Marietta visits rival Muskingum Saturday Night
Marietta (0-4, 0-3 OAC) at Muskingum (0-4, 0-3 OAC)
7 p.m. • Saturday, Oct. 6 • McConagha Stadium

Game Notes (.pdf)
Oct. 4, 2007
MARIETTA, Ohio — The Marietta College football team makes the short trek to New Concord, Ohio, Saturday (Oct. 6) night for an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) showdown with rival Muskingum College. Both programs are looking for their first wins of the season.

Here is a look at both teams:

Muskingum College: The Fighting Muskies are coming off a heart-breaking 42-40 loss at home to Wilmington in week five. After four games, Muskingum ranks eighth in the OAC in scoring, averaging 14.8 points. The Muskies rank eighth in total offense (247.8). They are tied for seventh in passing (174.5) and eighth in rushing (73.0). Muskingum is the fifth-most penalized team in the OAC, giving up an average of 59.5 penalty yards. The Muskies have converted 5-of-11 red-zone chances and 15-of-61 third down opportunities this season.

Junior quarterback Andre Nash runs the team’s offense again in 2007. He has completed 38-of-80 passes and thrown for 550 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. Nash is coming off a game in which he set the school record for passing yards with 354. Sophomore tailback Charles Saulter paces the ground game for the Muskies. He has rushed 45 times and netted 159 yards with two touchdowns. Junior Jack Murray and sophomore Dwight Sutton both have a team-high 10 receptions. Sutton has totaled 167 yards and two touchdowns, while Murray has 101 yards.

The Muskies’ defense is allowing an OAC-worst 39.8 points per game. Muskingum has surrendered an average of 286.8 yards on the ground and 198.5 yards through the air. The Muskies, who have a +1 turnover margin, have compiled eight sacks this season. Junior Caleb Rich leads the team with 34 total tackles, which ranks fifth in the OAC. Senior Jordan Rhodes (33) and junior Ryan McClain (31) also have surpassed 30 tackles after the first four games.

Senior Brian Gulley is 4-of-5 in field goal attempts with a long 40. He is also averaging 37.7 yards on 28 punts, which ranks fourth in the OAC. Muskingum, led by Murray, is averaging 21.2 yards in kick returns.

The Muskies have collected 46 first downs, while its defense has allowed 99.

Marietta College: For the fifth straight week, Marietta will take the field in search of its first victory of 2007. 1993 was the last time that the Pioneers began 0-4. That year, Marietta snapped its losing streak in week five with a 10-8 victory over Hiram. Marietta’s offense has averaged 10.8 points and 239.0 yards this season, which rank tenth and ninth, respectively in the OAC. Of those yards, 73.0 come on the ground, while 166.0 are through the air. The Pioneers are ranked ninth in both passing offense and rushing offense. Marietta has converted 19-of-63 third downs and 7-of-13 red-zone chances in 2007. The Pioneers have a -14 turnover margin, which ranks 230 of 232 in NCAA Division III.

Individually, sophomore quarterback Dexter Hughes is 16-of-105 passing, throwing for 473 yards. He has thrown two touchdowns with eight interceptions. Freshman Ryan Dawson leads the team with 18 grabs for 213 yards and two scores. Senior Chad McDaniel has added 16 receptions for 187 yards. Sophomore George Davis is the team’s leading rusher, averaging 24.5 yards. He has scored one touchdown. Junior Garrett Banks has added 22.2 rushing yards per game.

Marietta’s defense enters the week ranked seventh in total defense. It is allowing 447.5 yards per game. The Pioneers rank sixth against the run (144.5) and ninth against the pass (303.0). Marietta has recorded seven sacks and 25 tackles for loss this season. The Pioneers have allowed their opponents to convert 18-of-22 red zone chances, including 14 touchdowns. Opponents are converting 41% (28-of-68) of their third-down opportunities against Marietta.

Senior linebacker Brian Hahn leads the team and is second in the OAC with 42 total tackles, including seven for loss. Senior linebacker Carter Shaver and junior linebacker Grant Cowell have both added 34 hits.

Junior Pat Lane is 1-for-3 in field goals and 4-for-4 in PATs. Senior John Bensie is averaging 34.5 yards on 27 punts.

Marietta is averaging 15.5 yards on kick returns and 7.2 yards on punt returns this year. The Pioneers have committed 21 penalties for 166 yards. Marietta is trailing in time of possession, holding onto the ball from an average of 27:46, while on defense for 32:14.

Week 6 Game Notes

THE RECORDS: Saturday is week six of the 2007 season. Marietta and Muskingum are both 0-4 overall and 0-3 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC).

GAME TIME: 7 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 6, McConagha Stadium in New Concord, Ohio.

THE COACHES: Marietta’s Curt Wiese is in his second season as the leader of the Pioneers. Wiese, the offensive coordinator of the Pioneers for three years before becoming the head coach, earned his bachelor’s degree from Minnesota State-Mankato in 1999. Al Logan begins his first year as Muskingum’s head coach. The 1982 Muskingum graduate was the offensive coordinator at Wittenberg for three years before taking the job at Muskingum.

ALL-TIME SERIES: The Muskies and the Pioneers meet for the 85th time on the gridiron in 2007. Muskingum leads the series 45-38-2. Marietta, however, has won the last six meetings. Until last year, the previous five games were decided by less than a touchdown.

LAST MEETING: Jason Vrable became the Pioneers’ all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns in a 30-10 victory for Marietta in 2006. Vrable completed 15-of-25 passes for 269 yards and three scores. Brian Hahn paced the Pioneers’ defense with 11 tackles. Andre Nash was held to 10-of-23 passing and threw for 74 yards, while Steve Howard had 51 yards rushing in the loss.

RADIO COVERAGE: WMRT-FM 88.3, Marietta’s student radio station, will be traveling to New Concord to broadcast the game.

LISTEN ONLINE: Marietta College is proud to once again 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 the athletic web site: http://pioneers.marietta.edu.

QUICK START: Marietta will look to get off to a fast start out of the locker room after struggling in the first half in 2006. The Pioneers were outscored 65-34 in the first quarter and 67-49 in the second quarter last year. On the other hand, Marietta outscored its opponents 51-38 and 88-72 in the third and fourth quarters, respectively. This year, the Pioneers have been outscored 34-3 in the first quarter, 51-7 in the second quarter and 49-7 in the third quarter, while outscoring opponents 26-13 in the final frame.

RED-ZONE STAND: Marietta has scored in seven of its 13 trips to the red-zone this season; six of the scores have been touchdowns. The Pioneers’ defense, however, has allowed scores in 18-of-22 red-zone possessions, including 14 touchdowns.

THIS WEEK IN THE OAC: A full slate of OAC games are on slated for Oct. 3. Baldwin-Wallace visits Heidelberg. John Carroll is at Capital. Ohio Northern welcomes Mount Union. Otterbein travels to Wilmington. All of the games are slated for 1:30 p.m.

NEXT GAME: On Saturday (Oct. 13), Marietta visits rival John Carroll at 7 p.m., while Muskingum is at Baldwin-Wallace for a 2 p.m. kickoff.