Hughes' school-record tying four touchdown passes leads Marietta past Wilmington 38-14 on Senior Day
Ream adds career-high 12 tackles and three sacks in victory

Nov. 3, 2007
MARIETTA, Ohio — The Marietta College Pioneers used an offensive explosion in the first half to route the visiting Wilmington College Quakers, 38-14, in an Ohio Athletic Conference football battle Saturday (Nov. 3) afternoon at Don Drumm Stadium. The victory, Marietta's second straight, improves the Pioneers' record to 3-6 overall and 3-5 in the OAC. Wilmington falls to 2-7 overall and 2-6 in league play.

Saturday was the annual Shrine Game for Marietta College and the local Shrine Club awarded Most Valuable Player honors to a member of each team as well as a trophy to Marietta for winning the game. Sophomore quarterback Dexter Hughes (Woodsfield/Monroe Central) earned the honor for the Pioneers, while junior wide out Marque Jones was recognized for the Quakers.

Hughes had a career day, completing 18-of-28 passes for a personal-best 399 yards and school-record-tying four touchdowns, all in the first half. Hughes threw 24-yard and 18-yard touchdown passes to junior running back Garrett Banks (Barberton) and 75-yard and 81-yard scoring strikes to freshman wide out Ryan Dawson (Parkersburg, W.Va.).

Jones, meanwhile, pulled in a game-high 13 receptions for 136 yards and two touchdowns in a losing effort.

In a battle between two of the lower-ranked defenses in the country—Marietta entered ranked 196th and Wilmington 230th of the 231 NCAA Division III teams in terms of total defense—fans expected the points and yards to pile up throughout the afternoon. And they did. Marietta collected 38 points and 568 total yards—149 on the ground and 419 through the air—and Wilmington added 14 points and 340 yards, including 332 yards by way of the pass.

Wilmington's sophomore quarterback Billy Blackburn, the reigning OAC Offensive Player of the Week, nearly matched Hughes' big day. He completed 30-of-53 passing attempts and threw for 332 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.

Dawson, last week's OAC Special Teams Player of the Week, amassed 190 yards on four receptions, which is the third-highest total for a receiver in Marietta history. Only senior teammate Chad McDaniel (Wooster/Triway), who had 210 receiving yards against Otterbein last year, and Gray Winkler, who pulled in 193 yards against Otterbein in 1972, had more productive days as a Pioneer wide receiver. McDaniel added four receptions for 93 yards and Banks finished with four receptions for 75 yards in the win.

Blackburn's second favorite target on Saturday was Jeremy Stuckey, who pulled in five receptions for 59 yards, while Brandon Hiatt and Brent Scherz both had four catches.

Sophomore Lamar Hunter (South Euclid/Brush) led the Pioneers' ground game with 11 carries for 71 yards and one score, while senior Joe Webb (Monessen, Pa./Ringgold) added 14 carries for 53 yards. Dominique Smith was Wilmington's leading rusher. He had 10 carries for 14 yards.

Marietta's defense sacked Blackburn five times and picked him off twice in the win. Senior All-American nose tackle Clay Ream (Burbank/Northwestern) had a career-high and game-high 12 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. He also forced one fumble and had two quarterback hurries. Senior All-American linebacker Brian Hahn (Upper Sandusky), the reigning OAC Defensive Player of the Week, added eight hits, while senior corner back Cody Venderlic (Friendly, W.Va./St. Marys) contributed seven stops and broke up three passes. Sophomore Alan Tracewell (Williamstown, W.Va.) and freshman Seth Allman (North Canton/Hoover) had interceptions in the win.

Wilmington's defense was paced by John Rupp with 10 stops, while Donta' Stone had eights and Bryce Martin finished with six to go along with an interception.

Marietta opened the scoring on its first possession. Hunter capped a five-play, 66-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown run, his third of the season to put the Pioneers ahead early, 7-0, just six minutes into the game.

The Pioneers increased their lead to 14-0 five minutes later, when Hughes hit junior Banks on a 24-yard scoring strike to finish off an eight-play, 70-yard drive.

Two possessions later, Hughes hit Dawson with a 75-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage to increase Marietta’s lead to 21-0 with 12:06 to play in the half. The duo then hooked up for an 81-yard touchdown strike on the Pioneers’ next opportunity to make the score 28-0 with 8:21 remaining in the half. It was Marietta's longest touchdown pass since Aaron Conte and Dante Brown connected on a 92-yard touchdown against Mount Union in 1996.

The Quakers got on the board three minutes later, when Blackburn hit Jones for a 10-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 28-7. A Marietta fumble by Hunter set up another Wilmington touchdown from Blackburn to Jones. This time it was from seven yards out with 1:44 to play in the half, making the score 28-14.

The Pioneers got a touchdown back four plays into their next possession; Hughes hit Banks for an 18-yard touchdown in the final minute of the second quarter to send the teams into the locker room with Marietta leading 35-14.

After a scoreless third quarter, Marietta increased its lead to 38-14, when junior Pat Lane (Cutler/Warren Local) hit a 27-yard field goal on the second play of the final frame. The field goal, which capped the scoring, was Lane's sixth of the season and 14th of his career.