WESTERVILLE, Ohio – A 38-yard field goal with two seconds left in the game gave Marietta College a 30-27 victory over Otterbein University Saturday afternoon. Freshman #Jesse Shore (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland)# connected on the game-winning kick, his third field goal of the game. [Box Score]

The Pioneers improve to 3-6 overall and 2-6 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Otterbein falls to 2-7 overall and 1-7 in the OAC.

Shore took over the kicking duties last week and is a perfect 8-for-8 on extra points and 3-for-3 on field goals. Shore hit from 19, 27 and 38 yards against the Cardinals.

Today's game featured the top two passing attacks in the conference. Otterbein entered the game tops in the OAC averaging 262.4 passing yards per game, while Marietta was second with 251.8 ypg.

Otterbein senior quarterback Austin Schossler and Marietta senior signal caller #Andrew Keller (Cincinnati/Glen Este)# were ranked one and two, respectively, in the league in passing.

Schossler got off to a rough start and was picked off five times by the Pioneer defense. However, he eventually found his rhythm and threw four touchdown passes. On the day, Schossler was 18-of-32 for 199 yards.

Keller had another solid performance. Keller was 24-of-40 for 330 yards and a touchdown. He was intercepted once. Keller added a rushing touchdown in the first half.

After trading punts on their first possessions of the game, freshman defensive back #Darious Williams (St. John's, Fla./Creekside)# stepped in front of a Schossler pass and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown.

Schossler was intercepted again on the Cardinals' next possession as freshman defensive back #Jake Green (Yulee, Fla./Yulee)# nabbed the first of his two interceptions. The Pioneers took over at the Otterbein 25-yard line but had to settle for Shore's 19-yard field goal.

The turnover bug continued to plague Otterbein on their next possession. Marietta sophomore linebacker #Jake Hammer (Wadsworth/St. Vincent-St. Mary)# forced a fumble and recovered it on the Otterbein 26-yard line. Again the Pioneers could only manage a field goal, this one a 27-yarder.

The Cardinals cut the lead to 13-7 with 10:04 left in the first half. Schossler connected with senior wide receiver Trey Fairchild on a 36-yard scoring strike.

Marietta answered right back with a 6-play, 76-yard scoring drive. Keller dove in from a yard out to extend the lead to 20-7. A 58-yard pass from Keller to sophomore wide receiver #Tannon Roberts (West Palm Beach, Fla./Berean Christian)# setup Keller's run.

The Pioneer defense stepped up again at the end of the first half. Otterbein drove to the Marietta 23-yard line only to have Green intercept Schossler's pass at the one. The pick was Green's sixth of the season, one shy of the Pioneers' single season record.

Schossler threw touchdown passes to freshman Mike Ryan and senior Chris Irwin to tie the game, 20-20, with the point after kick pending. The Cardinals' chance to take the lead for the first time was lost when the PAT attempt failed.

On the ensuing drive Keller completed 4-of-5 passes for 82 yards culminating in a 10-yard touchdown pass to sophomore #Kirby Harris (Greenville, S.C./South Side)# and giving Marietta the lead, 27-20.

Marietta seemed to have the game in hand when they picked-off another Cardinal pass in the redzone. Sophomore defensive back #Robert Brown (Middleburg, Fla./Nathan B. Forrest)# intercepted the pass at the goal line and returned it to the 38-yard line.

Otterbein forced a three-and-out and took over at their own 40-yard line with 3:29 left in the game. Junior running back Cody Green ripped off a run of 16 yards to the Marietta 44. Green had a game-high 153 rushing yards on 24 carries.

Two Schossler completions and a 10-yard run by Green gave the Cardinals a first and goal at the one. Following a false start penalty, Schossler hit Ryan for the 6-yard touchdown tying the game, 27-27, with 1:22 remaining.

Marietta hasn't played an overtime game since 2006, a win over Baldwin-Wallace, and had no desire to play any extra time today. Keller and the Pioneers put the ball in the play at their own 36-yard line.

Following a seven-yard run by Keller and a pair of six-yard completions, Marietta was on the Otterbein 45 with 40 seconds left. Keller hit senior #Chad Walker (Spring Hill, Fla./Central)# for seven yards and a first down.

Two straight incompletions, a sack and a false start penalty left Marietta with a fourth and 16 at the Cardinal 44 and just 17 seconds remaining. Walker hauled in a 23-yard pass from Keller and got out of bounds at the 21-yard line setting Shore up for the game-winning kick.

Green led the Pioneers' defense with 12 tackles and the two interceptions. Hammer added 10 tackles to go along with his forced fumble and fumble recovery. Brown had two interceptions and Williams had one.

Senior defensive lineman Will Brown had three sacks and eight total tackle for Otterbein.

The Pioneers finish the season at home next week when Capital comes to town for a 1:30 p.m. battle.