Football set to host Otterbein in OAC action

The Muskingum football team is set to host OAC-foe Otterbein on Saturday, October 8, at the Bullock Health and Wellness Complex. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m.

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

Video: A live HD video stream of the game, with play-by-play, will be available on fightingmuskies.com, the OAC TV app, and simulcast on the fightingmuskies Facebook page. The Wally's Pizza pregame show starts at 1:15 p.m.

Live Stats: Fans can follow live stats of the game on fightingmuskies.com. 

Radio: WMCO 90.7 FM, the flagship station for Muskingum athletics, will broadcast the contest. The game can also be accessed online at http://us7.maindigitalstream.com/2034/.

GameDay Information

• No charge for parking.
• Concessions will open at 12:30 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 82^nd meeting between Muskingum and Otterbein, with the first game being played in 1905.
• Muskingum set the school record for most offensive plays in a single game with 95 during their matchup with the Cardinals in 2001.
• Muskingum holds a 42-37-2 advantage over Otterbein in the all-time series.

The Matchup

Muskingum enters the contest 2-2 after falling to Heidelberg last Saturday 42-21. Against the Student Princes, Muskingum tallied 300 yards of total offense, including 228 passing yards and 72 rushing yards.

Muskingum is led by senior quarterback Jordan Garrett with 748 passing yards on the season. Garrett has tossed six touchdowns, and he's also completed 69-of-111 (62.2%) passes this year.

Muskingum's receiving corps is led by senior wide out Zuri Edmondson. Edmondson has 23 receptions for 280 yards and two touchdowns. Edmondson averages 12.2 yards per reception and 70 yards per game. Junior receiver Travis Roberson has 14 catches on the year for 154 yards. Roberson has a team-high three receiving touchdowns as well. Junior receiver Travanti Keitt has 11 catches, 110 receiving yards, and one touchdown this year; while senior receiver Ja'Lin Goodman has 10 catches for 123 yards. Goodman has also made his mark as a kick returner for Muskingum's special teams unit. Goodman has returned 11 kicks for 278 yards, a 25.3-yard average per kick. Goodman also has one touchdown as a kick returner this year, an 85-yard return for a touchdown last week against Heidelberg. Goodman's speedy returned helped earn him Ohio Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

Muskingum's ground attack is led by freshman running back Noah Wellmeier whose totaled 191 yards on the ground this season. Wellmeier has 54 rushes, giving him an average of 3.5 yards per carry. Wellmeier also has two rushing touchdowns as well. Senior Donny Wilkinson has carried the ball 46 times for 130 yards and two touchdowns, while sophomore halfback Ishmael Haamid has 10 rushes for 75 yards.

Defensively, the Muskies are led by sophomore Austin Willforth with 35 tackles on the year. Wellmeier has 3.5 tackles for a loss, and he averages 8.8 tackles per game. Freshman linebacker Jeremiah Livingston has 24 tackles as well as a fumble recovery, while senior linebacker Tristan Howell has 22 tackles this season. Junior defensive back Devin Roebuck and sophomore defensive back Cole Burch each have an interception this season, while Burch has also added 17 tackles.

On special teams, Muskingum is led by junior kicker Hunter Albers and freshman kicker Aaron Meyers. Albers is currently 8-for-9 on extra points and 1-for-1 on field goal attempts this season. Meyers is 3-for-3 on extra points this year, and he holds a 1-for-3 mark on field goals. Junior kicker Collin Scozzafava has 17 punts on the season for a total of 684 yards. Scozzafava averages 40.2 yards per punt, and he has two placed inside the 20-yard line.

Otterbein enters Saturday's contest 2-3 after defeating Capital 35-28 last week. As a team, the Cardinals average 332 yards per game, including 193.4 passing yards and 138.6 rushing yards. Otterbein's opponents average 365.6 yards per game, and the Cardinals are getting outscored by seven points per game on average this season.

Otterbein's offense is led by junior quarterback Eason Hardouin with 681 passing yards. Hardouin has a 58.41% completion percentage, and he's tossed four touchdowns. 

Hardouin's top target this season has been freshman tight end Christian Pataky. Pataky has 14 receptions for 179 yards and one touchdown on the year. On the ground, Otterbein is led by senior running back Siraj Muhammad. Muhammad has 78 rushes for 470 yards and four touchdowns.

Defensively, Otterbein is led by sophomore linebacker Zach Hymer with 40 tackles on the year.