Game Notes (.pdf)
Oct. 31, 2007
MARIETTA, Ohio — The Marietta College football team plays its final home game of the 2007 season when Wilmington College visits Don Drumm Stadium for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff. Saturday is Senior Day for 21 Pioneers. Both teams are coming off wins in week nine; Marietta topped Heidelberg, 31-23, and Wilmington upset John Carroll, 42-35, in overtime. This week is the Marietta Shrine Game, all proceeds from the gate and concessions will go to the Marietta Shrine Club.

Here is a look at both teams:

Wilmington College: The Quakers took advantage of a six-touchdown performance from their sophomore quarterback Billy Blackburn to upset John Carroll, 45-35, in overtime last week, snapping a three-game losing streak. After eight games, Wilmington ranks seventh in the OAC in scoring, averaging 22.1 points. The Quakers rank seventh in total offense (313.9). They are third in passing (215.8) and eighth in rushing (98.1). Wilmington is the sixth-most penalized team in the OAC, giving up an average of 55.1 penalty yards. The Quakers have converted 19-of-25 red-zone chances and 43-of-121 third down opportunities this season.

Blackburn has completed 127-of-238 passes and thrown for 1,576 yards with 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Freshman Marc Otte leads the rushing attack with 163 carries for 565 yards and three scores. Blackburn has added 52 rushes for 130 yards and two scores. Junior Marque Jones is Wilmington’s top wide receiver, pulling in 43 receptions for 529 yards and eight scores. Junior wide out Brandon Hiatt has caught 33 passes for 412 yards and four scores.

The Quakers’ defense is allowing 41.8 points per game, which ranks tenth in the league. Wilmington has surrendered an average of 232.2 yards on the ground and 284.4 yards through the air. The Quakers, who have a +0 turnover margin, have compiled 17 sacks and six interceptions this season.

Sophomore Bryce Martin leads the squad in total tackles with 64, while junior John Rupp has added 59. Senior Chad Adams paces the squad with 13 tackles for loss and seven sacks.

Freshman Trevor Stutz is 1-of-1 in field goal attempts, hitting from 21. Senior Brent Scherz is averaging 39.7 yards on 42 punts in 2007. Wilmington, led by freshman Dominique Smith, is averaging 19.6 yards in kick returns. The Quakers have collected 151 first downs, while its defense has allowed 180. Wilmington is controlling the clock for 29:47 while on defense for 30:11.

Marietta College: The Pioneers are looking to carry the momentum from last week’s victory into their final home game of the year. Marietta's offense has averaged 14.6 points and 272.9 yards this season, which rank ninth in the OAC. Of those yards, 99.2 come on the ground, while 173.6 are through the air. The Pioneers are ranked tenth in passing offense and seventh in rushing offense. Marietta has converted 35-of-115 third down and 17-of-27 red-zone chances. The Pioneers enter with a -13 turnover margin.

Individually, sophomore quarterback Dexter Hughes is 105-of-210 passing, throwing for 1,157 yards. He has thrown eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Freshman Ryan Dawson leads the team with 40 catches for 455 yards and five scores, while senior Chad McDaniel has added 33 catches for 412 yards and one touchdown. Senior Joe Webb leads the ground attack with 97 rushes for 432 yards (54.0 yards per game). Junior Garrett Banks has added 19.4 yards per game, while sophomore George Davis has contributed 16.5 yards per game and scored two touchdowns.

Junior Pat Lane is 5-for-12 in field goals and 12-for-13 in PATs. Senior John Bensie is averaging 34.8 yards on 44 punts. Marietta is averaging 19.1 yards on kick returns and 7.2 yards on punt returns this year. The Pioneers have given up an OAC-low 337 yards and 41 penalties.

Marietta's defense enters the week ranked seventh in total defense. It is allowing 412.5 yards per game. The Pioneers rank sixth against the run (129.1 yards per game) and eighth against the pass (283.4 yards per game). Marietta has recorded 16 sacks and 49 tackles for loss this season. The Pioneers have allowed their opponents to convert 29-of-40 red zone chances, including 20 touchdowns. Opponents are converting 38% (49-of-128) of their third-down opportunities against Marietta.

Senior linebacker Brian Hahn leads the team and the OAC with 90 total tackles, including 14.5 for loss. Junior linebacker Grant Cowell has added 74 stops. Marietta is trailing in time of possession, holding onto the ball for an average of 27:53, while on defense for 32:02.

Week 10 Game Notes

THE RECORDS: Saturday is week 10 of the 2007 season. Marietta enters 2-6 overall and 2-5 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Wilmington is also 2-6 overall, 2-5 in the OAC.

GAME TIME: 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 3, Don Drumm Stadium in Marietta, 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. Barry Wulf is in his third season as Wilmington’s head coach. The 1995 graduate of Wilmington went 5-15 in his first two years with the Quakers.

ALL-TIME SERIES: The all-time series between the Pioneers and the Quakers is tied at 8-8 thanks to three straight wins for Marietta. The teams, which began their rivalry in 1915, have played in each of the last seven years since Wilmington joined the OAC. Before that, the last time they played was 1955.

LAST MEETING: Marietta got contributions from its offense, defense and special teams in a 27-14 victory at Wilmington last year. The defense forced five turnovers, the offense racked up 421 yards and the special teams blocked a field goal and ran back a kickoff for a touchdown. Jason Vrable threw for 297 yards and ran for 70 more, while J.J. Wheeler had 11 stops in the win. Billy Blackburn came off the bench to throw for 96 yards and one touchdown, while Chad Otte had three interceptions for Wilmington.

RADIO COVERAGE: WMRT-FM 88.3, Marietta's student radio station, will carry 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.

LIVE STATS: Live statistics of Saturday’s football game will be available at http://pioneers.marietta.edu.

NEXT GAME: On Saturday (Nov. 10), Marietta close out the season at No. 1 Mount Union, while Wilmington plays host to Ohio Northern. Both games are at 1:30 p.m.

SENIOR DAY: Saturday will be Senior Day for 21 Pioneer football players and seven student athletic trainers. The student-athletes will be honored for their dedication to the program before the game.

BLUE ALERT: Saturday is a Blue Alert. Sponsored by the Student-Athletic Advisory Council, fans wearing a Blue Crew shirt will be eligible to win a prize at halftime. Blue Crew shirts are available for $5 at the Stadium.

IN-GAME ENTERTAINMENT: The Pioneers would like to welcome the Marietta High School Band, who will be performing throughout the afternoon, including pre-game and at halftime.

SHRINE GAME: Saturday is the annual Shrine Game. All proceeds from the gate and concessions will go toward the Marietta Shrine Club.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: All three OAC Players of the Week will be represented Saturday. Blackburn (offense), Brian Hahn (defense) and Ryan Dawson (special teams) all received the honor this week.

THIS WEEK IN THE OAC: A full slate of games are slated for Nov. 3. Otterbein is at Baldwin-Wallace. Capital visits Muskingum. Heidelberg travels to Ohio Northern. Mount Union plays at John Carroll. All games begin at 1:30 p.m.

QUICK START: Marietta will look to get off to a fast start out of the locker room after struggling to score in 2007. The Pioneers have been outscored 44-16 in the first quarter, 75-17 in the second quarter and 65-28 in the third quarter Marietta holds a 56-48 advantage in the final frame.

RED-ZONE STAND: Marietta has scored in 17 of its 27 trips to the red-zone this season; 12 of the scores have been touchdowns. The Pioneers' defense, however, has allowed scores in 29-of-40 red-zone possessions, including 20 touchdowns.

CLIMBING THE RECORD BOOK: Senior Chad McDaniel is currently third all-time in receptions (127) and receiving yards (1,703). Junior kicker Pat Lane is also fourth in career field goal attempts (23) and field goals (13).

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 and Capital at No. 17 with Ohio Northern and Baldwin-Wallace receiving votes. The Purple Raiders were also atop the AFCA poll, while the Crusaders were No. 20.

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