Marietta football defeats rival Muskingum 27-21
Pioneers hold off late rally to earn first win of the year

Oct. 6, 2007
NEW CONCORD, Ohio – The Marietta College football team took on host and rival Muskingum College Saturday (Oct. 6) night in an Ohio Athletic Conference battle between two teams in desperate need of a win. Fortunately, the Pioneers came out on top 27-21 in another wild game in the bitter series. It was the seventh time in eight years that the game was decided by less than a touchdown. Marietta has now won seven straight in the series.

With the victory, Marietta improves to 1-4 overall and 1-3 in the OAC. Muskingum falls to 0-5 overall and 0-4 in league play. The win was also the 400th in program history for the Pioneers. 

Marietta compiled 422 total yards compared to 337 for Muskingum. The Pioneers, who collected 20 first downs and held onto the ball for 33:07, rushed for a season-high 178 yards and threw for 244. The Muskies, who made 16 first downs and controlled the ball for 26:53, racked up 48 yards rushing and 289 yards passing.

Marietta and Muskingum traded possessions throughout the first quarter but neither team could crack the scoreboard on its lone opportunity in the red zone. The Pioneers had the best chance. They were able to work the ball down inside the Muskies’ five-yard line. The drive stalled, however, and the ensuing 20-yard field goal attempt from junior Pat Lane (Cutler/Warren Local) hit the cross bar, keeping the score tied at 0-0.

Muskingum took its second turn in the red zone near the end of the second quarter. The drive also stalled, and its kicker, senior Brian Gulley, missed the 20-yard field goal attempt after hitting the upright. As a result, the teams entered the locker room in a scoreless tie.

The Pioneers totaled 132 yards in the first half, while the Muskies had 106. Both teams committed four penalties. Muskingum also turned the ball over twice; senior linebacker Brian Hahn (Upper Sandusky) had a pair of interceptions.

Muskingum finally took the lead with 8:40 remaining in the third frame. Senior quarterback Andre Nash connected with sophomore wide out Dwight Sutton for a 65-yard touchdown pass. The extra point was missed, keeping the Muskies’ lead at 6-0.

Following the kickoff, the Pioneers answered with three longs runs—12 and 20 yards from senior running back Joe Webb (Monessen, Pa./Ringgold) and the 38 yards from junior running back Garrett Banks (Barberton)—to move into the red zone. It took a six-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Dexter Hughes (Woodsfield/Monroe Central) to Banks for Marietta reach the end zone. Lane’s conversion gave the Pioneers a 7-6 advantage with 6:19 on the third-quarter clock.

Marietta extended its lead on its next possession. Sophomore running back Lamar Hunter (South Euclid/Brush) capped a seven-play, 65-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run. Lane hit the extra-point attempt to give the Pioneers a 14-6 lead with 1:51 left in the third. It remained 14-6 in favor of Marietta after three quarters of play.

After the Pioneers’ defense forced the Muskies to turn the ball over on downs, the offense drove seven plays and 38 yards for another touchdown. Sophomore George Davis (Warren/Newton Falls) punched it in from four yards for the score, and Lane added another extra point to give Marietta a 21-6 lead with 12:02 remaining in the game.

Muskingum cut into Marietta’s lead moments later, when Nash hit sophomore receiver Josh Grafton on a 54-yard touchdown strike and Gulley added the conversion to make the score 21-13 with just under 11 minutes to play.

A Marietta fumble on its next play from scrimmage gave the ball back to Muskingum on the 28-yard line. Four plays later, sophomore running back Charles Saulter ran it in from one-yard out to bring the Muskies within two points. A successful two-point conversion pass tied the game at 21-21 with nine minutes to go.

The scoring continued on Marietta’s next possession, which took just six plays and 2:21 off the clock. Hughes found freshman wide out Ryan Dawson (Parkersburg, W.Va.) open down the middle of the field and he raced in for the 44-yard score to put the Pioneers back ahead, 27-21. The conversion was missed when the ball was snapped over the kicker’s head.

Both defenses held on its next possession, forcing punts. As a result, Muskingum got the ball on its own 47-yard line with 2:33 to play in the game. Sophomore backup quarterback Terry Holbert, taking the place of an injured Nash, led the Muskies down to the 19 before fumbling the snap. He recovered back at the 25-yard line with 19 seconds on the clock, setting up a third down and 21. An incomplete pass in the end zone set the down marker to fourth. On fourth down, Holbert completed a 15-yard pass to Grafton. Grafton then sent a lateral to Saulter, but senior cornerback Cody Venderlic (Friendly, W.Va./St. Marys) and senior safety Dave Oriani (Chesterland/West Geauga) tackled him short of the first-down marker to preserve Marietta’s 27-21 victory. 

Webb finished with a career-high 104 yards on 18 carries to lead Marietta's rushing attack. Marietta also got 42 yards from Banks, 26 yards from Dawson and 22 yards from Davis. Hughes finished the night 19-of-31 passing and threw for 203 yards and two scores without being intercepted. Senior Chad McDaniel (Wooster/Triway) pulled in a game-high eight receptions for 99 yards, while Dawson caught five passes for 78 yards and Banks had three receptions for 52 yards.

Saulter paced Muskingum's ground game with 13 carries for 32 yards. Nash finished 12-of-25 passing and threw for 247 yards. He had two touchdown passes and was interception twice. Nash's favorite target was Grafton, who caught six passes for 128 yards.

Defensively, three Pioneers—freshman safety Seth Allman (North Canton/Hoover), senior nose tackle Clay Ream (Burbank/Northwestern) and Hahn—all had nine total tackles, while junior linebacker Grant Cowell (Perrysville/Loudonville) and sophomore linebacker Jon D'Angelo (Midland, Pa./Western Beaver) added eight stops. D'Angelo also had a pair of sacks, blocked a kick and recovered a fumble.

Caleb Rich had 12 tackles for Muskingum, while Nathan Hedge added 10 stops.

Marietta will return to action and remain on the road Saturday (Oct. 13) night when it makes the trek to University Heights, Ohio, to take on John Carroll University. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on WMRT-FM 88.3 and available online at http://pioneers.marietta.edu/onlinebroadcasts.html.