Pioneers visit No. 3 Johnnies for 2007 season opener
Marietta (0-0, 0-0 OAC) at No. 3 Saint John's (0-0, 0-0 OAC)
2 p.m. • Saturday, Sept. 1 • Clemens Stadium

Game Notes (.pdf)
Aug. 28, 2007
MARIETTA, Ohio — The 2007 Marietta College football season begins Saturday (Sept. 1), when the Pioneers make the trek to Collegeville, Minn., to take on No. 3 Saint John’s University. Kickoff with the Johnnies is slated for 2 p.m. EST at Clemens Stadium. The Pioneers will put a seven game win streak in season openers on the line against the Johnnies.

Here is a look at both teams:

Saint John's University: Led by legendary head coach John Gagliardi, the 2007 Saint John’s University football team looks to reload in the hopes of achieving another conference title and competing for a national championship. SJU ended the 2006 season with an 11-2 overall record and a 7-1 record in the MIAC on its way to its MIAC record 29th conference championship and 25th under the direction of Gagliardi.

The SJU offense is expected to return four starters and two first-team All-MIAC selections from last year's squad. SJU’s offense ranked 18th nationally in passing offense with 258.4 yards per game and 37th in both total offense (374.2 yards per game) and scoring offense (29.4 points per game) in 2006. A two-time first team All-MIAC selection and 2007 preseason All-American, senior quarterback Alex Kofoed returns after completing 215 passes for 2,805 yards and 24 touchdowns in 12 games last season. The Johnnies’ rushing attack features senior Mike Patnode, who saw considerable action as part of a rushing trio last fall. Patnode gained 422 yards on 102 carries and scored seven touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Brian Weber returns as the lone Johnnie receiver that saw extensive action last season. Weber caught 32 passes for 508 yards and four touchdowns.

On defense, the Johnnies are expected to return six starters. SJU finished 15th nationally in scoring defense, allowing 11.8 points per game, and 33rd overall in total defense (252.9 yards per game). Leading the defensive unit will be junior defensive tackle and 2007 preseason All-American Nick Gunderson. A first-team All-MIAC selection last season, Gunderson tallied 77 tackles (41 solo), 18.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks and five blocked kicks.

Marietta College: Three straight non-losing seasons and the return of 28 lettermen from a 6-4 season in 2006 have the revitalized Pioneers eager to continue their progress during the 2007 campaign. Head Coach Curt Wiese admitted that the program has a challenging year ahead of it. On top of losing 13 seniors, Marietta may have the toughest schedule in the country lined up for the fall. Wiese and his staff are confident that they have the squad to handle the challenge.

Four players began battling for the vacant quarterback position during spring practice and two—sophomores Dexter Hughes, who took a few varsity snaps as a freshman, and Ryan Merrill, who transferred from a Division II school last winter,—remain in the hunt for playing time. Three tailbacks—senior Joe Webb, junior Garrett Banks and sophomore George Davis—have all started during their careers and should see opportunities this season. Webb is back from an injury that sidelined him most of 2006. Banks, who took over for the injured Webb, ran for 142 yards and three scores a year ago. Davis collected 96 yards on the ground as a freshman. Senior All-OAC standout Chad McDaniel, the school's single-game record holder in receptions and receiving yards, is the lone starter back from 2006. McDaniel caught 49 passes for 741 yards and five touchdowns as a junior. Four out of the five starters, all seniors, will return to anchor the offensive line this fall. Marietta’s right side will feature All-OAC right tackle Jason MacKay and All-OAC right guard Lance Parrish.

Two players—All American nose tackle Clay Ream and three-year mainstay Pete Hashman—will help bring experience and continuity to the defensive line. Ream was tied for sixth in total tackles (46) while leading the squad in tackles for loss (11) last year. Hashman added 27 total tackles, including five for loss and a team-high four sacks. Both starting inside linebackers are back in 2007, including senior All-American Brian Hahn and junior Grant Cowell. Hahn paced the team with 83 hits, including 10.5 tackles for loss and three sacks, while Cowell was second with 71 stops, including eight for loss and one sack. Senior Carter Shaver looks to hold down one of the outside spots for a second straight year, while part-time starter and sophomore Braden Schaad is looking to play a key role at the other spot. Shaver finished fifth in tackles (48), while Schaad had 15 hits in 2006. Returning only one starter in senior Cody Venderlic, the secondary will have a new look in 2007. Venderlic, a two-year starter at corner back, had 35 tackles and broke up six passes a year ago.

Junior Pat Lane, who held the kicking job last year, and senior Nick Manson, the primary kicker in 2005, will battle once again for place kicking duties. Senior Jon Bensie, who gained valuable experience at the junior varsity level, will take over the punting duties. Senior Adam Smith will once again handle the long snapping for the Pioneers. Sophomore Rich Castagna will lead a host of speedsters back to receive punts and kickoffs in 2007.

Week 1 Game Notes

THE RECORDS: Saturday marks the first game of the 2007 season for both teams. Marietta went 6-4 overall and 5-4 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) in 2006. Saint John’s was 11-2 overall and 7-1 in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) last fall. The Johnnies’ season came to end with a 17-14 loss to Wis.-Whitewater in the 2006 national quarterfinals.

GAME TIME: 2 p.m. EST, Saturday, Sept. 1, Clemens Stadium in Collegeville, Minn.

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 the three years before becoming the head coach, earned his bachelor’s degree from Minnesota State-Mankato in 1999. Saint John’s John Gagliardi begins his 55th year as the Johnnies’ head football coach and 59th year as a head coach overall. The 1949 graduate of Colorado College has a career record of 419-114-10 with Saint John’s (443-120-11 overall). Gagliardi, who has won four national championships, is the winningest coach all-time in college football history.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Saturday is the first time that the two teams will meet on the gridiron. In fact, Marietta has yet to play any team from the MIAC in football.

OPENERS: The Pioneers have pulled out victories in 13 of the last 14 season openers and are riding a seven-game win streak on opening day. Their last loss came against Waynesburg (Pa.), 28-23, in 1999.

GREAT COVERAGE: Marietta will not have a local radio station traveling to Collegeville. However, Curt Carstensen will broadcast the game live for WMRT-FM 88.3, Marietta College’s campus radio station. Carstensen is the Director of Operations for The Northwoods League, which is a Summer Collegiate Baseball Association (SCBA) sanctioned summer baseball league.

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 Marietta’s athletic web site: http://pioneers.marietta.edu/onlinebroadcasts.html. Archives are also available to listen to or to purchase.

APPROACHING 400: Marietta begins its 112th season one win shy of 400 all-time victories.

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 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.

RED-ZONE STAND: Marietta will look build upon its success in the red zone last year, when it converted 79.4% (27-of-34) of its chances. 19 of its 34 scores were touchdowns. On the other hand, the Pioneers look to continue to improve on the defensive side of the ball. They allowed scores in 28-of-42 chances, including 18 touchdowns, in 2006.

THIS WEEK IN THE OAC: Six other OAC schools will open the season Saturday. Mount Union plays host to Averett (Va.), Muskingum visits Waynesburg (Pa.), John Carroll welcomes Wooster, Wilmington plays host to Mount. St. Joseph and Capital visits Wittenberg. All of the kickoffs, except the Capital game, are slated for 1:30 p.m. The Crusaders begin at 7 p.m.

NEXT GAME: Following a bye in week two, Marietta will open OAC play in Berea against Baldwin-Wallace on Sept. 15 at 6:30 p.m. Saint John’s visits Wis.-River Falls on Sept. 8.

FALL SCHEDULE CARDS: Fall schedule cards are now available. Pick one up at the gate or stop by the Athletics office.