Last-second touchdown sends Marietta to 18-17 victory over rival Muskingum on Homecoming
North sets single-game reception record, Vrable breaks single-game passing attempts record

Oct. 22, 2005
MARIETTA, Ohio - Another chapter in Marietta's rivalry with Muskingum was written Saturday (Oct. 22) afternoon in front of a Homecoming crowd at Don Drumm Stadium. As has been typical in the series, the game came down to the final play with the Pioneers scoring a touchdown to capture the 18-17 victory — the fifth consecutive for Marietta over the Muskies.

The victory snaps a four-game slide for Marietta and improves its record to 3-4 overall and 2-4 in Ohio Athletic Conference play. Muskingum fell to 1-6 on the season, 1-5 in the league.

The Pioneers dominated the statistics, but needed a one-yard touchdown pass from junior Jason Vrable (South Park, Pa.) to junior tight end John Bokat (Carmichaels, Pa./Geibel Catholic) as time expired to complete the comeback win.

Marietta handed Muskingum a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter when a Wagner fumble resulted in a 41-yard return for a touchdown by Chris Holman. The Muskies extended their lead to 10-0 with a 21-yard field goal with 6:48 to go in the half.

A 24-yard Nick Manson (Canal Fulton/Akron Manchester) field goal put Marietta on the board with three seconds remaining in the second period.

Muskingum extended its lead to 17-3 with a one-yard run by quarterback Kyan Johnson with 11:10 left in the third quarter. The touchdown was set up by a Tony Abbott interception.

The Pioneers added a safety in the third period following a bad snap on a Muskie punt that was kicked out of the end zone by Muskingum punter Bryan Gulley to make the score 17-5.

Vrable continued the comeback with a 14-yard touchdown pass to junior Jason Curry (Akron/Springfield) with 14:06 to play in the game.

The score remained the same until Vrable's pass to Bokat in the final seconds. The game-winning drive was set up by a series of strong defensive stands by the Pioneers.

Overall, Marietta compiled 415 yards of offense, while Muskingum finished with 124, all on the ground. The Pioneers finished with 25 first downs compared to the Muskies' seven.

Vrable attempted a school-record 58 passes, completing 33 for 376 yards and two scores. He was intercepted twice and netted 21 yards on the ground. Johnson did not complete any of his three passes in the game. One attempt was intercepted by sophomore Shawn Ellies (Wilkinsburg, Pa./Schenley).

Junior Nic North (Madison, WI/East) pulled down a Marietta single-game record 14 receptions for 125 yards, while freshman Art Beck (Pittsburgh, Pa./Schenley) added six grabs for 97 yards and sophomore Chad McDaniel (Wooster/Triway) finished with five receptions for 73 yards. All three had key fourth-quarter catches.

Caleb Fuller led Muskingum's rushing attack with 19 carries for 69 yards. Teammates Steve Howard and Johnson added 24 and 18 yards, respectively.

Marietta's sophomore linebacker Brian Hahn (Upper Sandusky) finished with a game-high 14 tackles, while senior Darren Marks (Parkersburg, W.Va.) added 13 and sophomore Jeff Mast (Defiance) had 10, including three for a loss and one sack.

Muskingum also had three players finish with double-figure tackles, Jack Junker (13), Nathan Hedge (11) and Jesse Henestofel (10).

The Pioneers will look to carry the momentum into next Saturday's (Oct. 29) game at Wilmington (2-5, 2-4). The Quakers lost 47-14 at Otterbein Saturday. Marietta and Wilmington will kick off at 1:30 p.m.