Cardinals Clipped - Muskingum soars to 24-7 win

The Muskingum football team delivered a dominant performance against Otterbein on Saturday en route to a 24-7 commanding win.

Notables

• The victory marked the fourth straight season that Muskingum has started 2-0 under Head Coach Erik Ieuter.
• Muskingum honored the Muskie women's bowling team at halftime for winning the 2023-24 Club National Championship.
• Muskingum senior receiver Travanti Keitt and senior linebacker Austin Willforth were named the Wally's Pizza Players of the Game. Keitt had 115 yards receiving on 10 receptions and tossed a 16-yard touchdown pass. Willforth led the defensive effort with 11 stops and 2.5 tackles for loss for 13 yards, including one sack.

The Basics

• Records: Muskingum (2-0 overall, 1-0 OAC), Otterbein (0-2 overall, 0-1 OAC)
• Location: BHWC - New Concord, Ohio
• Attendance: 1697

Inside the Numbers

• Muskingum churned out 389 yards of offense and 18 first downs.
• Muskingum was 4-for-4 in the Red Zone with three touchdowns.
• Muskingum's defense shined bright with three interceptions, three sacks for 33 yards, two fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble.
• Sophomore quarterback Cavan Cooper went 23-of-36 for 272 yards and one touchdown. He also had one touchdown reception for 16 yards and rushed for 12 yards.
• Senior receiver Travanti Keitt had 115 yards receiving on 10 receptions and tossed a 16-yard touchdown pass.
• Senior tight end Gannon Unger had six grabs for 49 yards.
• Sophomore Davion Grant hauled in five receptions for 86 yards and a score.
• Junior quarterback Garrett Gurney scored on a one-yard touchdown run.
• Senior linebacker Austin Willforth led the defensive effort with 11 stops and 2.5 tackles for loss for 13 yards, including one sack.
• Senior defensive lineman Toleo Malone racked up 10 hits and 2.5 tackles for loss for 11 yards, forced one fumble, and recovered one.
• Junior defensive back Quentel Bryant Jr. had three stops, one fumble recovery, and one interception.
• Freshman defensive lineman Nathan Thomas energized the crowd with an interception late in the game.
• Freshman defensive back Justus Thompson also added an interception.
• Junior kicker Aaron Meyers connected on a 40-yard field goal, averaged 41.5 yards per punt with two inside the 20, and averaged 57 yards on kickoffs.
• Otterbein had 265 yards of offense and 16 first downs.
• Matt Griffin led the Cardinals with 110 yards rushing on 22 totes with one score.
• Owen Menge and Cass Cole each had 43 yards receiving.
• Cayden Lassiter went 10-of-20 for 130 yards with three interceptions.
• Randy Cochran Jr. paced the Otterbein defense with six stops and one forced fumble.

Game Highlights

• Muskingum scored the first 24 points of the game to take control.
• The Muskies orchestrated scoring drives of 75 yards and 77 yards to take a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
• Muskingum added an 80-yard scoring drive midway through the second frame and capped off its scoring with a 40-yard field goal late in the second quarter.

Up Next

• Muskingum next travels to Wilmington on Saturday, September 21. The game will kick off at 3:00 p.m.