Football set to host 25th-ranked John Carroll for Faculty/Staff Appreciation Game

The Muskingum football team is set to battle 25^th-ranked John Carroll on Saturday, October 29. The Faculty/Staff Appreciation game is slated for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff from the Bullock Health and Wellness Complex in New Concord, Ohio.

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.

Notables

• The game is being promoted as a Faculty/Staff Appreciation game. Muskingum football players invite faculty and staff members at Muskingum who have made a positive impact on their educational journey to the game for them to be honored.
• The game is also being promoted with a Halloween theme. All fans in attendance are encouraged to wear a costume.
• At halftime of the contest Muskingum will also hold a Spikeball Tournament on the field. Teams of Muskingum students will battle it out in an elimination bracket to crown a winner.

The Series

• Saturday's contest will mark the 36^th matchup between Muskingum and John Carroll. The first game was played in 1933, and the Blue Streaks hold the edge in the all-time series 29-5-1.
• Muskingum has four players tied for the program record with three touchdown receptions in a game. Two of those record-breaking performances were against the Blue Streaks. In 1983 Darrell Hazell snagged three touchdown receptions against John Carroll, and in 2012 James Washington also hauled in three touchdown grabs against the Blue Streaks.

The Matchup

The Muskies enter the contest 4-3 overall and 3-3 in the OAC after most recently defeating Ohio Northern 23-7 last Saturday. Against the Polar Bears, Muskingum totaled 280 yards of total offense, registered 17 first downs, and had two defensive takeaways.

This season, Muskingum averages 319.6 yards per game with 215 of those through the air and 104.6 on the ground. The Muskies average 24.9 points per game, and they give up 26.9 points per contest on average. 

The Muskies are led by senior quarterback Jordan Garrett with 1,404 passing yards on the season. Garrett has tossed 15 touchdowns which is third most in the OAC, and he's connected on 124-of-200 (62%) of his passes this year. Garrett averages 200.6 passing yards per game which ranks fourth in the OAC, and he's also rushed for two scores this year as well. Garrett currently sits at 5,064 passing yards for his career. He is 107 yards away from breaking the program record for passing yards in a career set by Jake Burns from 2007-2010.

Muskingum's receiving corps is led by senior wideout Zuri Edmondson. Edmondson has 545 receiving yards on 37 catches this year, and he's totaled six touchdowns as well. Edmondson's six touchdowns ranks him third in the OAC amongst receivers, and he also averages 77.9 yards per game which places him fourth overall in the conference. Also playing well this season is senior receiver Ja'Lin Goodman with 27 catches for 330 yards and four touchdowns. Goodman averages 47.1 yards per contest and 12.2 yards per catch as well. Junior wideout Travis Roberson has 228 receiving yards on 20 snags to go along with three touchdowns, while junior receiver Travanti Keitt has hauled in 19 passes for 191 yards and two scores. Out of the backfield, senior running back Donny Wilkinson has a receiving touchdown this year as well.

On the ground, Muskingum is led by senior running back Donny Wilkinson with 275 yards on 94 carries. Wilkinson has two rushing touchdowns this year, and he averages 39.3 yards per game. Splitting carries with Wilkinson is freshman halfback Noah Wellmeier whose totaled 231 yards on 70 totes. Wellmeier averages 38.5 yards per game, and he has two rushing touchdowns on the year.

Defensively, the Muskies are led by sophomore linebacker Austin Willforth who ranks second in the OAC with 72 tackles on the year. Willforth averages 10.3 tackles per game which ranks fourth in the conference, while he also has seven tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks this season. Senior linebacker Tristan Howell has 44 stops this year and one interception, while freshman linebacker Jeremiah Flowers also has 44 tackles to go along with his two sacks three tackles for loss. Sophomore defensive back Cole Burch leads Muskingum's defense with two interceptions, while freshman defensive lineman Onye Nwosisi has one forced fumble.

On special teams, the Muskies are led by freshman kicker Aaron Meyers with two field goals made on the year. Meyers' long was from 36 yards out, and he's also a perfect 13-for-13 on extra points. Junior Hunter Albers is 8-for-9 on extra points this season, and he's also 1-for-1 on field goals this year as well. Junior kicker Collin Scozzafava has 33 punts this season for 1,303 yards. Scozzafava averages 39.5 yards per punt, and he has four punts placed inside the 20-yard line.

John Carroll enters Saturday's contest sitting at 6-1 overall and 6-0 in the OAC. Most recently, the Blue Streaks defeated Capital 42-10 last Saturday. John Carroll ranks second in the conference with 416.8 yards per game, and they also rank second in points per game with 35.8.

The Blue Streaks are led by senior quarterback Joe Collins with 1,608 passing yards on the season, and he ranks second in the conference with 229.7 yards per contest. Collins ranks second in the OAC with 18 passing touchdowns, and he's completed 126-of-184 (68.5%) of his passes this year.

John Carroll's receiving corps is led by senior receiver Brennan Fugh with 632 receiving yards on 33 catches. Fugh has five touchdown grabs on the year, and he averages 19.2 yards per catch this season.

On the ground, the Blue Streaks are led by sophomore running back Evan McVay with 608 yards on the ground. McVay has 99 carries on the season, and he averages 6.1 yards per tote which is first in the OAC.

On defense, John Carroll is led by junior linebacker Tyler Thimons with 57 tackles on the year. Thimons averages 8.1 tackles per game, and he has two sacks this year.