Larry Kave

Football to close out season at #1 Mount Union

11/10/2009 10:57:00 AM

MARIETTA, Ohio — The 2009 Marietta College football season wraps up in week 11 when the Pioneers make the trek to Alliance, Ohio, for an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) match-up with top-ranked Mount Union College. Kickoff with the defending champion Purple Raiders is slated for 1:30 p.m. [Game Notes (PDF)]

Here is a look at both teams:

Mount Union College: Led by 24th-year Head Coach Larry Kehres, the top-ranked Mount Union College football team enters the game looking wrap up another undefeated regular season. Mount Union is ranked first in the OAC in scoring, averaging 44.3 points. The Purple Raiders rank first in total offense (496.9). They are first in passing (295.1) and second in rushing (201.8). Mount Union is the eighth-most penalized team in the OAC, giving up an average of 62.7 penalty yards in 2009. The Purple Raiders have converted 44-of-53 red-zone chances (38 touchdowns) and 41-of-102 third down opportunities this season. Mount Union is controlling the clock for 31:31 while on defense for 28:29. The Purple Raiders have collected 216 first downs, while their defense has allowed 111.

Senior Kurt Rocco has completed 139-of-200 passes and thrown for 2,308 yards with 26 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Senior Terrance Morring is the teams' leading rusher, collecting 637 yards with 7 touchdowns on 119 carries. Senior Scott Panchik has added 114 carries for 559 yards and 10 touchdowns. Senior Cecil Shorts is pacing the receivers with 61 catches for 1,094 yards and 12 touchdowns.

The Purple Raiders defense is allowing 9.2 points per game, which ranks first in the OAC. Mount Union has surrendered 59.1 yards on the ground and 143.8 yards through the air, which rank first in the OAC. The Purple Raiders, who have a +8 turnover margin, have compiled 25 sacks and 63 tackles for loss to go along with 15 interceptions this season. They have allowed their opponents to convert 8-of-15 red zone chances (6 touchdowns). Opponents have converted 40-of-101 third-down opportunities against Mount Union.

Senior Judd Lutz leads the squad and is ranked 11th in the OAC with 69 total tackles. Junior Sam Kershaw is ranked second with 54 total stops. Senior Jay Carpenter has hit 6-of-7 field goal attempts while also averaging 38.0 yards on 27 punts. Mount Union is averaging 22.8 yards on kickoff returns and 9.8 yards on punt returns in 2009.

Marietta College: Head Coach Jeff Filkovski's Marietta College football team is averaging 14.6 points and 296.4 yards this season, which rank 10th and eighth, respectively, in the OAC. Of those yards, 140.9 come on the ground and 155.6 are through the air. The Pioneers are ranked seventh in rushing offense and ninth in passing offense. Marietta has converted 48-of-111 third down and 19-of-25 red-zone chances (17 touchdowns). The Pioneers enter with a -13 turnover margin. Marietta trails its opponents in time of possession, holding onto the ball for an average of 29:59, while on defense for 30:01. The Pioneers are the second-least penalized team in the OAC, giving up an average of 56.9 yards.

Sophomore quarterback Andrew Keller (Cincinnati/Glen Este) is 111-of-187 passing, throwing for 1,236 yards. He has thrown 8 touchdowns and 5 interceptions in 8 games. Senior Lamar Hunter (South Euclid/Brush), the OAC's leading rusher, paces the ground attack with 196 rushes for 960 yards. Hunter has rushed for 6 touchdowns in 8 games this season. Junior Cory Kriechbaum (Marietta/Marietta) has pulled in a team-best 32 receptions for 275 yards, while sophomore Chad Walker (Spring Hill, Fla./Central) has caught 28 passes for 444 yards and sophomore Jahmaal Jones (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale) has added 28 catches for 347 yards. The trio has combined for 5 touchdowns.

Marietta enters the week ranked sixth in scoring defense, giving up 27.4 points per week. The Pioneers rank third in total defense. They are allowing 342.0 yards per game. The Pioneers rank seventh against the run (182.2) and third against the pass (159.8). Marietta has recorded 18 sacks and 49 tackles for loss to go along with 5 interceptions this season. The Pioneers have allowed their opponents to convert 29-of-36 red zone chances (22 touchdowns). Opponents have converted 55-of-121 third-down and 8-of-18 fourth down opportunities against Marietta.

Freshman Rahkeem Caver (Hamilton/Hamilton) leads the Pioneers with 56 total tackles, while senior George Davis (Warren/Newton Falls) has 50 stops, and freshman George Grady has 49 hits. Marietta's punters are averaging 32.5 yards on 36 punts. The Pioneers averaging 15.8 yards on kickoff returns and 8.2 yards on punt returns in 2009.

MARIETTA NOTES

THE RECORDS: Saturday marks the 11th and final week of the 2009 regular season. Marietta College enters the game 3-6 overall and 2-6 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). Mount Union College is 9-0, 8-0 in the OAC.

GAME TIME: 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 14, Mount Union Stadium in Tiffin, 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. Mount Union's Larry Kehres is in his 24th year as the Purple Raiders head football coach. The 1971 graduate of Mount Union has a 284-21-3 record at his alma mater.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Saturday marks the 48th time that the two teams will meet on the gridiron. The series, which Mount Union leads 38-8-1, began in 1933 with Mount Union winning 20-0. The Purple Raiders have won the last 29 match-ups.

LAST MEETING: Mount Union wrapped up another undefeated regular season with a 49-0 victory over Marietta at Don Drumm Stadium on Nov. 15, 2008. The Purple Raiders out gained the Pioneers 552-80. Cody Huff (Byesville/Meadowbrook) led Marietta with 32 carries for 51 yards, while George Davis (Warren/Newton Falls) had a team-best 7 tackles. Nate Kmic paced Mount Union with 21 carries for 201 yards, while Tyler Harris added 16 carries for 108 yards in the win.

LAST GAME FOR MOUNT UNION: The Purple Raiders locked up their 18th straight and 21st Ohio Athletic Conference football championship with a 58-7 win over Otterbein. Mount Union racked up 536 total yards, including 320 yards on the ground. Both Zac Lemmon and Scott Panchik ran for over 100 yards, while Cecil Shorts had 6 catches for 95 yards. Judd Lutz had a team-best 8 stops in the game.

LAST GAME FOR MARIETTA: Senior Lamar Hunter (South Euclid/Brush) eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the fifth time this season, but host Heidelberg ran past Marietta 42-14 in the first ever game played at Mayer Field. Hunter, the OAC's leading rusher, finished with 24 carries for 158 yards and 1 touchdown. Sophomore Jahmaal Jones (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale) added 4 catches for 45 yards, while sophomore Andrew Keller (Cincinnati/Glen Este) completed 8-of-17 passes and threw for 71 yards. Freshman George Grady and Rahkeem Caver (Hamilton/Hamilton) both finished with a game-high 11 stops in the loss.

NEXT GAME: This is the final game of the 2009 season for Marietta. Mount Union, meanwhile, will begin its national title defense with a first-round playoff game on Nov. 21.

ACADEMIC HONOR: Congratulations to senior safety George Davis (Warren/Newton Falls) for being named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District in 2009. He is now eligible for Academic All-America honors, which will be announced later this month.

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.

LIVE STATISTICS: Follow all of the action in Marietta by tracking live statistics at http://livestats.prestosports.com/mountunion/

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.

MEDIA GUIDES NOW ON SALE: Pioneer fans can still purchase 2009 fall sport media guides. They will be made available in the athletics office.

NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: The OAC has 3 teams ranked in the d3football.com Top 25: Defending champion #1 Mount Union, #13 Ohio Northern and #23 Otterbein.

NATIONAL REPRESENTATION: Marietta's roster currently features 84 total student-athletes—48 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 78-20 in the first quarter and 77-30 in the second quarter.

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 4 of 9 games, holding onto the ball for an average of 29:59 while on defense for 30:01.

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 games on the OAC schedule this week: Muskingum visits Heidelberg, John Carroll is at Otterbein, Ohio Northern travels to Wilmington and Baldwin-Wallace plays 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 171-3123-11 (.357) all-time in Conference play.

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. Tickets are on sale at the Marietta College Cashier's Window as well as at Peoples News (Marietta, Belpre, Parkersburg) and at www.ticketweb.com.

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