Marietta to host rival Muskingum on Homecoming
Muskingum College (2-4, 1-4 OAC) at Marietta College (1-5, 0-5 OAC) 1:30 p.m. • Saturday, Oct. 25 • Don Drumm Stadium

Oct. 23, 2008
MARIETTA, Ohio — The 2008 Marietta College football season continues in week eight on Saturday (Oct. 25) afternoon when the Pioneers play host to Ohio Athletic Conference rival Muskingum College. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. at Don Drumm Stadium. This weekend is Homecoming at Marietta College. A full slate of activities are scheduled throughout campus and at the football game. [Complete Game Notes (.pdf)]

Here is a look at both teams:

Muskingum College: Led by second-year head coach Al Logan, the 2008 Muskingum College football team enters with a 2-4 overall record and is 1-4 in the OAC. Muskingum ranks seventh in the OAC in scoring, averaging 19.5 points. The Fighting Muskies rank seventh in total offense (280.0). They are ninth in passing (171.7) and sixth in rushing (108.3). Muskingum is the seventh-most penalized team in the OAC, giving up an average of 53.8 penalty yards. The Muskies have converted 13-of-19 red-zone chances (13 touchdowns) and 28-of-76 third down opportunities this season. Muskingum is controlling the clock for 27:13 while on defense for 32:47. The Muskies have collected 87 first downs, while its defense has allowed 129. Sophomore Jake Burns has completed 93-of-162 passes and thrown for 1,030 yards with five touchdowns and six interceptions. Senior Caleb Fuller is the team's leading rusher, having run for 394 yards and seven scores on 91 carries. He is ranked fourth in the OAC in rushing yards per game (65.7). Junior Josh Grafton has caught a team-high 26 passes for 375 yards. Fuller has added 19 receptions for 163 yards and two scores.

The Fighting Muskies' defense is allowing 32.2 points per game, which ranks tied for eighth in the league. Muskingum has surrendered an average of 156.2 yards on the ground and 211.0 yards through the air, which ranks eighth and fifth, respectively, in the OAC. The Muskies, who have a -3 turnover margin, have compiled 13 sacks and 39 tackles for loss this season. They have allowed their opponents to convert 16-of-22 red zone chances, including 15 touchdowns. Opponents have converted 29-of-77 third-down opportunities against Muskingum. Senior Ryan McClain leads the squad in total tackles with 39, while junior OJ Diomedi has added 36 total hits.

Junior Bill Rini is 0-of-2 in field goal attempts. Freshman Nick Stevens has averaged 30.5 yards on 21 punts, while classmate Pat Lynch has averaged 31.2 yards on nine punts in 2008. Muskingum, led by senior Jack Murray, is averaging 18.3 yards on kickoff returns and, led by Grafton, is averaging 4.9 yards on punt returns.

Marietta College: Head Coach Jeff Filkovski's Marietta College football team (1-5, 0-5 OAC) is averaging 9.3 points and 276.8 yards this season, which rank 10th and ninth in the OAC, respectively. Of those yards, 98.2 come on the ground and 178.7 are through the air. The Pioneers are ranked eighth in passing offense and eighth in rushing offense. Marietta has converted 24-of-82 third down and 6-of-9 red-zone chances (three touchdowns). The Pioneers enter with a -15 turnover margin, which ranks 233-of-235 in NCAA Division III. Marietta is leading its opponents in time of possession, holding onto the ball for an average of 30:01, while on defense for 29:59. The Pioneers are the sixth-most penalized team, giving up 54.2 yards on 36 infractions. Individually, junior quarterback Dexter Hughes is 91-of-174 passing, throwing for 991 yards. He has thrown four touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Hughes ranks ninth in the OAC in passing yards per game (165.2). Sophomore Cory Kriechbaum leads the team with 24 receptions for 280 yards and one touchdown. Freshman Jake Long has added 13 grabs for 139 yards and one score. Junior Lamar Hunter leads the ground attack with 95 rushes for 368 yards and one score; he has also caught one touchdown pass. He is ranked sixth in the OAC, averaging 61.3 yards. Senior Garrett Banks has added 57 rushes for 212 yards.

Marietta enters the week ranked ninth in scoring defense, giving up 32.3 points. The Pioneers rank ninth in total defense. It is allowing 406.2 yards per game. The Pioneers rank seventh against the run (155.0) and 10th against the pass (251.2). Marietta has recorded 11 sacks and 39 tackles for loss to go along with one interception this season. The Pioneers have allowed their opponents to convert 19-of-20 red zone chances, including 18 touchdowns. Opponents have converted 28-of-78 third-down opportunities against Marietta. Senior Grant Cowell leads the team with 47 total stops, while junior George Davis has 38 hits and junior Clinton Thompson and sophomore Adam Tate both have 35 tackles.

Senior Corey Lemke is 3-for-3 in field goal attempts, hitting from a long of 36 yards. Sophomore Nick Perko is averaging 33.8 yards on 35 punts. Marietta, led by Kriechbaum and Davis, is averaging 20.7 yards on kickoff returns and 7.3 yards on punt returns.

Week 8 Game Notes

THE RECORDS: Saturday marks the seventh game of the 2008 season for both teams. Marietta College is 1-5 overall and 0-5 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). Muskingum College is 2-4 overall and 1-4 in league play.

GAME TIME: 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 25, Don Drumm Stadium in Marietta, Ohio.

THE COACHES: Marietta's Jeff Filkovski is in his first season as the leader of the Pioneers. Filkovski was named the 2007 OAC Assistant Coach of the Year while the offensive coordinator at Heidelberg College. He is the former signal caller for the Cologne Centurions of NFL Europe. Filkovski, who earned his bachelor's degree from Allegheny College in 1991, led the Gators to a national championship in 1990. Muskingum's Al Logan is in his second year with the Fighting Muskies. The 1982 graduate of Muskingum is 2-14 at his alma mater.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Saturday marks the 87th time that the two teams will meet on the gridiron. The series began in 1897 with Marietta winning 36-0. Muskingum holds a 45-39-2 advantage against Marietta but the Pioneers have won seven straight over the Fighting Muskies; six of those outcomes have been decided by less than seven points.

LAST MEETING: After a scoreless first half, Marietta and Muskingum combined for 48 points in the second half with the Pioneers using a late touchdown and a defensive stand on the Muskies' final drive to pull out a 27-21 victory on Oct. 6, 2007, in New Concord. Joe Webb finished with 18 carries for 104 yards, while Dexter Hughes went 19-of-31 and threw for 203 yards and two TDs. Chad McDaniel had a game-high eight catches for 99 yards. Muskingum's Andre Nash hit on 12-of-25 passing and threw for 247 yards, while Josh Grafton had six receptions for 128 yards.

LAST GAME FOR MARIETTA: The Pioneers were shut out on the road by Ohio Northern 28-0 on Saturday (Oct.18). Junior Dexter Hughes completed 12-of-24 passes with one interception and threw for 97 yards. Senior Garrett Banks caught a team-high three passes for 30 yards and rushed seven times for 21 yards. Sophomores Cory Kriechbaum and Rich Klingel both pulled in two catches for 14 yards. Senior Grant Cowell finished with a career-high 14 total tackles. In addition, senior Clinton Thompson, sophomore Adam Tate and senior David Loyer all added nine hits in the game.

LAST GAME FOR MUSKINGUM: The Fighting Muskies fell at home to Baldwin-Wallace 42-7 on Saturday (Oct. 18). Jake Burns completed 16-of-38 passes and threw for 120 yards. Josh Grafton led the receivers with four catches for 36 yards. Caleb Fuller paced the ground attack with nine rushes for 47 yards. Ryan McClain led the squad with 11 tackles, while Anthony Zarcone had 10 hits.

IN-GAME ENTERTAINMENT: The Pioneers would like to welcome the Marietta High School marching band, who will be performing throughout the day, including during pre-game and at halftime.

HOMECOMING: Marietta College would like to welcome back all of the Alumni on campus for Homecoming. We hope that you enjoy the weekend.

RADIO COVERAGE: Marietta College is scheduled to have WMRT-FM 88.3, its student radio station, will broadcast the game for Pioneer fans. The students will take the air with a short pregame at 1:20 p.m.

LISTEN ONLINE: Marietta College is proud to once again offer its fans on the World Wide Web the opportunity to listen to all 10 Pioneer football games through a partnership with Stretch Internet. All you need is QuickTime. For more information visit Marietta's athletic web site: http://pioneers.marietta.edu. Archives are also available to listen to or to purchase.

ESCORES: Marietta fans can once again receive scores, schedule updates and alerts directly on their cell phone or email by signing up for eScores at http://escores.stretchinternet.com.

STAY UP TO DATE: Visit http://pioneers.marietta.edu to stay up to date on all of the Marietta College athletics' news.

SCHEDULE CARDS: Free Fall Schedule Cards are now available. Stop by the athletics office to pick one up today.

MEDIA GUIDES NOW ON SALE: Pioneer fans can now purchase 2008 fall sport media guides. They will be made available at all home contests and in the athletics office.

83RD SEASON OF OAC PLAY: Saturday's game will continue Marietta's 83rd season of football in the OAC. The Pioneers, who joined the league in 1926, are 303-436-29 (.413) all-time in Conference play.

NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: The OAC has three teams ranked in the d3football.com Top 25 and two squads in the AFCA Coaches' Poll. Mount Union remains atop both polls, while Otterbein is ranked #19 by d3football.com and #18 by the AFCA. Capital is now ranked #21 by d3football.com.

NATIONAL REPRESENTATION: Marietta's roster currently features 75 total student-athletes—45 from Ohio, 10 from Pennsylvania, seven from Florida, eight from West Virginia, one from Texas and one from Colorado, Connecticut, Michigan and Massachusetts.

CAPTAINS ANNOUNCED: Marietta College will have three captains during the 2008 season: senior running back Garrett Banks, senior linebacker Grant Cowell and senior linebacker Joe Deppen.

CONTROLLING THE CLOCK: Marietta will look to do a better job controlling the clock in 2008. Last year, the Pioneers trailed in time of possession in eight of 10 games, and opponents held the ball for an average of 3:38 more than Marietta. This year, Marietta is holding onto the ball for an average of 30:01, while on defense for 29:59.

GETTING OFF TO A QUICK START: Marietta will look to get off to a fast start out of the locker room after struggling in the first half in 2007. The Pioneers were outscored 72-30 in the first quarter and 110-38 in the second quarter last year. On the other hand, Marietta outscored its opponents 59-54 in the final frame. This year the Pioneers have been outscored 52-16 in the first quarter, 68-6 in the second quarter, 45-7 in the third quarter and 29-27 in the fourth quarter.

TURNOVERS: Marietta needs to improve its turnover margin. In 2007, the Pioneers ranked 10th in the OAC and 222nd in NCAA Division III with a -17 turnover margin. Through five games, Marietta has turned the ball over 18 times and has a -15 turnover margin.

THIS WEEK IN THE OAC: There is a full slate of games on the OAC schedule this week at 1:30 p.m. Baldwin-Wallace hosts Heidelberg, John Carroll welcomes Ohio Northern, Otterbein visits Capital and Mount Union travels to Wilmington.

NEXT GAME: On Nov. 1, Marietta visits Otterbein, while Muskingum travels to Capital. Both games will kickoff at 1:30 p.m.

SHOE-RECYCLING DRIVE: Marietta College's Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is sponsoring a shoe-recycling drive. The program allows individuals to drop off their unwanted athletic shoes at either the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center or Upper Gilman on campus, as well as various other locations in Marietta such as the O'Neill Senior Center, Marietta Family YMCA and Marietta High School. The donated shoes must be athletic shoes of any brand. Gently used shoes will be donated to EVE, Inc. and the Salvation Army of Parkersburg, W.Va. The final drop off time and location is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 1 at the College's Gathering Place so please bring your old shoes to any one of the five drop-off locations starting on Sept. 22 and continuing until Nov. 1.