Marietta to host top-ranked Mount Union in season finale
#1 Mount Union College (9-0, 8-0 OAC) at Marietta College (2-7, 1-7 OAC) • 1:30 p.m. • Saturday, Nov. 15 • Don Drumm Stadium

Nov. 13, 2008
MARIETTA, Ohio — The 2008 Marietta College football season concludes in week 11 on Saturday (Nov. 15) afternoon when the Pioneers play host to Ohio Athletic Conference rival and top-ranked Mount Union College. Kickoff at Don Drumm Stadium is slated for 1:30 p.m. This weekend is the Senior Day; senior football players, cheerleaders and athletic trainers will be recognized before the game. [Complete Game Notes (.pdf)]

Here is a look at both teams:

Mount Union College: Led by 23rd-year Head Coach Larry Kehres, the 2008 Mount Union College football team has already secured its 17th straight OAC title. The #1 Purple Raiders are 9-0, 8-0 in league play. Mount Union ranks first in the OAC and second the nation in scoring, averaging 46.6 points. The Raiders lead the nation in total offense (540.4)—they are first in the OAC in both passing (299.8) and rushing (240.7). Mount Union is the most penalized team in the OAC, giving up an average of 67.8 penalty yards. The Raiders have converted 41-of-49 red-zone chances (38 touchdowns) and 51-of-91 third down opportunities this season. Mount Union is controlling the clock for 32:51 while on defense for 27:09. The Purple Raiders have collected 234 first downs, while its defense has allowed 60.

Senior Greg Micheli has completed 160-of-207 passes and thrown for 2,445 yards with 26 touchdowns and two interceptions. Senior Nate Kmic is the team's leading rusher, having run for 1,439 yards and 24 scores on 203 carries. He paces the OAC in rushing yards per game (159.9). Junior Cecil Shorts III has caught a team-high 54 passes for 1,106 yards and 19 touchdowns. Junior Vince Petruziello has added 28 receptions for 381 yards and three scores.

The Purple Raiders' defense is allowing 6.7 points per game, which ranks first in the nation. Mount Union has surrendered an average of 43.7 yards on the ground and 124.0 yards through the air, which ranks first and fifth, respectively, in NCAA Division III. The Purple Raiders, who have a +0 turnover margin, have compiled 37 sacks and 73 tackles for loss to go along with eight interceptions this season. They have allowed their opponents to convert 9-of-13 red zone chances, including seven touchdowns. Opponents have converted 36-of-125 third-down opportunities against Mount Union. Senior Joe Millings leads the squad in total tackles with 48, while junior James Herbert has added 47 total hits, including an OAC-best 10.5 sacks.

Mount Union kickers are a combined 3-of-5 in field goals, hitting from a long of 29 yards. The Raiders' punters have averaged 37.0 yards on 17 punts in 2008. Mount Union, led by sophomore Chaz Jordan, is averaging 16.3 yards on kickoff returns and, led by Petruziello, is averaging 9.1 yards on punt returns.

Marietta College: Head Coach Jeff Filkovski's Marietta College football team (2-7, 1-7 OAC) is averaging 14.0 points and 295.4 yards this season, which rank 10th and seventh in the OAC, respectively. Of those yards, 123.6 come on the ground and 171.9 are through the air. The Pioneers are ranked ninth in passing offense and sixth in rushing offense. Marietta has converted 43-of-123 third down and 15-of-21 red-zone chances (11 touchdowns). The Pioneers enter with a -21 turnover margin, which ranks last in NCAA Division III. Marietta is leading its opponents in time of possession, holding onto the ball for an average of 31:02, while on defense for 28:58. The Pioneers are the fourth-most penalized team, giving up 57.7 yards per game.

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 26-of-33 passes and thrown for 317 yards and three scores with one interception. Sophomore Cory Kriechbaum leads the team with 41 receptions for 407 yards and one touchdown. Freshman Jake Long has added 18 grabs for 178 yards and two scores, while classmate Jahmaal Jones has contributed 15 catches for 162 yards and a team-best three touchdowns. Junior Lamar Hunter leads the ground attack with 135 rushes for 557 yards and one score. Senior Garrett Banks has added 86 rushes for 332 yards and two touchdowns.

Marietta enters the week ranked ninth in scoring defense, giving up 34.8 points. The Pioneers also rank ninth in total defense. It is allowing 402.1 yards per game. The Pioneers rank eighth against the run (170.4) and ninth against the pass (231.7). Marietta has recorded 15 sacks and 52 tackles for loss to go along with three interceptions this season. The Pioneers have allowed their opponents to convert 30-of-33 red zone chances, including 27 touchdowns. Opponents have converted 42-of-110 third-down opportunities against Marietta. Junior George Davis leads the squad with 60 total tackles, while senior Grant Cowell has 57 hits and senior Clinton Thompson has 50 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 46 punts. Marietta, led by Kriechbaum and Davis, is averaging 21.2 yards on kickoff returns and 8.2 yards on punt returns.

Week 11 Game Notes

THE RECORDS: Saturday marks the tenth game of the 2008 season for both teams. Marietta College is 2-7 overall and 1-7 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). #1 Mount Union College is 9-0, 8-0 in league play.

GAME TIME: 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 15, 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. Mount Union's Larry Kehres is in his 23rd season with the Purple Raiders. The 1971 graduate has a career record of 269-21-3 and has captured nine of the last 15 NCAA Division III National Championships for his alma mater.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Saturday will mark the 47th time that the two teams will meet on the gridiron. The series began in 1933 with the Purple Raiders, who hold a 37-8-1 advantage, winning 20-0. The teams have met every year since 1981; Mount Union has won all 28 of those meetings. The last Pioneer win was a 20-6 decision in 1977 in Marietta.

LAST MEETING: Marietta closed its season with a 57-0 loss at #1 Mount Union on Nov. 10, 2007. Marietta was limited to 45 total yards on 51 plays. The Pioneers, who collected just six first downs, had -35 yards rushing and 80 yards passing. Mount Union, meanwhile, accumulated 549 yards—131 yards on the ground and 418 yards through the air. The Purple Raiders scored touchdowns on all seven of their first half possessions to take a 49-0 lead into the locker room. Mount Union then scored nine points, one touchdown and a safety, in the final 30 minutes to cruise to the victory.

LAST GAME FOR MARIETTA: The Pioneers let a 17-point fourth quarter lead slip away in a 42-40 loss to Heidelberg on Nov. 8. Freshman Andrew Keller, making just his second start, completed 17-of-22 passes and threw for 214 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also ran eight times for 50 yards and another score. Junior Lamar Hunter finished with 13 carries for 71 yards and sophomore Cody Huff had 14 rushes for 48 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman Jahmaal Jones paced Marietta's receivers with five catches for 67 yards and one touchdown. Defensively, freshman Cody Andrews led Marietta with eight total hits, while senior Corey Lemke had six stops.

LAST GAME FOR MOUNT UNION: The Purple Raiders clinches at least a share of the OAC title with a 49-20 win at #12 Otterbein on Nov. 8. Senior Nate Kmic had 25 carries for 166 yards and three touchdowns, which made him the NCAA's all-time leader in total touchdowns with 111 and total points with 666. Junior Cecil Shorts III caught three scores to give him 19, which tied the school's single season record for receiving touchdowns. Senior Greg Micheli was 20-of-27 passing and threw for 297 yards and three touchdowns.

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 Warren 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.

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.

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 wrap up Marietta's 83rd season of football in the OAC. The Pioneers, who joined the league in 1926, are 304-438-29 (.414) all-time in Conference play.

NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: The OAC has two teams ranked in the d3football.com Top 25 and in the AFCA Coaches' Poll. Mount Union remains atop both polls, while Otterbein is ranked #14 by d3football.com and #17 by the AFCA.

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

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.

ACADEMIC HONOR: Marietta junior defensive back George Davis recently received ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV second team honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

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 31:02, while on defense for 28:58. Since the start of the 2007 season, the Pioneers are 3-5 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 66-26 in the first quarter, 94-20 in the second quarter, 86-33 in the third quarter and 67-47 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 nine games, Marietta has turned the ball over 21 times and has a -21 turnover margin, which ranks 10th in the league and 235th 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.

SENIOR DAY: 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.