Upset-minded Pioneers visit nationally ranked Crusaders
Marietta (2-1, 1-1 OAC) at No. 3 Capital (3-0, 2-0 OAC)
1:30 p.m. • Saturday, Sept. 30 • Bernlohr Stadium

Game Notes (.pdf)
Sept. 27, 2006
MARIETTA, Ohio - The Pioneers return to the State capital Saturday (Sept. 30) for the second straight week. This time their opponent is No. 3 Capital, a 2005 NCAA playoff team. It is the third Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) game for each program. It will be Homecoming for Capital.

Here is a look at both teams:

Capital University: The Crusaders have dominated each of their first three opponents — outscoring them 165-14. Heidelberg was their latest victim, as Capital racked up 65 points and held the Student Princes to 86 yards of total offense. After three games, Capital ranks second in the League in scoring, averaging 55.0 points. The Crusaders rank second in total offense (478.7) — second in passing (322.3) and third in rushing (156.3). Capital is the sixth-most penalized team in the OAC, giving up an average of 55.3 penalty yards in first three games. The Crusaders have converted 20-of-21 red-zone chances and 21-of-33 third down opportunities this season.

Senior running back Jeremy Mulkey, who is averaging 63.3 yards and has seven touchdowns, leads the team in rushing. Senior Rocky Pentello controls the team from under center. In three games, Pentello has completed 65-of-86 passes for 863 yards with 10 touchdowns and one interception. Junior wide receiver Derek Alexander has a team-high 21 catches for 337 yards and four scores, while senior wide receiver Mike Niedzwiecki has added 10 grabs for 110 yards. Overall, 17 different players have caught a pass this season for Capital.

The Crusader defense has allowed 4.7 points per game this season, which ranks first in the OAC. Capital has surrendered an average of 42.7 yards on the ground and 58.7 yards through the air. The Crusaders, who have +2 turnover margin, have recorded 10 sacks on the year.

Six players have at least 10 tackles in 2006. Junior Eric Abdriacco has a team-high 15, while Pete Ankrom has added 13 stops. Sophomore punter Sean Stencil has averaged 40.2 yards on five punts, which ranks second in the OAC. Capital is averaging 22.2 yards in kick returns. Thom Hausler has also returned a punt for a touchdown this year.

The Crusaders have collected an OAC high 75 first downs, while its defense has allowed an OAC best 22 first downs.

Marietta College: The Pioneers are looking to bounce back from a disappointing 27-24 loss at Otterbein in a game that was hampered by mistakes. Marietta’s offense has averaged 39.7 points and 456.3 yards this season, which each rank third-best in the OAC. Of those yards, 69.7 come on the ground, while 386.7 are through the air. The Pioneers lead the Conference in passing offense and are ranked sixth in rushing offense. Marietta has converted 20-of-40 third downs and 10-of-13 red-zone chances in 2006. The Pioneers have a -5 turnover margin.

Individually, senior quarterback Jason Vrable has completed 73-of-120 passes for an OAC-high 1160 yards and eight touchdowns this season. Junior Chad McDaniel, who set a new single-game record with 14 receptions and 210 yards receiving at Otterbein, leads the team with 18 grabs for 275 yards. Senior Jason Curry has added 15 receptions for 336 yards with four touchdowns, while senior Nic North has grabbed 15 passes for 225 yards. Sophomore Garrett Banks is the team’s leading rusher, averaging 36.0 yards per game and 2.6 yards per carry. Vrable is contributing 2.1 yards per carry and 16.3 yards per game with his legs.

Sophomore Pat Lane is 2-for-3 in field goals and 7-for-9 in PATs. Curry is averaging 36.9 yards per punt.

Marietta’s defense enters the week ranked fifth in total defense. It is allowing 290.3 yards per game. The Pioneers rank seventh against the pass (206.0) and sixth against the run (84.3). Marietta has recorded six sacks, 22 tackles for loss and two interceptions this season. The Pioneers have allowed their opponents to convert 10-of-14 red zone chances, including seven touchdowns. Offenses are converting 37% (15-of-41) of their third-down opportunities against Marietta.

Junior middle linebacker Brian Hahn leads the team with 23 tackles, while sophomore middle linebacker Grant Cowell and senior safety Lonnie Meyers have added 20 and 19 stops, respectively. Hahn and junior nose tackle Clay Ream lead the team with 4.5 tackles for loss.

Marietta is averaging just 12.1 yards on kick returns and 5.7 yards on punt returns this year. Penalties have been a factor of late, as the Pioneers have now committed 23 penalties for 179 yards. Marietta is also trailing slightly in time of possession, holding onto the ball from an average of 28:37, while on defense for 31:23..

THE RECORDS: Saturday marks the fourth game of the 2006 season for both teams. Marietta opened the year with victories over Emory & Henry (28-20) and Baldwin-Wallace (37-31) before falling at Otterbein (27-24). Capital has blown out its first three opponents, taking down Wittenberg (57-7), Wilmington (43-0) and Heidelberg (65-7).

GAME TIME: 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 30, Bernlohr Stadium.

THE COACHES: Marietta’s Curt Wiese is in his first season as the leader of the Pioneers. Wiese, the offensive coordinator of the Pioneers for the last three years, earned his bachelor’s degree from Minnesota State-Mankato in 1999. Capital’s Jim Collins is in his 10th year as the Crusaders’ head football coach. The 1988 graduate of Wittenberg, who was named the North Region Coach of the Year in 2005, had a 47-46 record in his first nine years. Collins is 7-2 against Marietta.

ALL-TIME SERIES: The Crusaders and the Pioneers meet for the 76th time on the gridiron in 2006, with Capital leading the all-time series 45-28-2. Marietta, who won the first three meetings by shutout in 1927-29, has not beaten Capital, who has won five straight, since a 52-21 victory in 2000.

LAST MEETING: After leading just 17-3 through three quarters, Capital exploded for 24 points in the final frame to win 41-10. Jason Vrable completed 23-of-34 passes for 133 yards and one TD, while Rocky Pentello connected on 28-of-40 attempts for 338 yards and four scores.

LAST GAME FOR MARIETTA: Pioneer mistakes prevented them from completing a third straight comeback victory, as Otterbein jumped out to a 21-3 first half lead and then held on for a 27-24 win. Junior Chad McDaniel broke the school record for reception yards in a game (210) and tied teammate Nic North’s record of 14 grabs in a game.

LAST GAME FOR CAPITAL: The Crusaders scored early and often at Heidelberg en route to a 65-7 victory. Pentello moved into fourth place on the OAC touchdown passes list with 85. Derrick Alexander had a career high 144 yards receiving.

GREAT COVERAGE: Saturday’s football game is being broadcast live by WMRT-FM 88.3, Marietta College’s campus radio station, and by WMOA-AM 1490. Capital will also provide live scoring over the Internet at http://www.capitalcrusaders.net/xlive.htm.

LISTEN ONLINE: Marietta College is now proud to offer its fans on the World Wide Web the opportunity to listen to all 10 Pioneer football games through a partnership with Stretch Internet. All you need is QuickTime. For more information visit Marietta’s athletic web site: http://pioneers.marietta.edu. Archives are also available to listen to or to purchase.

NEXT GAME: On Saturday, Oct. 7, Marietta will return home to host rival Muskingum at 6 p.m., while Capital will visit John Carroll for a 7 p.m. showdown.

RECORD BREAKING PERFORMANCE: At Otterbein, junior wide receiver Chad McDaniel pulled in a career high 14 receptions for 210 yards. Both marks are single-game records at Marietta. He is now tied with teammate Nic North for most catches in a game. Gary Winkler, who played under Chad’s grandfather Joe McDaniel, held the previous record for yards receiving in a game with 193 yards, which was set in 1972 against Otterbein.

OAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: McDaniel’s record-breaking performance against Otterbein earned him OAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. It is the second week in a row that a Pioneer received the award.

CLIMBING UP THE CAREER CHARTS: Following his week four performance, Vrable is now closing in on Marietta’s all-time passing records. The senior needs to complete 19 passes and throw two touchdowns to tie the Pioneers’ career records. He is also 128 passing attempts and 403 shy of matching those records.

CLIMBING UP THE CAREER CHARTS PART II: Pioneer senior receiver Jason Curry has 15 touchdown receptions and needs five more to break the record set by Antonio Hutton ‘97. Curry is also ranked second all-time in punts (172) and punt yards (6,324).

GETTING OFF TO A QUICK START: Marietta will look to get off to a fast start out of the locker room this season after struggling in the first and third quarters in 2005. The Pioneers were outscored 60-37 in the first quarter and 69-14 in the third quarter last year. So far in 2006, Marietta has been outscored 31-7 in the first quarter, but has a 21-3 advantage in the third frame.

RED-ZONE STAND: Marietta will look build upon its success in the red zone last year, when it converted 24-of-33 (72.7%) of its chances. 18 of its 24 scores were touchdowns. On the other hand, the Pioneers must improve on the defensive side of the ball, as they allowed scores in 36-of-43 chances, including 32 touchdowns. This year MC has converted 10-of-13 chances on offense and allowed teams to score on 10-of-14 trips.

NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: The OAC has a large presence in the top of the national polls this week. In the second AFCA poll of the year, Mount Union was ranked first, Capital fourth and Ohio Northern 10th. The d3football.com poll also had Mount Union at No. 1, with Capital at No. 3 and Ohio Northern at No. 10.

THIS WEEK IN THE OAC: Other OAC games on tap this weekend include Muskingum (1-2, 0-2 OAC) at Wilmington (0-3, 0-2 OAC), Otterbein (2-1, 1-1 OAC) at Ohio Northern (3-0, 2-0 OAC), John Carroll (1-2, 1-1 OAC) at Baldwin-Wallace (2-1, 1-1 OAC) and Heidelberg (0-3, 0-2 OAC) at Mount Union (3-0, 2-0 OAC). The games at Capital and Wilmington have 1:30 p.m. kickoffs, while the other two have evening starts.

HOMECOMING: Marietta’s Homecoming is slated for October 13-14. A full weekend of events are planned with the highlight being Marietta’s game at 1:30 p.m. against John Carroll. Before the game, the 2005 men’s crew team will receive its Dad Vail rings, and the new McCoy locker room facility will be officially dedicated. Midnight Maddness for basketball will also be that night.