 55 yards and 28 yards, respectively. Marque Jones pulled in five receptions for 49 yards for Wilmington.

Marietta's defense finished with a season-high 13 tackles for a loss of 57 yards, including three sacks. Sophomores Brian Hahn (Upper Sandusky) and Jeff Mast (Defiance) each collected a team-high nine stops, while Clay Ream (Burbank/Northwestern) added eight tackles (five for loss) and one sack. Senior Eric Workman (Vienna, W.VA./Parkersburg) and sophomore Shawn Ellies (Wilkinsburg, Pa./Schenley) each had an interception in the win.

Chad Otte led Wilmington's defense with 11 tackles and an interception.

The Pioneers will look to move above .500 with a win at Baldwin-Wallace Saturday (Nov. 5). The Yellow Jackets (3-5, 2-5 OAC) will be trying to bounce back from a 17-3 loss to Mount Union. Kickoff at Finnie Stadium in Berea is slated for 2 p.m.