Marietta football drops final road game to #18 Otterbein
Pioneers shutout 55-0 in Westerville

Nov. 1, 2008
WESTERVILLE, Ohio — The Marietta College football team suffered a 55-0 loss to host #18 Otterbein College in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) action on Saturday (Nov. 1) afternoon at Memorial Stadium in Westerville. With the loss, the Pioneers fell to 2-6 overall and 1-6 in league play. The Cardinals remained undefeated at 8-0, 7-0 in the OAC.

Marietta, who turned the ball over four times, finished with 256 yards of total offense; the Pioneers rushed for 152 yards and passed for 104 yards. Otterbein, who had one turnover, collected 285 yards on the ground and 126 yards through the air to finish with 411 yards of total offense.

The Cardinals led 21-0 at the half and used a 27-point third quarter to take complete control of the game.

Junior Lamar Hunter (South Euclid/Brush) ran for a team-high 64 yards on 11 carries. Sophomore Cody Huff (Byesville/Meadowbrook) and senior Garrett Banks (Barberton) both added 10 rushes for 47 yards and 39 yards, respectively. Junior Dexter Hughes (Woodsfield/Monroe Central) completed 9-of-22 passes and threw for 67 yards with three interceptions. Freshman Jahmaal Jones (Valrico, Fla./Bloomindale) had three catches for 33 yards and sophomore Cory Kriechbaum (Marietta) added three grabs for 24 yards.

Otterbein's rushing tandem of Eric Yates and Colton Coy both finished with 17 carries for over 100 yards on the ground. Yates had 125 yards and one score, while Coy totaled 107 yards and three touchdowns. Jack Rafferty completed 6-of-9 passes and threw for 126 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Ryan Rowley caught four of the passes for 38 yards.

Marietta's defense was paced by senior JR Gibson (Sebring/West Branch) with nine total tackles, including two for loss. Senior Clinton Thompson (Waverly, W.Va./Williamstown) added eight hits, while junior George Davis (Warren/Newton Falls) contributed six stops. Junior Rob Williamson (Williamstown, W.Va.) had the Pioneers' second interception of the season; he returned the play 20 yards.

Eric Burnsides led Otterbein with 10 total stops and added one interception. Danny Linch added eight hits. Cory Spellman had a 42-yard interception return for a touchdown in the win.

The Pioneers are back in action on Saturday (Nov. 8) afternoon when the Pioneers play host to Heidelberg College. Kickoff of the Shrine Game is slated for 1:30 p.m.