Senior Corey Lemke intercepts a pass at John Carroll

Marietta welcomes #19 Ohio Northern on Homecoming

10/13/2009 12:11:00 PM

MARIETTA, Ohio — The 2009 Marietta College football season continues Saturday (Oct. 17) afternoon with a 1:30 p.m. match-up against visiting #19 Ohio Northern University at Don Drumm Stadium in Marietta, Ohio. This weekend is Homecoming at Marietta College. A full slate of activities are scheduled throughout campus and at the football game. [Homecoming Schedule] [Game Notes (PDF)]

Here is a look at both teams:

Ohio Northern University: Led by 6th-year Head Coach Dean Paul, the Ohio Northern University football team enters the game looking for its third straight win. Ohio Northern ranks fourth in the OAC in scoring, averaging 29.8 points. The Polar Bears rank fifth in total offense (350.4). They are sixth in passing (205.6) and sixth in rushing (144.8). Ohio Northern is the second-least penalized team in the OAC, giving up an average of 46.2 penalty yards in 2009. The Polar Bears have converted 18-of-23 red-zone chances (15 touchdowns) and 29-of-70 third down opportunities this season. Ohio Northern is controlling the clock for 28:01 while on defense for 31:59. The Polar Bears have collected 94 first downs, while its defense has also allowed 99.

Junior Kyle Simmons has completed 83-of-142 passes and thrown for 1,028 yards with 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He is ranked second in total offense, averaging 258.8 yards in 2009. Junior Brent Donley is the team's leading rusher, having run for 372 yards and 2 scores on 103 carries. Simmons has also scored 7 touchdowns on the ground this season. Senior Justin Linzy is pacing the receivers with 25 catches for 256 yards, while sophomore Jay Priest has added 17 catches for 167 yards.

The Polar Bears defense is allowing 25.6 points per game, which ranks sixth in the OAC. Ohio Northern has surrendered 180.2 yards on the ground and 166.6 yards through the air, which rank eighth and third, respectively, in the OAC. The Polar Bears, who have a +2 turnover margin, have compiled 19 sacks and 36 tackles for loss to go along with 7 interceptions this season. They have allowed their opponents to convert 16-of-19 red zone chances (14 touchdowns). Opponents have converted 29-of-67 third-down opportunities against Ohio Northern.

Senior Josh Horn leads the squad in total tackles with 45, which ranks fourth in the OAC. Junior Jesse Richards is right behind him in fifth with 44 stops. Senior Jake Heaphy has averaged an OAC-best 40.8 yards on 20 punts. Ohio Northern is averaging 21.2 yards on kickoff returns and 8.2 yards on punt returns in 2009.

Marietta College: Head Coach Jeff Filkovski's Marietta College football team is looking snap a three-game losing streak. Marietta is averaging 14.0 points and 285.0 yards this season. Both marks rank 10th in the OAC. Of those yards, 119.6 come on the ground and 165.4 are through the air. The Pioneers are ranked seventh in rushing offense and 10th in passing offense. Marietta has converted 20-of-53 third down and 10-of-13 red-zone chances (9 touchdowns). The Pioneers enter with a -11 turnover margin. Marietta trails its opponents in time of possession, holding onto the ball for an average of 29:37, while on defense for 30:23. The Pioneers are the least penalized team in the OAC, giving up an average of 44.6 yards.

Sophomore quarterback Andrew Keller (Cincinnati/Glen Este) is 72-of-11 passing, throwing for 800 yards. He has thrown 7 touchdowns and 4 interceptions in five games. Senior Lamar Hunter (South Euclid/Brush), the OAC's fourth leading rusher, leads the ground attack with 80 rushes for 353 yards. Hunter has rushed for 2 touchdowns this season. Sophomore Jahmaal Jones (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale) has 17 catches for 229 yards, while junior Cory Kriechbaum (Marietta/Marietta) has pulled in 15 receptions for 124 yards. Both have caught 2 touchdowns.

Marietta enters the week ranked fifth in scoring defense, giving up 25.4 points per week. The Pioneers rank fifth in total defense. They are allowing 351.6 yards per game. The Pioneers rank seventh against the run (170.2) and fifth against the pass (181.4). Marietta has recorded 9 sacks and 21 tackles for loss to go along with 2 interceptions this season. The Pioneers have allowed their opponents to convert 16-of-21 red zone chances (10 touchdowns). Opponents have converted 29-of-69 third-down and 4-of-13 fourth down opportunities against Marietta.

Sophomore Dan Starr (Senecaville/Buckeye Trail) leads the Pioneers with 40 stops, while senior George Davis (Warren/Newton Falls) is second with 39 hits. Senior Corey Lemke (Loundonville/Loundonville) is 1-for-2 in field goal attempts, hitting from 18 yards. Freshman Sean Munfield (Marietta/Marietta) is averaging 34.7 yards on 12 punts. Marietta is averaging 16.5 yards on kickoff returns and 5.0 yards on punt returns in 2009.

MARIETTA NOTES

THE RECORDS: Saturday marks the seventh week of the 2009 season. Marietta College enters the game 2-3 overall and 1-3 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). Ohio Northern University is 3-2, 2-2 in league play.

GAME TIME: 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 17, Don Drumm Stadium in Marietta, Ohio.

THE COACHES: Marietta's Jeff Filkovski is in his second season as the leader of the Pioneers. He is the former signal caller for the Cologne Centurions of NFL Europe. Filkovski, who earned his bachelor's degree from Allegheny College in 1991, led the Gators to a national championship in 1990. Ohio Northern's Dean Paul is in his sixth year as the Polar Bears head football coach. The 1990 graduate of Mount Union College has a career record of 77-30 and is 37-18 with ONU.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Saturday marks the 36th time that the two teams will meet on the gridiron. The series began in 1910 with Marietta winning 5-3. The Polar Bears lead 25-9-1 all-time and have won 12 of the last 13 meetings. Marietta's last win was in upset fashion as it defeated #20 Ohio Northern 16-6 in Ada in 2006.

LAST MEETING: Host Ohio Northern shutout visiting Marietta 28-0 in Ada on Oct. 18, 2008. The Polar Bears racked up 403 total yards, rushing for 250 yards and passing for 153 yards. The Pioneers, meanwhile, were held to just 81 total yards, 97 passing and -16 rushing.

LAST GAME FOR MARIETTA: Turnovers once again proved costly as the Pioneers fell 22-0 at John Carroll University. Marietta, despite holding John Carroll to 1 touchdown and 5 field goals, could not overcome 5 turnovers, including 2 inside the Blue Streaks' 10-yard line. Marietta finished with 164 total yards, which included 60 yards on the ground and 104 through the air. Freshman Tevin Dones (Antioch, Calif./Antioch) ran for a team-high 58 yards on 12 carries. Sophomore Andrew Keller (Cincinnati/Glen Este) completed 9-of-13 passes for 77 yards. Three of those passes went for 14 yards to senior tailback Lamar Hunter (South Euclid/Brush). Senior George Davis (Warren/Newton Falls) and sophomore Dan Starr (Senecaville/Buckeye Trail) both had a game-high 12 total hits in the loss.

LAST GAME FOR OHIO NORTHERN: The Polar Bears celebrated Homecoming with a 38-7 victory over visiting Heidelberg. Ohio Northern finished with 406 yards of total offense. Kyle Simmons completed 20-of-29 passes and threw for a career-high 280 yards and 1 touchdown while also running for 76 yards and a career-best 3 more scores. Wide receiver Justin Linzy set career marks with 9 receptions for 146 yards. Safety Jesse Richards paced the defense with a team-best 11 stops.

RADIO COVERAGE: Marietta is scheduled to have WMRT-FM 88.3, its student radio station, broadcast the game for Pioneer fans. The broadcast will take the air with a short pregame at 1:20 p.m. WONB-FM 94.9 will cover the game for Polar Bear fans.

LISTEN ONLINE: Marietta College is proud to once again offer its fans on the World Wide Web a free opportunity to listen to all 10 Pioneer football games. For more information visit Marietta's athletic web site: http://pioneers.marietta.edu.

LIVE STATISTICS: Follow all of the action in Marietta by tracking live statistics at http://www.marietta.edu/athletics/livestats/xlive.htm.

SMS SCORES: Marietta fans can receive scores and alerts directly on their cell phone by signing up at http://pioneers.marietta.edu/member/sms_signup.aspx.

PIONEER NEWSLETTER: Want all of the latest athletics news sent directly to your e-mail? If so, sign up at http://pioneers.marietta.edu/subscribe.aspx. Fans can choose which sports they would like to follow.

STAY UP TO DATE: Visit http://pioneers.marietta.edu to stay up to date with all of the Marietta College athletics news.

SCHEDULE CARDS: Free Fall Schedule Cards are now available. Stop by the athletics office to pick one up today.

MEDIA GUIDES NOW ON SALE: Pioneer fans can now purchase 2009 fall sport media guides. They will be made available at all home contests and in the athletics office.

NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: The OAC has 4 teams ranked in the d3football.com Top 25: Defending champion #1 Mount Union, #13 Otterbein, #16 Capital and #19 Ohio Northern.

NATIONAL REPRESENTATION: Marietta's roster currently features 87 total student-athletes—50 from Ohio, 10 from Pennsylvania, 8 from Florida, 7 from West Virginia, 2 from California, Maryland and Texas and 1 from Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts and South Carolina.

CAPTAINS ANNOUNCED: Marietta College will have two captains during the 2009 season: senior defensive back George Davis (Warren/Newton Falls) and senior offensive lineman Chris Carter (Amesbury, Mass./Amesbury).

GETTING OFF TO A QUICK START: Marietta will look to get off to a fast start out of the locker room after struggling in the first half in recent years. The Pioneers were out scored 87-26 in the first quarter and 108-20 in the second quarter of 2008. So far in 2009, Marietta has been out scored 47-13 in the first quarter and 43-7 in the second quarter. They have a 27-14 advantage in the third frame and are tied 23-23 in the final period.

GALAXY PIZZA PLAYER OF THE GAME: This week's Galaxy Pizza Player of the Game will be announced on Saturday.

CONTROLLING THE CLOCK: Marietta will look to dominate the time of possession in 2009. Last year, the Pioneers led in time of possession in 7 games. This year, Marietta has trailed in time of possession in 3 of 5 games, holding onto the ball for an average of 29:37 while on defense for 30:23.

TURNOVERS: Marietta needs to improve its turnover margin. In 2008, the Pioneers ranked 10th in the OAC and 233rd in NCAA Division III with a -21 turnover margin. This year's turnover margin currently stands at -11.

THIS WEEK IN THE OAC: There is a full slate of 1:30 p.m. games on the OAC schedule this week: Wilmington plays host to Otterbein, Muskingum visits Baldwin-Wallace, Mount Union travels to Heidelberg and John Carroll is at Capital.

84TH SEASON OF OAC PLAY: Saturday's game will continue Marietta's 84th season of football in the OAC. The Pioneers, who joined the league in 1926, are 170-310-11 (.357) all-time in Conference play.

NEXT GAME: On Oct. 24, Marietta visits rival Muskingum University, while Ohio Northern welcomes John Carroll University. Both game kickoff at 1:30 p.m.

HOMECOMING: All alumni are invited to return to campus Oct. 16-18 and join in the celebration of Marietta College's 175th Anniversary Homecoming tradition. It's a special time to not only revisit your alma mater, but make new memories and new friends too. For more information visit http://www.marietta.edu/Alumni/.

HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS: Mark your calendar for Jan. 26, 2010, as the world famous Harlem Globetrotters will be playing at Ban Johnson Arena beginning at 7 p.m. More information will follow in the coming months.

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