MARIETTA, Ohio – Defense and special teams lead Otterbein University to a 40-20 come from behind win over Marietta College Saturday (Nov. 3) afternoon. 30 of the Cardinals' points were the result of turnovers or a big play on special teams. [
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Marietta (0-9 overall, 0-8 OAC) raced out to an early 13-0 lead. Sophomore defensive back #
Charles Dixon (Columbus/Groveport Madison)# stepped in front of a Ben Sizemore pass at the Marietta six-yard line and returned it 94 yards for a touchdown.
On Otterbein's next possession running back Joe Robertson fumbled a handoff and Marietta's #
Daryl DeWindt (Lilburn, Ga./Meadowcreek)# jumped on the loose ball at the Cardinal 37-yard line. Four plays later #Ben Fulton# hit #
Sean Munfield (Marietta/Marietta)# on a 17-yard touchdown pass.
The extra point was blocked giving the Pioneers a 13-0 lead with 8:16 still to go in the first quarter.
Otterbein senior defensive back and return specialist Anthony Korpieski took the ensuing kickoff and returned it to the Marietta 10-yard line. Two five-yard rushes from Robertson got the Cardinals on the board. The extra point failed cutting the Pioneer lead to 13-6.
The Cardinals dominated the second quarter outscoring the Pioneers 27-0. Nick Ganus hit a 30-yard field goal on Otterbein's first possession of the second period. Following a Marietta punt, Sizemore hooked up with Trey Fairchild for a 56-yard scoring strike giving Otterbein a 16-13 lead.
Marietta fumbled the kickoff giving Otterbein the ball right back on the Pioneer 27-yard line. After a penalty moved the ball to the 17-yard line, the Cardinals ran the ball four times scoring on a four-yard run by Sizemore for a 23-13 advantage.
A pair of interceptions setup two more Cardinal scores. Sizemore completed a two-yard touchdown pass to Gabe Shively and Ganus booted a 43-yard field goal before halftime giving Otterbein a 33-13 lead at the break.
Sizemore completed 12-of-19 passes on the day for 189 yards and two touchdowns. He was intercepted twice. His favorite target was Fairchild who had seven catches for 138 yards and a touchdown.
Korpieski struck again in the third quarter. With the Pioneers driving, Korpieski intercepted a Fulton pass and returned it 65-yards to pay dirt extending the Cardinal lead to 40-13. Korpieski ended the day with a touchdown, two interceptions and a blocked extra point.
Marietta scored the final points of the game with less than two minutes on the clock. Freshman quarterback #
Thomas Hinkle (Fredericktown, Ohio/Fredericktown)# completed a three-yard touchdown pass to junior #
Kirby Harris (Greenville, S.C./South Side)#.
Fulton completed 10-of-28 passes for 84 yards and a score with four interceptions. Hinkle threw for 129 yards completing 10-of-15 passes. Hinkle had a touchdown and an interception.
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Linard Williams (Canoga Park, Calif./El Camino Real)# was Marietta's leading receiver with seven receptions for 71 yards. #
Sean Munfield (Marietta/Marietta)# caught six balls for 75 yards and a score. Munfield, the Pioneers' punter, also completed a pass for eight yards on a fake punt.
Otterbein's Brock Burzanko was the leading rusher on the day with 12 carries for 43 yards. #
Julius Nero (Norwich, Conn/Norwich Free Academy)# led the Pioneers with 37 yards on nine carries.
Junior linebacker #
Jake Hammer (Wadsworth/St. Vincent-St. Mary)#, the OAC's leading tackler, had 16 tackles on the day including a sack. Freshman #Axton Franzoy# had 11 tackles, while Dixon intercepted two Cardinal passes.
Marietta completes the 2012 season next Saturday (Nov. 10) when Muskingum University visits Don Drumm Stadium for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff. Fans can catch the action live at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter.
