NEW CONCORD, Ohio – Muskingum University retained the Shrine Trophy with a 24-14 win over Marietta College Saturday (Nov. 16) afternoon in Ohio Athletic Conference football action. In a rivalry that dates back to 1897, the Fighting Muskies notched their 50th win over the Pioneers.
Marietta finishes the season 1-9 overall and 1-8 in the OAC. Muskingum ends 2013 with a 2-8 overall mark, 2-7 in the OAC.
Muskingum's game plan was simple, run the football. And that is exactly what the Muskies did. Muskingum ran the ball 47 times for 261 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Muskies attempted just seven passes in the game.
Muskingum took the opening kick and rushed the ball 11 straight times down to the Marietta 14-yard line. On a fourth and four, the Muskies opted for a 31-yard field goal attempt that missed wide left.
The Pioneers went three and out on their first possession and punted the ball back to Muskingum. The Muskies needed just four plays to reach the end zone and take a 7-0 lead. Shane Dotson ran the ball in from 15 yards out for the score.
Marietta answered right back with an eight-play, 77-yard scoring drive. Senior quarterback
Tom Fulton (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills) hit
Kirby Harris (Greenville, S.C./South Side) for 38 yards down to the Muskie six-yard line. Following a couple of plays that lost yardage. Fulton and Harris hooked up for a nine-yard touchdown to even the score, 7-7.
Harris finished the game with eight catches for 92 yards and the touchdown. The senior finished his career in the Navy Blue and White as Marietta's all-time leader in receptions with 171 and receiving yards with 2225. His 18 touchdown receptions are second all-time.
Marietta's momentum was short-lived as Muskingum's Alvin Taylor fielded the kickoff at his own three-yard line and returned it 97 yards for the go ahead touchdown. The Muskies never relinquished the lead the rest of the game.
Melvin Smith scored on a 15-yard run early in the second quarter too push the lead to 21-7 with 13:39 left in the half.
Once again Marietta responded with a long scoring drive. This time the Pioneers went 83 yards on 11 plays. Junior running back
Tim Conner (Cleveland/Glenville) capped the drive with a four-yard touchdown run to make it 21-14 with 8:29 remaining before halftime.
Caleb Carpenter avenged his earlier miss with a 26-yard field goal before halftime. The Muskies led 24-14 at the break.
Marietta controlled the football for nearly the entire second half but came away with no points to show for it. The Pioneers ran 48 plays in the second half, including a 25-play drive that covered 10 minutes on the clock, to Muskingum's 22 plays.
On Marietta's first possession of the half the Pioneers drove the ball down to the Muskie five-yard line before turning the ball over on downs. The Pioneers' next drive was an incredible 25 plays and ended at the Muskie 10-yard line with a missed 26-yard field goal.
The Pioneers' defense turned in its strongest half of the season. Marietta didn't allow the Muskies inside the 34-yard and only gave up six first downs the entire half.
Conner, the OAC's second leading rusher, finished the game with 138 yards and one touchdown on 36 carries. Fulton completed 15-of-26 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown.
Sophomore linebacker
Daryl DeWindt (Lilburn, Ga./Meadowcreek) led the Pioneer defense with 13 tackles, including 10 solo stops. Freshman defensive back
Corey Hunsberger (Washington, Pa./Trinity) had nine tackles.
Shane Dotson was Muskingum's leading rusher with 18 carries for 96 yards and a touchdown. Melvin Smith added 75 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, while quarterback Cody Williams had 75 yards on 14 carries.
Williams completed 4-of-7 passes for 80 yards. All four receptions went to James Washington.
Fans can follow every Pioneer team all season long at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter.
