Marietta visits rival Muskingum Saturday looking to extend series win streak

10/19/2009 4:50:00 PM

MARIETTA, Ohio — The 2009 Marietta College football season continues Saturday (Oct. 24) afternoon with a 1:30 p.m. match-up against host Muskingum University at McConagha Stadium in New Concord, Ohio. This weekend is Homecoming at Muskingum University. The two teams have also started a tradition that will have them battling for an annual Shrine Trophy beginning on Saturday. [Game Notes (PDF)]

Here is a look at both teams:

Muskingum University: Led by third-year Head Coach Al Logan, the Muskingum University football team enters the game looking to snap an eight-game losing streak in the series. Muskingum ranks eighth in the OAC in scoring, averaging 19.0 points. The Muskies rank eighth in total offense (323.7). They are fifth in passing (216.3) and eighth in rushing (107.3). Muskingum is the fourth-least penalized team in the OAC, giving up an average of 51.5 penalty yards in 2009. The Muskies have converted 11-of-18 red-zone chances (10 touchdowns) and 36-of-87 third down opportunities this season. Muskingum is controlling the clock for 29:21 while on defense for 30:39. The Muskies have collected 105 first downs, while their defense has also allowed 118.

Junior Jake Burns has completed 100-of-179 passes and thrown for 1,298 yards with 9 touchdowns and 7 interceptions while running for a team-high 274 yards. He is ranked third in the OAC in total offense, averaging 262.0 yards in 2009. Junior Ben Smith is pacing the receivers with 29 catches for 358 yards, while junior Blake Allen has added 19 catches for 253 yards.

The Muskies defense is allowing 27.8 points per game, which ranks eighth in the OAC. Muskingum has surrendered 190.7 yards on the ground and 193.7 yards through the air, which rank ninth and sixth in the OAC. The Muskies, who have a -2 turnover margin, have compiled 5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss to go along with 5 interceptions this season. They have allowed their opponents to convert 20-of-30 red zone chances (18 touchdowns). Opponents have converted 38-of-86 third-down opportunities against Muskingum.

Freshman Alex Thomas leads the squad in total tackles with 51, which ranks fourth in the OAC. Sophomore Ethan Wetzel is second on the team with 48 stops. Freshman Danny Snively has averaged 36.2 yards on 29 punts. Muskingum is averaging 15.3yards on kickoff returns and 5.1 yards on punt returns in 2009.

Marietta College: Head Coach Jeff Filkovski's Marietta College football team is looking for its ninth straight win in the series. Marietta is averaging 13.3 points and 287.0 yards this season. Both marks rank 10th in the OAC. Of those yards, 126.3 come on the ground and 160.7 are through the air. The Pioneers are ranked seventh in rushing offense and 10th in passing offense. Marietta has converted 26-of-68 third down and 12-of-16 red-zone chances (10 touchdowns). The Pioneers enter with a -13 turnover margin. Marietta leads its opponents in time of possession, holding onto the ball for an average of 30:30, while on defense for 29:30. The Pioneers are the least penalized team in the OAC, giving up an average of 44.5 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 second leading rusher, leads the ground attack with 106 rushes for 505 yards. Hunter has rushed for 2 touchdowns this season. Junior Cory Kriechbaum (Marietta/Marietta) has pulled in a team-best 22 receptions for 171 yards, while sophomore Jahmaal Jones (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale) has added 20 catches for 259 yards. Both have caught 2 touchdowns.

Marietta enters the week ranked ninth in scoring defense, giving up 28.0 points per week. The Pioneers rank sixth in total defense. They are allowing 357.7 yards per game. The Pioneers rank sixth against the run (165.5) and fourth against the pass (192.2). Marietta has recorded 12 sacks and 30 tackles for loss to go along with 3 interceptions this season. The Pioneers have allowed their opponents to convert 19-of-24 red zone chances (13 touchdowns). Opponents have converted 37-of-82 third-down and 4-of-12 fourth down opportunities against Marietta.

Sophomore Dan Starr (Senecaville/Buckeye Trail) leads the Pioneers with 48 stops, while senior George Davis (Warren/Newton Falls) is second with 46 hits. Marietta's punters are averaging 32.8 yards on 21 punts. Marietta is averaging 16.4 yards on kickoff returns and 4.0 yards on punt returns in 2009.

MARIETTA NOTES

THE RECORDS: Saturday marks the eighth week of the 2009 season. Marietta College enters the game 2-4 overall and 1-4 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). Muskingum University is 1-5, 1-4 in league play.

GAME TIME: 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 24, McConagha Stadium in New Concord, 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. Muskingum's Al Logan is in his third year as the Fighting Muskies head football coach. The 1982 graduate of Muskingum has a 4-22 record at his alma mater.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Saturday marks the 88th time that the two teams will meet on the gridiron. The series began in 1897 with Marietta winning 36-0. Muskingum holds a 45-40-2 advantage against Marietta, but the Pioneers have won eight straight over the Fighting Muskies. Seven of those outcomes have been decided by less than 8 points.

LAST MEETING: Jahmaal Jones (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale) caught a pair of second half touchdowns from Andrew Keller (Cincinnati/Glen Este), who finished 5-of-5 and threw for 47 yards, to lead Marietta to a 30-22 Homecoming victory over Muskingum on Oct. 25, 2009. The Fighting Muskies out gained the Pioneers 321-291 in total offense on the day. George Davis (Warren/Newton Falls) led all tacklers with 11 stops in the win.

LAST GAME FOR MARIETTA: Marietta controlled the clock but could not stop the big play from Ohio Northern, resulting in a 41-10 loss on Homecoming. The Polar Bears out gained the Pioneers 388-297 in total offense, finishing with 142 yards rushing and 246 yards passing. The Pioneers, who controlled the ball for nearly 35 minutes, had 160 yards on the ground and 137 yards through the air. Senior Lamar Hunter (South Euclid/Brush) carried the offense with 152 yards rushing, while junior Kyle Shackle (Butler/Mount Vernon) made his first career start, completed 17-of-29 passes and threw for 137 yards and 1 touchdown. Junior Cory Kriechbaum (Marietta/Marietta) pulled in a team-high 7 receptions for 47 yards in the game. Defensively, junior Joe Williams (Akron/Archbishop Hoban) and sophomore Dan Starr (Senecaville/Buckeye Trail) led the way with 8 tackles. 3 of Williams' stops went for loss.

LAST GAME FOR MUSKINGUM: The Fighting Muskies suffered a 27-14 loss at Baldwin-Wallace. The Yellow Jackets out gained the Fighting Muskies 395-280 in total offense. Jake Burns finished 19-of-45 and threw for 220 yards and 2 scores while also running for 20 yards. Anthony Zarcone paced the defense with 11 stops in the loss.

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.

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.

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, #10 Otterbein, #14 Capital and #20 Ohio Northern.

NATIONAL REPRESENTATION: Marietta's roster currently features 86 total student-athletes—50 from Ohio, 9 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 57-13 in the first quarter and 50-10 in the second quarter.

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 led in time of possession in 3 of 6 games, holding onto the ball for an average of 30:30 while on defense for 29:30.

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 -13.

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

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 170-311-11 (.356) all-time in Conference play.

NEXT GAME: On Oct. 31, Marietta will play its final home game of the season against Otterbein College. Senior Day kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. It will also be Marietta Shrine Day with all proceeds going to their charity. Muskingum will remain at home on Oct. 31 to take on Capital at 1:30 p.m.

SHRINE GAME: Marietta and Muskingum have teamed up to start a new tradition in 2009. The longtime rivals will now battle for an annual Shrine Trophy. The schools' local Shrine Clubs are helping to sponsor the event.

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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