Marietta football ends season with loss to #1 Mount Union
Purple Raiders defeat Pioneers 49-0 at Don Drumm Stadium

Nov. 15, 2008
MARIETTA, Ohio — The 2008 Marietta College football season came to an end on Saturday (Nov. 15) afternoon with a 49-0 loss to #1 Mount Union College on Senior Day at Don Drumm Stadium. 11 senior football players were honored before the game for their dedication to the program for the last four years.

Mount Union finished the regular season 10-0, 9-0 in the Ohio Athletic Conference to win its 17th straight OAC title. First-year Head Coach Jeff Filkovski's Marietta squad closed the year with a 2-8 record and was 1-8 in the OAC.

Mount Union out-gained Marietta 552-80 in total offense. The Pioneers, who had six first downs and did not commit a penalty, finished with 37 yards rushing and 43 yards passing. The Purple Raiders collected 28 first downs while rushing for 380 yards and passing for an additional 172 yards. Mount Union won the time of possession by 18 seconds and was flagged just five times for 31 yards in the win.

Marietta sophomore running back Cody Huff (Byesville/Meadowbrook), who made his first career start, finished with 32 carries for 51 yards. He is the first Pioneer running back to carry the ball 30 times since Steven Wagner '06 had 37 carries to open the 2005 season against Emory & Henry (Va.).

Freshman quarterback Andrew Keller (Cincinnati/Glen Este) completed 1-of-6 passes for six yards and one interception before leaving the game after the Pioneers' second possession with an injury. Freshman Kyle Shackle (Butler/Mount Vernon) replaced him to finish the game and completed 5-of-11 passes for 37 yards.

Sophomore Cory Kriechbaum (Marietta) pulled in a team-high two catches for 10 yards, while senior Mike Sowko (Monongahela, Pa./Elizabeth Forward) had one catch for 16 yards and freshman Jahmaal Jones (Valrico, Fla./Bloomindale) added another grab for 14 yards.

Mount Union's Greg Micheli finished the day by completing 8-of-12 passes for 128 yards and two scores. He also rushed for 26 yards on two carries. Nate Kmic led the running attack with 21 carries for 201 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. Freshman Tyler Harris made his season debut in the second half and rushed for 108 yards on 16 attempts. Scott Panchik added five carries for 41 yards and a score. A.J. Claycomb and Vince Petruziello both had three receptions in the game. Claycombs' covered 60 yards and one touchdown, while Petruziello's went for 33 yards.

Marietta junior George Davis (Warren/Newton Falls) finished with a game-high seven tackles and forced one fumble to finish the season with a team-best 67 stops. Freshman Michael Green added six hits in the game. Three Purple Raiders had six tackles. Lambert Budzinski added to the defensive effort with a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown to kick off Mount Union's scoring midway through the first quarter.