Yellow Jackets fly into Marietta for second annual River City Bowl on Alumni Day
Baldwin-Wallace (1-0, 0-0 OAC) at Marietta (1-0, 0-0 OAC)
6 p.m. • Saturday, Sept. 16 • Don Drumm Stadium

Game Notes (.pdf)
Sept. 11, 2006
MARIETTA, Ohio - The Pioneers welcome Baldwin-Wallace to Don Drumm Stadium this Saturday (Sept. 16) for a week three match-up. It is the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) opener for each program. It is also Alumni Football Day and the second annual River City Bowl at Don Drumm.

"The concept behind having the River City Bowl is for the College and football program to have a way of recognizing the College community and the Marietta community for its wonderful support," said first-year head coach Curt Wiese. "When combined with our Alumni Day, we expect it to be a great atmosphere for football."

Therefore the College has numerous pre-game activities planned to honor those attending the game. For starters, the College is having a tailgate for fans of both teams starting at 4:30 p.m. The tailgate will include free soda, hot dogs, hamburgers and many other treats outside the stadium.

Also serving as sponsors for the River City Bowl are The Marietta Times and Chartwells Dining Service.

The College is also pleased to be giving the first 1,000 fans through the gates a River City Bowl T-shirt, which is sponsored by Dixie Sporting Goods.

Here is a look at both teams:

Baldwin-Wallace College: The Yellow Jackets are coming off an impressive 17-7 upset of then-ranked No. 15 Augustana (Ill.) Saturday (Sept. 9). Baldwin-Wallace’s 17-point out ranked ninth in the OAC after each team played one game. They rank ninth in total offense (151.0) — ninth in passing (48.0) and fifth in rushing (103.0). Baldwin-Wallace is the fourth most penalized team in the league, giving up 70.0 penalty yards, in its first game. The Yellow Jackets converted 3-of-3 red-zone chances and 4-for-10 third down opportunities against the Vikings. Senior running back Brandon Hedges led the team in rushing with an 82-yard performance, the third-highest total in the League after the first round of games. Junior Mickey Mental leads the team from under center. Mental completed 8-of-14 passes for 48 yards with two interceptions and one touchdown in week two. Senior wide receiver Tom Murphy had a team-high four catches for 30 yards, while senior tight end Casey Fox caught two passes and a touchdown against Augustana. The Yellow Jacket defense allowed an OAC-best seven points in their first game. Baldwin-Wallace surrendered 127 yards on the ground and 62 yards through the air. B-W, who has a -1 turnover margin, had one sack in its first win. Sophomore Paul Berger had a team-high 11 tackles, seven solo, against the Vikings. Juniors Luke Chronister and Darren Cereshko each added nine stops in the game. Cereshko also had an interception. Sophomore punter Kevin Solfkianics averaged 47.2 yards per punt, which ranked best in the OAC after week two.  

Marietta College: The Pioneers are looking to begin the year 2-0 for the third straight season, but Baldwin-Wallace will be the biggest obstacle of their recent streak. Marietta’s offense compiled 471 yards against Emory & Henry, which ranked third in the OAC. Of those yards, 97 came on the ground, while 374 were through the air. Marietta has converted 6-of-15 third downs and 2-of-5 red-zone chances in week one. The Pioneers have a -1 turnover margin. Individually, senior quarterback Jason Vrable has completed 22-of-36 passes for an OAC-high 374 yards and two touchdowns this season. Senior Jason Curry was the Pioneers’ leading receiver against the Wasps, pulling in seven receptions for 154 yards and two scores. Seven other Marietta players caught a pass in the game. Sophomore Garrett Banks was the primary ball handler in week one, carrying the ball 22 times for 78 yards. Vrable and junior Joe Webb each had 15 yards rushing and a touchdown in the victory. Sophomore Pat Lane was 0-for-1 in field goals and 2-for-3 in PATs. Curry, averaged 31.0 yards per punt. Marietta’s defense enters week three ranked sixth in total defense. It allowed 220 total yards against Emory & Henry. The Pioneers rank sixth against the pass (124.0) and fifth against the run (96.0 yards per game). Juniors Brian Hahn and Clay Ream each finished with a team-high nine stops against the Wasps. Senior linebacker Sean Callahan made the biggest special teams play of the year thus far, blocking a punt to set up Marietta’s go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter against Emory & Henry.

THE RECORDS: Today marks the second game of the 2006 season for both teams. Marietta opened the year with a 28-20 road victory over Emory & Henry in week one, while Baldwin-Wallace upset then No. 15 Augustana (Ill.) 17-7 on the road in week two.

GAME TIME: 6 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 16, Don Drumm Stadium.

THE COACHES: Marietta’s Curt Wiese is in his first season as the leader of the Pioneers. Wiese, the offensive coordinator of the Pioneers for the last three years, earned his bachelor’s degree from Minnesota State-Mankato in 1999. Baldwin-Wallace’s John Snell is in his fifth year as the Yellow Jackets’ head football coach. The 1987 graduate of Baldwin-Wallace, who has been with the school since 1993, had a 28-14 record in his first four years.

ALL-TIME SERIES: The Jackets and the Pioneers meet for the 29th time on the gridiron in 2006, with Baldwin-Wallace leading the series 24-4. Marietta, however, is riding a two-game win streak over B-W.

LAST MEETING: Trailing 31-13 on the road with 11 minutes to play, Marietta battled back, behind the arm of then junior Jason Vrable, to upset Baldwin-Wallace 32-31. It was the biggest victory of the Todd Glaser era.

OPENING SUCCESS: Thanks to the 28-20 win at Emory & Henry, the Pioneers have now pulled out victories in 13 of the last 14 season openers and will take a seven-game win streak into their 2007 opener against national power St. John’s in Collegeville, Minn. Marietta’s last week one loss came against Waynesburg, 28-23, in 1999.

WEEK TWO OBSTACLES: Marietta looks to start the season with two-straight wins, something it has done in each of the last two years.

GREAT COVERAGE: Saturday’s football game is being broadcast live by WMRT-FM 88.3, Marietta College’s campus radio station, and by WMOA-AM 1490. Baldwin-Wallace’s radio station, WBWC Radio (88.3 FM), will also be on the air broadcasting the contest.

LISTEN ONLINE: Marietta College is now proud to offer its fans on the World Wide Web the opportunity to listen to all ten Pioneer football games through a partnership with Stretch Internet. All you need is QuickTime. For more information visit Marietta’s athletic web site: http:/pioneers.marietta.edu

ALUMNI DAY: The Pioneers would like to welcome all MC Football alumni in attendance for today’s festivities. The coaching staff and players appreciate your support throughout the year.

HALFTIME CEREMONY: At halftime, the Pioneers will recognize players from the 1990s. Coach Gene Epley and many of the MC players from the era will attend.

HONORARY COACH: The Pioneers will have a special assistant coach this Saturday, as Dantè Brown will join the staff for the game. Ten years ago — Oct. 5, 1996 — Brown rushed for an NCAA record (all divisions) 441 yards in a 44-30 victory against Baldwin-Wallace.

SPECIAL WELCOME: The Pioneers would like to extend a special welcome to the Warren Local High School Band, who will be performing both before the game and at halftime.

CLIMBING UP THE CAREER CHARTS: Following his week one performance, Vrable is now closing in on Marietta’s all-time passing records. The senior needs to complete 71-of-213 passes for 1,190 yards to break the school records for completions, attempts and passing yards, respectively.

CLIMBING UP THE CAREER CHARTS PART II: Pioneer senior receiver Jason Curry is currently ranked third in career touchdown receptions with 13. He needs seven to break the record by Antonio Hutton ‘97. Curry is also ranked second all-time in punts (168) and punt yards (6,159).

CLIMBING UP THE CAREER CHARTS PART III: Pioneer senior defensive back Anthony Banks began the year ranked third all-time in interception return yards (191). He is just 27 yards away from breaking the record.

GETTING OFF TO A QUICK START: Marietta will look to get off to a fast start out of the locker room this season after struggling in the first and third quarters in 2005. The Pioneers were outscored 60-37 in the first quarter and 69-14 in the third quarter last year.

RED-ZONE STAND: Marietta will look build upon its success in the red zone last year, when it converted 24-of-33 (72.7%) of its chances. 18 of its 24 scores were touchdowns. On the other hand, the Pioneers must improve on the defensive side of the ball, as they allowed scores in 36-of-43 chances, including 32 touchdowns.

NEXT GAME: On Saturday, Sept. 23, Marietta will hit the road to battle Otterbein at 6 p.m., while Baldwin-Wallace will travel to Wilmington for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.