Heidelberg College visits Marietta College football for annual Shrine Game
Heidelberg College (2-6, 1-6 OAC) at Marietta College (2-6, 1-6 OAC) • 1:30 p.m. • Saturday, Nov. 8 • Don Drumm Stadium

Nov. 6, 2008
MARIETTA, Ohio — The 2008 Marietta College football season continues in week 10 on Saturday (Nov. 8) afternoon when the Pioneers play host to Ohio Athletic Conference rival Heidelberg College. Kickoff at Don Drumm Stadium is slated for 1:30 p.m. This week is the Marietta Shrine Game; all proceeds from the gate and concessions will go to the Marietta Shrine Club. [Complete Game Notes (.pdf)]

Here is a look at both teams:

Heidelberg College: Led by second-year Head Coach Mike Hallett, the 2008 Heidelberg College football team enters with a 2-6 overall record and is 1-6 in the OAC. Heidelberg ranks sixth in the OAC in scoring, averaging 20.6 points. The Student Princes rank fifth in total offense (303.0). They are seventh in passing (179.6) and fifth in rushing (123.4). Heidelberg is the sixth-most penalized team in the OAC, giving up an average of 55.4 penalty yards. The Student Princes have converted 20-of-24 red-zone chances (14 touchdowns) and 36-of-105 third down opportunities this season. Heidelberg is controlling the clock for 29:24 while on defense for 33:36. The Student Princes have collected 124 first downs, while its defense has allowed 177.

Sophomore Andrew Miller has completed 100-of-191 passes and thrown for 1,409 yards with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Junior Jemar Lewis is the team's leading rusher, having run for 496 yards and four scores on 112 carries. He is ranked sixth in the OAC in rushing yards per game (62.0). Senior Dawond Roddy has caught a team-high 38 passes for 653 yards and five touchdowns. Senior Lucas Bauer has added 24 receptions for 294 yards and two scores, while sophomore Mike Preston has contributed 17 catches for 296 yards and two touchdowns.

The Student Princes' defense is allowing 35.1 points per game, which ranks 10th in the league. Heidelberg has surrendered an average of 199.5 yards on the ground and 196.0 yards through the air, which ranks 10th and fifth, respectively, in the OAC. The Student Princes, who have a -5 turnover margin, have compiled 16 sacks and 41 tackles for loss this season. They have allowed their opponents to convert 39-of-49 red zone chances, including 34 touchdowns. Opponents have converted 45-of-107 third-down opportunities against Heidelberg. Sophomore Vaughn Klein leads the squad and is fourth in the OAC in total tackles with 68, while junior Junior Justin Dawson and junior Matt Grieves have both added 71 total hits.

Sophomore Jesse Hawkins is 7-of-7 in field goal attempts, hitting from a long of 44 yards. Freshman Cory Hartfield has averaged 37.6 yards on 30 punts in 2008. Heidelberg, led by Roddy, is averaging 16.7 yards on kickoff returns and, led by Bauer, is averaging 9.2 yards on punt returns.

Marietta College: Head Coach Jeff Filkovski's Marietta College football team (2-6, 1-6 OAC) is averaging 10.8 points and 276.4 yards this season, which rank 10th and ninth in the OAC, respectively. Of those yards, 109.8 come on the ground and 166.6 are through the air. The Pioneers are ranked ninth in passing offense and eighth in rushing offense. Marietta has converted 36-of-111 third down and 11-of-16 red-zone chances (seven touchdowns). The Pioneers enter with a -19 turnover margin, which ranks 234-of-235 in NCAA Division III. Marietta is leading its opponents in time of possession, holding onto the ball for an average of 30:36, while on defense for 29:24. The Pioneers are the fourth-most penalized team, giving up 56.0 yards on 51 infractions.

Individually, junior quarterback Dexter Hughes is 114-of-221 passing, throwing for 1,168 yards. He has thrown five touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Freshman Andrew Keller has completed 9-of-11 passes and thrown for 103 yards and two scores. Sophomore Cory Kriechbaum leads the team with 37 receptions for 384 yards and one touchdown. Freshman Jake Long has added 18 grabs for 178 yards and two scores. Junior Lamar Hunter leads the ground attack with 122 rushes for 486 yards and one score; he has also caught one touchdown pass. Hunter is ranked seventh in the OAC, averaging 60.8 yards. Senior Garrett Banks has added 79 rushes for 291 yards and one touchdown.

Marietta enters the week ranked ninth in scoring defense, giving up 33.9 points. The Pioneers also rank ninth in total defense. It is allowing 396.1 yards per game. The Pioneers rank eighth against the run (165.6) and ninth against the pass (230.5). Marietta has recorded 15 sacks and 51 tackles for loss to go along with two interceptions this season. The Pioneers have allowed their opponents to convert 26-of-29 red zone chances, including 24 touchdowns. Opponents have converted 37-of-99 third-down opportunities against Marietta. Senior Grant Cowell leads the team with 57 total stops, while junior George Davis has 55 hits and senior Clinton Thompson has 47 tackles.

Senior Corey Lemke has converted 4-of-6 field goal attempts, hitting from a long of 36 yards, in 2008. Sophomore Nick Perko is averaging 34.0 yards on 44 punts. Marietta, led by Kriechbaum and Davis, is averaging 21.1 yards on kickoff returns and 8.2 yards on punt returns.

Week 10 Game Notes

THE RECORDS: Saturday marks the ninth game of the 2008 season for both teams. Marietta College is 2-6 overall and 1-6 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). Heidelberg College is also 2-6, 1-6 in league play.

GAME TIME: 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 8, 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. Heidelberg's Mike Hallett is in his second season with the Student Princes. The 1994 graduate of Mount Union, who spent three years leading Thomas More (Ky.) College, went 4-6 in his first season at Heidelberg.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Saturday will mark the 46th time that the two teams will meet on the gridiron. The series began in 1917 with the Pioneers winning 3-0. Heidelberg holds a 25-20 advantage in the series, but Marietta has won four straight.

LAST MEETING: Marietta's offense bounced back from a stagnant first half to score 24 points in its final four possessions to help the Pioneers complete the 31-23, comeback victory against host Heidelberg on Oct. 27, 2007. Dexter Hughes finished the afternoon 14-of-22 and threw for 197 yards and a career-high three touchdowns. Joe Webb had 13 carries for 101 yards, while Ryan Dawson pulled in a game-high seven receptions for 56 yards and two scores. Steve West finished the day 25-of-38 and threw for 357 yards and one score. Jemar Lewis collected 77 yards rushing on 15 carries, while Dawond Roddy had six grabs for 89 yards and a touchdown. Marietta's Brian Hahn had a career-high-tying 15 total hits and Grant Cowell added 12 stops, while Vaughn Klein had a team-high nine stops for Heidelberg in the loss.

LAST GAME FOR MARIETTA: The Pioneers suffered a 55-0 loss to host #18 Otterbein College on Saturday (Nov. 1). 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. Lamar Hunter ran for a team-high 64 yards on 11 carries. Dexter Hughes completed 9-of-22 passes and threw for 67 yards with three interceptions. Jahmaal Jones had three catches for 33 yards and Cory Kriechbaum added three grabs for 24 yards. JR Gibson paced Marietta's defense with nine total tackles, including two for loss. Clinton Thompson added eight hits, while George Davis contributed six stops. Rob Williamson had the Pioneers' second interception of the season; he returned the play 20 yards.

LAST GAME FOR HEIDELBERG: The Student Princes could not hold onto a 10-point halftime lead in a 23-20 loss to visiting Wilmington College Saturday (Nov. 1). Andrew Miller completed 10-of-22 passes and threw for 110 yards and two scores. Jemar Lewis had 22 carries for 146 yards. Mike Preston pulled in two receptions for 41 yards. Defensively, Jamaul Pearson paced the team with 13 tackles, while Justin Dawson had 11 stops.

RADIO COVERAGE: Marietta College is scheduled to have WMRT-FM 88.3, its student radio station 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.

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

BLUE ALERT: Saturday is a Blue Alert. Sponsored by the Student-Athletic Advisory Council, fans wearing a Blue Crew shirt will be eligible to win a prize at halftime. Blue Crew shirts are available for $5 at the Stadium.

SHRINE GAME: Saturday is the annual Shrine Game. All proceeds from the gate and concessions will go toward the Marietta Shrine Club.

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 304-437-29 (.414) all-time in Conference play.

NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: The OAC has three teams ranked in the d3football.com Top 25 and in the AFCA Coaches' Poll. Mount Union remains atop both polls, while Otterbein is ranked #12 by d3football.com and #13 by the AFCA.

NATIONAL REPRESENTATION: Marietta's roster currently features 75 total student-athletesÑ45 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 30:36, while on defense for 29:24. Since the start of the 2007 season, the Pioneers are 3-4 when winning the time of possession but just 1-10 when trailing in time of possession.

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 66-19 in the first quarter, 91-13 in the second quarter, 72-14 in the third quarter and 42-40 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 eight games, Marietta has turned the ball over 21 times and has a -19 turnover margin, which ranks 10th in the league and 234th in the nation.

THIS WEEK IN THE OAC: There is a full slate of games on the OAC schedule this week. At 1 p.m., Wilmington will play at Ohio Northern. In addition, Capital visits Baldwin-Wallace, Heidelberg travels to Muskingum and Otterbein plays at John Carroll at 1:30 p.m.

NEXT GAME: On Nov. 15, Marietta closes out the season at home against Mount Union College, while Heidelberg visits Muskingum. Both games kick off at 1:30 p.m.

SENIOR DAY: Next Saturday will be Senior Day for Pioneer football players, cheerleaders and student athletic trainers. The student-athletes will be honored for their dedication to the program before the game.