WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Otterbein University used a 20-point second quarter to defeat Marietta College 29-21 Saturday (Nov. 9) afternoon in Ohio Athletic Conference football action. The Cardinals improve to 5-4 overall and 5-3 in the OAC. Marietta falls to 1-8 overall and 1-7 in the OAC.
The Pioneers took the opening kickoff and marched the ball right down the field for a quick 7-0 lead. Marietta rushed the ball 11 times on the 13-play, 81-yard drive. Junior running back
Tim Conner (Cleveland/Glenville) carried the ball seven times for 40 yards including the touchdown from two yards out.
Conner finished the game with 164 yards on 23 carries and a pair of rushing touchdowns. Marietta outgained the Cardinals 277-204 on the ground. Freshmen running backs Roger Bush and
Patrick Lewis (Ironton/Ironton) gained 76 and 26 yards, respectively.
Marietta forced Otterbein to punt on its first possession but fumbled the ball right back to the Cardinals. Otterbein started from the Pioneer 34-yard line and drove it to the four be stalling. The Pioneers dodged a bullet, as Otterbein's 21-yard field goal was no good.
A false start penalty on fourth and one at the 47-yard line forced Marietta to punt the ball away. Otterbein took over at its own 16-yard line and drove the length of the field to knot the score, 7-7.
The Pioneers had to punt on the ensuing possession and the Cardinals responded with another scoring drive. Sophomore running back Drew Ervin broke a couple of big runs and then capped the drive with a six-yard touchdown run. Alana Gaither added the point after for a 14-7 Otterbein lead.
Ervin finished with 15 carries for 95 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Freshman Reid Hutchison added 60 yards on seven carries, while quarterback Ben Sizemore picked up 33 yards on 12 attempts.
Marietta put the ball in play with 3:50 left in the first half. A big pass interference penalty against Otterbein on third and long gave the Pioneers a first down at the Cardinal 39-yard line.
The Pioneers got as far as the 26-yard line but a delay of game penalty and incomplete pass resulted in a fourth down with 16 seconds left on the clock. Marietta elected to attempt a 44-yard field goal.
The kick was blocked by Zack Grieves and picked up by Jordan Bonifas who returned it 65 yards to pay dirt. The point after was no good and Otterbein took a 20-7 lead into halftime.
Otterbein received the second half kickoff and managed one first down before having to punt the ball back to Marietta. The punt was mishandled by the Pioneers and resulted in a safety for the Cardinals and a 22-7 lead.
A big sack by defensive lineman
Franklin Holmes (Vineland, N.J./Vineland) on third and long forced Otterbein to punt the ball back to Marietta. The Pioneers needed just nine plays to reach the end zone. Conner and Bush teamed for 49 yards on eight carries and quarterback
Tom Fulton (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills) completed a 32-yard pass to
Josh Llaneza (Westerville/South).
Bush dove in from two yards out for the score. Fulton hit
Tyler Anderson (Huntington, W.Va./Cabell Midland) in the back of the end zone for the two-point conversion trimming the lead to 22-15.
Otterbein answered right back with a nine-play, 62-yard scoring drive. Sizemore hit Steven Carpenter for 18-yards and the touchdown. Gaither's point after extended the lead to 29-15 early in the fourth quarter.
After trading punts, Marietta took possession on its own three-yard line with 9:01 left in the game. Conner broke a 34-yard run to get the Pioneers out of the shadow of their own end zone. He added a 29-yard run on the drive and eventually scored from two yards out. The MC scoring drive covered 97 yards on 11 plays.
Marietta went for two and Conner was stopped short of the goal line. Otterbein led 29-21 with 4:00 left in the game. A personal foul against the Pioneers on the play forced Marietta to kickoff from the 20-yard line and gave the Cardinals good field position.
Otterbein picked up two first downs and was able to run the clock out for the victory.
Fulton completed 9-of-11 passes for 89 yards. Senior wide receiver
Kirby Harris (Greenville, S.C./South Side) had seven catches for 55 yards to lead the Pioneers.
Sizemore threw for 171 yards and a touchdown. He completed 15-of-22 passes. Carpenter caught seven aerials for 79 yards and a TD.
Marietta finishes the season next Saturday (Nov. 16) on the road at rival Muskingum University. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. Fans can follow the Pioneers all season long at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter.
