Football set to debut BHWC for 100th Homecoming game vs. Capital

The Muskingum football team hosts Capital on Saturday, September 17, for their Ohio Athletic Conference season-opener. The contest also marks Muskingum's 100th Homecoming and the grand opening of the Bullock Health and Wellness Complex.

Tickets

• Fans can secure their tickets ahead of the game or on-site by purchasing them online at the Fighting Muskies' official ticketing page found at fightingmuskies.com/athletics/tickets or via the HomeTown Ticketing mobile app available through the App Store or Google Play. Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for students, and children 5-and-under are free. Muskingum faculty, staff, their families, Muskingum students, and parents of Muskingum student-athletes will receive free admission to the game.

Media Coverage

• No charge for parking.
• Concessions will open at 6:00 p.m.
• Home team tailgating is permitted in the Stadium Heights parking lot. Visiting team tailgating is permitted in the parking lot just beyond the left-field fence at Muskingum's baseball facility Mose Morehead Field. Link to Muskingum tailgating policy and map to tailgating parking lots.

The Series

• The contest marks the 71st meeting between Muskingum and Capital. The first game between both schools was played in 1920, and Muskingum leads the all-time series, 39-29-2.
• Muskingum has set numerous school records against Capital throughout the history of the series. In 2000, Jeremy Abney set the school record for the longest kickoff return for a touchdown when he returned one 98 yards. In 2003, Antwan Curry returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, ranking third all-time at Muskingum.
• Last season, senior quarterback Jordan Garrett passed for a school-record 482 yards and seven touchdowns against the Comets. Garrett also set the school record for total offense in a game with 492 yards, pass completions in a game with 41, and pass attempts in a game with 58. Senior wide receiver Zuri Edmondson also made his mark on the record books against Capital last season when he set school records in receiving yards for a single game with 266 and in receptions with 17. Edmondson also tied the school record with three touchdown receptions.

Notables

• The matchup versus the Comets will mark Muskingum's 100th Homecoming game and will also be the first game played at the Bullock Health and Wellness Complex. The complex will feature fully accessible stadium seating, a covered concourse section, an indoor fieldhouse with a turf field and 200-meter track, multi-purpose classrooms, and a state-of-the-art performance and training facility.
• Saturday's contest with Capital will also mark the home/league opener and will be the first home game held on Muskingum's campus since the 2019 season.

The Matchup

The Muskies enter the contest 1-0 overall after defeating Ferrum College 31-3 last Saturday to open the 2022 season. Last week, Muskingum tallied 361 yards of total offense while only giving up 151 yards. The Muskies tallied the final 24 points of the game, and the three points given up by Muskingum are the fewest allowed in a single game since the 2017 season.

Muskingum is led by its four captains; senior quarterback Jordan Garrett, senior wide receiver Zuri Edmondson, senior linebacker Tristan Howell, and sophomore linebacker Austin Willforth.

Garrett enters the game against Capital after tallying 181 passing yards and two touchdowns in week one. Garrett also registered 10 rushing yards. Edmondson logged three catches for the Muskies last week, while Howell registered a team-high seven tackles. Willforth also made his presence felt on the defensive side of the ball with five tackles.

On the ground, freshman running back Noah Wellmeier made the most of his first collegiate appearance with a game-high 117 yards rushing on 27 carries. Wellmeier ranks second in the OAC for rushing yards per game, and he also picked up one touchdown on the ground versus Ferrum. Also in the backfield, senior running back Donny Wilkinson tallied 50 rushing yards on 14 runs for the Muskies.

Through the air, junior wideout Travis Roberson tallied a game-high five receptions for 70 yards and two touchdowns, while senior receiver Ja'Lin Goodman had four receptions for 62 yards.

Defensively, freshman Nick Thomas scooped up a fumble and returned it 65 yards for a touchdown. Junior defensive back Devin Roebuck also tallied one takeaway when he intercepted a pass in Muskingum's week one win. 

Along with Howell and Willforth, the Muskie defense was led by freshman defensive back Antwan Murphy who registered five tackles. On the day, Muskingum's defense only allowed 10 Ferrum first downs.

On special teams, junior kicker Hunter Albers opened the season 4-for-4 on extra points while also tallying a 20-yard field goal. Junior punter Collin Scozzafava averaged 39.3 yards per punt, with a long of 47 yards.

Capital enters Saturday's contest sitting at 0-2 overall and 0-1 in the OAC. The Comets are averaging 22 points per contest while allowing 38 points. The Comets are averaging 255 yards per contest, while their opponents are averaging 358 yards per game.

The Comets are led by junior quarterback Ben Everson who averages 164.5 passing yards per game. He's tossed five touchdowns and four interceptions in Capital's first two outings.

On the ground, senior running back Lance Matthews averages 34.5 yards per game to lead Capital's running attack. Senior wideout Aralius Walters has five receptions for 116 yards to lead the Comet recieving corps.

Defensively, Capital is led by senior linebacker Nick Fisanick with 19 tackles through his first two games.