Game Notes (.pdf)
Oct. 25, 2007
MARIETTA, Ohio — The Marietta College football team continues its 2007 with a week nine trip to Tiffin, Ohio, to take on Heidelberg College Saturday (Oct. 27) afternoon at 1:30 p.m. The Pioneers are looking to turn their season around down the stretch, while the Student Princes are hoping to build upon one of their most successful years in recent history. Marietta has had the upper-hand of late, winning the last three meetings. Last year, the Pioneers won 32-17.

Here is a look at both teams:

Heidelberg College: The Student Princes, who entered the year on a 36-game losing streak, have new life under first-year Head Coach Mike Hallett, who already has his team 3-4 this season. After seven games, Heidelberg ranks fifth in the OAC in scoring, averaging 23.7 points. The Student Princes rank seventh in total offense (309.1). They are ninth in passing (180.4) and fifth in rushing (128.7). Heidelberg is the most penalized team in the OAC, giving up an average of 87.6 penalty yards. The Student Princes have converted 22-of-29 red-zone chances and 33-of-100 third down opportunities this season.

Senior quarterback Steve West has completed 99-of-170 passes and thrown for 1257 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions. Junior Kenny Sims leads the rushing attack with 99 carries for 418 yards and three scores. Sophomore Jemar Lewis has added 93 carries for 366 yards and four touchdowns. Junior Dawond Roddy is Heidelberg’s top wide receiver, pulling in 31 receptions for 409 yards and three scores. Junior wide out Lucas Bauer has caught 25 passes for 379 yards and two scores.

The Student Princes’ defense is allowing 34.0 points per game, which ranks eighth in the league. Heidelberg has surrendered an average of 162.0 yards on the ground and 253.1 yards through the air. The Student Princes, who have a +5 turnover margin, have compiled 17 sacks and seven interceptions this season.

Senior Matt Nero leads the squad in total tackles with 54. He also has one sack and two interceptions. Junior Brian West had added 49 stops, while sophomore Matt Grieves has 39 hits and paces the team with 11 tackles for loss and six sacks.

Freshman Jesse Hawkins is 9-of-11 in field goal attempts with a long of 38. Junior Jimmy May and sophomore Tyler Smith have both punted 15 times. Smith averages 33.7 yards and May averages 32.1 yards. Heidelberg, led by Sims and Bauer, is averaging 18.5 yards in kick returns and 7.1 yards in punt returns. The Student Princes have collected 122 first downs, while its defense has allowed 159. Heidelberg is controlling the clock for 31:16 while on defense for 27:21.

Marietta College: The Pioneers are working to get all aspects of the game going at the same time in order to end their season on a positive note. Marietta's offense has averaged league-low 12.3 points and 259.3 yards this season, which ranks ninth. Of those yards, 89.0 come on the ground, while 170.3 are through the air. The Pioneers are ranked tenth in passing offense and ninth in rushing offense. Marietta has converted 34-of-105 third down and 14-of-24 red-zone chances. The Pioneers enter with a -13 turnover margin.

Individually, sophomore quarterback Dexter Hughes is 91-of-188 passing, throwing for 960 yards. He has thrown five touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Freshman Ryan Dawson leads the team with 33 catches for 399 yards and three scores, while senior Chad McDaniel has added 29 catches for 342 yards. Senior Joe Webb leads the ground attack with 84 rushes for 331 yards (47.3 yards per game). Junior Garrett Banks has added 19.1 yards per game, while sophomore George Davis has contributed 16.9 yards per game and scored two touchdowns.

Junior Pat Lane is 4-for-10 in field goals and 8-for-9 in PATs. Senior John Bensie is averaging 34.5 yards on 40 punts. Marietta is averaging 17.1 yards on kick returns and 7.2 yards on punt returns this year. The Pioneers have committed a OAC-low 36 penalties for 313 yards.

Marietta's defense enters the week ranked sixth in total defense. It is allowing 402.7 yards per game. The Pioneers rank sixth against the run (129.9 yards per game) and eighth against the pass (272.9 yards per game). Marietta has recorded 13 sacks and 44 tackles for loss this season. The Pioneers have allowed their opponents to convert 24-of-35 red zone chances, including 18 touchdowns. Opponents are converting 39% (44-of-114) of their third-down opportunities against Marietta.

Senior linebacker Brian Hahn leads the team and is second in the OAC with 75 total tackles, including 13.5 for loss. Junior linebacker Grant Cowell and senior nose tackle Clay Ream have added 63 and 52 tackles, respectively. Marietta is trailing in time of possession, holding onto the ball for an average of 28:33, while on defense for 31:27.

Week 9 Game Notes

THE RECORDS: Saturday is week nine of the 2007 season. Marietta enters 1-6 overall and 1-5 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Heidelberg is 3-4 overall, 2-4 in the OAC.

GAME TIME: 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 27, Frost-Kalnow Stadium in Tiffin, 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. Mike Hallett is in his first season as Heidelberg’s head coach. The 1994 graduate of Mount Union, who spent the previous three seasons at Thomas More, has a coaching record of 3-4 at Heidelberg and 18-19 overall.

ALL-TIME SERIES: The Student Princes lead the all-time series, which began in 1917, 25-19. Marietta has won three straight in the series, while Heidelberg won the three match-ups before the current Pioneer win streak.

LAST MEETING: Marietta ran for a season-high 245 yards, paced by 125 from Jason Vrable and 74 from Corey Jacobs, en route to a 32-17 victory at Don Drumm Stadium. Grant Cowell had a game-high nine tackles in the win. Kenny Sims has six catches for 112 yards in the loss.

RADIO COVERAGE: WMRT-FM 88.3, Marietta's student radio station, will be in Tiffin to broadcast the game for Pioneer fans.

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 41-9 in the first quarter, 65-17 in the second quarter and 58-21 in the third quarter and 45-39 in the final frame.

RED-ZONE STAND: Marietta has scored in 14 of its 24 trips to the red-zone this season; 10 of the scores have been touchdowns. The Pioneers' defense, however, has allowed scores in 24-of-35 red-zone possessions, including 18 touchdowns.

CLIMBING THE RECORD BOOK: Senior Chad McDaniel is currently third all-time in receptions (122) and receiving yards (1633). Junior kicker Pat Lane is also fourth in career field goal attempts (21) and field goals (12).

THIS WEEK IN THE OAC: A full slate of OAC games are slated for Oct. 27. Baldwin-Wallace visits Ohio Northern. Capital plays host to Mount Union. John Carroll travels to Wilmington. Otterbein is at Muskingum. All games will begin at 1:30 p.m.

NEXT GAME: On Saturday (Nov. 3), Marietta will play host to Wilmington in its home finale, which will be Senior Day. Heidelberg visits Ohio Northern. Both games are slated for 1:30 p.m.

NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: The OAC has a large presence in the top of the national polls this week. The d3football.com poll had Mount Union at No. 1, with Capital at No. 12 and Ohio Northern at No. 17. The Purple Raiders were also atop the AFCA poll, while the Crusaders were No. 14.

WINTER SCHEDULE CARDS: Winter schedule cards are now available. Pick one up near the gate or stop by the Athletics office.