Football falls against rival Marietta in annual Shriner Game

The Muskingum football team fell against Ohio Athletic Conference rival Marietta in the annual Shriner Game on a hot Saturday afternoon in Marietta, 49-25. Muskingum is now 7-2 all-time in the Shriner series.

The Basics

• Records: Muskingum (1-3 overall, 0-3 OAC), Marietta (2-1 overall, 1-1 OAC)
• Location: Marietta, Ohio - Don Drumm Stadium
• Weather: 88 degrees and sunny

First Quarter

• Muskingum struck first on its opening possession of the game with a six-play, 42-yard drive that ended with freshman quarterback Brody Hahn scoring on a three-yard run. The extra point was blocked and the Muskies led 6-0.
• Marietta answered with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Darrien Fields to Andrew Barker to give the Pioneers a 7-6 lead. The score capped off a six-play, 60-yard drive.
• The Muskies orchestrated a nine-play, 60-yard drive to regain the lead on sophomore running back Bernard Johnson's 24-yard touchdown reception from Hahn. After a second blocked extra point, Muskingum led 12-7.
• Marietta captured the lead for good on Roger Walker's 25-yard run to give the Pioneers a 14-12 edge at the end of the opening frame.

Second Quarter

• Following a fumble on the ensuing kickoff by the Muskies, Marietta recovered it and scored five plays later to take a 21-12 lead.
• Muskingum used a 12-play, 75-yard drive to trim its deficit to 21-19. Johnson ended the drive with a five-yard touchdown run.
• Marietta responded with a 48-yard touchdown pass from Fields to Maguire Morris to give the Pioneers a 28-19 lead with 5:45 left in the half.
• Muskingum completed the scoring in the first half on Johnson's third score of the game. He scampered in from 11 yards to trim the Muskie gap to 28-25 (PAT failed) heading into the break.

Third Quarter

• The offensive onslaught in the first half cooled in the third quarter with neither team able to score. 

Fourth Quarter

• The Pioneers pulled away in the fourth quarter outscoring the Muskies 21-0 in the final frame. 
• Marietta's final strike was a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown by Marquese Moore. The defensive score halted Muskingum's late scoring drive.

Inside The Numbers

• Muskingum racked up 352 yards of offense and 23 first downs. Marietta had 427 yards of offense and 20 first downs.
• The Muskies were 3-of-5 in the red zone and ended the outing 5-of-13 on third-down conversions. The Pioneers were 2-of-2 in the red zone and 4-of-11 on third-down conversions.
• Hahn ended the game going 15-of-30 for 184 yards, one score and two interceptions. He also rushed for 75 yards and one score.
• Johnson rushed for 75 yards and two scores on 23 totes. He hauled in six receptions for 75 yards and one touchdown.
• Senior wide out Damon Jones had six grabs for 72 yards.
• Freshman defensive back Brian Brown and sophomore Cle'Von Burch led the Muskie defensive effort with nine stops each.
• Fields led the Marietta offense going 17-of-22 for 244 yards, three scores and one interception. He also rushed for 10 yards and one score.
• Walker led the rushing attack with 134 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries.
• Andrew Barker led all receivers with 101 yards receiving and two touchdowns.
• Eric Klopfenstein recorded a game-high 10 tackles for the Pioneers.

Up Next

• Muskingum returns to the friendly confines of McConagha Stadium to host Heidelberg on Saturday, September 30. Game time is slated for 1:00 p.m. and will feature live audio, stats and HD video on fightingmuskies.com.