MARIETTA, Ohio — Marietta College exploded for 37 first quarter points en route to a 66-23 Homecoming victory over Wilmington College Saturday (Oct. 15) afternoon at Don Drumm Stadium. The 66 points are the most for a Pioneer team since defeating Capital University 69-7 in 1995.
The Pioneers scored points five different ways in the game as the offense, defense and special teams all put points on the board. With a lightning quick 16-0 lead, the day's outcome was all but decided in the first three minutes of the game.
Marietta quarterback
Darrien Fields (Aliquippa, Pa./Aliquippa) had his second five-touchdown game. He completed 17-of-23 passes for 297 yards and five scores.
Andrew Barker (Mogadore, Ohio/Mogadore) caught five passes for 111 yards and a touchdown.
Roger Walker (Palm Bay, Fla./Bayside) led the ground attack for the Pioneers. Walker carried the ball 17 times for 170 yards and two touchdowns.
Jakkar Bishop (Mansfield, Ohio/Mansfield) set the tone with a 33-yard return on the opening kickoff giving Marietta the ball on its own 41-yard line.
MC went straight to the ground game as Walker carried the ball for 19 yards on the first play from scrimmage. On the second play, Walker busted loos for a 40-yd touchdown.
Jimmy Embrescia (Northfield, Ohio/Nordonia) added the point after and the Pioneers led 7-0 just 39 seconds into the game.
On Wilmington's first possession,
Cody Walker (Nelsonville, Ohio/Nelsonville York) picked off a Luke Credit pass and returned it eight yards to the Quaker 45. Fields ran for 16 yards and then hit
Ray Racine (Conroe, Texas/Cedar Ridge) on a 29-yard scoring strike making it 14-0 with 12:19 left in the opening period.
Superior coverage on the ensuing kickoff left the Quakers with the ball on their own 1-yard line. Wilmington tried the get some breathing room but
Dalton Secrest (Beallsville, Ohio/Beallsville) slipped through the line and tackled Eric Flynn in the end zone for a safety and a 16-0 Pioneer lead with 12:06 remaining in the first.
Following the free kick after the safety, Marietta started from its own 47-yard line. Seven plays later
Nick O'Neal (Mont Belvieu, Texas/Barbers Hill) dove in from a yard out. Embrescia nailed the point after making it 23-0.
Wilmington went three-and-out on its next possession and was forced to punt. The Pioneers started from their own 30-yard line and needed eight plays to find the end zone this time. Fields connected with
Jared Deep (Washington, Pa./Trinity) on a 16-yard scoring strike for the second of his five touchdown passes in the game.
Another three-and-out for the Quakers gave the ball right back to Marietta. Fields went to the air again and found
Ryan VanMeter (Maysville, W.Va./Petersburg) for a 49-yard TD capping a six-play, 92-yard drive and extending the lead to 37-0 with seven seconds left in the quarter.
Wilmington finally got on the board with 1-yard runs from Creditt on its first two possessions of the second quarter. Grant Brown hit the point after on both scores making it 37-14 midway through the period.
Fields threw his third touchdown pass on the next set of downs. This time he connected with
Zach Iovino (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) for 6-yards to finish a seven-play, 57-yard drive.
The Quakers tried to grab the momentum when PJ Meyer got behind the MC secondary and scored on a 69-yard pass from Creditt. But the joy was short-lived as Bishop blocked the PAT, scooped it up and raced the length of the field for two more Pioneer points and a 46-20 Marietta lead.
Freshman
Billy Frauens (McKees Rocks, Pa./Sto-Rox) returned the ensuing kickoff to midfield and Marietta wasted no time getting back in the red zone. Fields hit
Andrew Barker (Mogadore, Ohio/Mogadore) for 48 yards to the Quaker 2-yard line. Two plays later Walker ran it in from a yard out making it 53-20.
Things only got worse for Wilmington. Creditt's first pass on the next possession was picked off by
James Knox (Charleston, W.Va./Capital) and returned 31 yards to the house giving the Pioneers a 60-20 lead at halftime.
Marietta's lone score of the second half was a 22-yard pass from Fields to Barker in the third quarter. Wilmington blocked the point after kick.
Brown kicked a 37-yard field goal with less than a minute left in the game for Wilmington's final three points.
Marietta plays at Heidelberg University on Saturday (Oct. 22) at 1:30 p.m. Fans can follow all the Pioneer teams all year long at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter and Instagram.
