Ohio Northern powers past Muskingum in OAC opener

Ohio Northern powered past the Muskingum football team on a wet Saturday afternoon in Ada, Ohio, 42-14. The contest marked the Ohio Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

The Basics

• Records: Muskingum (1-1 overall, 0-1 OAC), Ohio Northern (2-0 overall, 1-0 OAC)
• Location: Ada, Ohio
• Attendance: 1,339
• Temperature: 65

How It Happened

• Ohio Northern grabbed an early 14-0 lead in the first quarter on two short touchdown runs by Brock Martin.
• Muskingum orchestrated a 14-play, 86-yard drive early in the second quarter that culminated with sophomore quarterback Brody Hahn hitting sophomore receiver Terry Geiger for a 14-yard touchdown pass.
• The Polar Bears completed the first half scoring at the 9:55 mark when Anthony McFadden hit Caleb Saalfeld for a 39-yard touchdown pass. Ohio Northern led 21-7 at the break.
• Ohio Northern extended its lead to 35-7 with a scoring drive in the third quarter and one early in the fourth. 
• Muskingum capped off its scoring with an 11-play, 80-yard drive that ended with Hahn rushing in from 25-yards out.
• Ohio Northern scored the final touchdown of the game with 3:49 on the clock on A.J. Marks five-yard scamper. 
• Muskingum ended the game with a season-best 422 yards of offense, while Ohio Northern racked up 459 yards of offense.
• The Muskies held a 31:38-28:22 edge in time of possession.
• Muskingum was held scoreless in three of its trips in the red zone. The Muskies missed a field goal (35 yards) and turned the ball over on downs twice.

Inside The Numbers

• Hahn led the Muskie offense passing for 199 yards and one score on 14-of-33 passing. He also added 88 yards on the ground and one score.
• Geiger registered a career-high 125 receiving yards on six grabs with one score.
• Senior Granger Long had three catches for 37 yards.
• Sophomore Cameron Near led the Muskie rushers with 90 yards on 11 totes.
• Senior Brandon Schon led the Muskie defense with eight stops.
• Senior defensive back Chase Longhauser, junior defensive end Tim Ousley, and senior defensive tackle Staci Wilson all had six hits. Ousley also had one sack for seven yards.
• McFadden led the ONU offense accounting for 335 yards (223 passing/112 rushing) of total offense and two touchdowns.
• Martin added 44 yards rushing with three touchdowns on 12 carries.
• Saalfeld led the Polar Bear receivers with two grabs for 61 yards and one score.
• David Haseleu logged 12 stops to pace the ONU defense, while Mark Niles had 11 stops.

Up Next

• Muskingum next hosts Marietta for its home opener on Saturday, September 15. Game time is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. in McConagha Stadium and will mark the annual Shriners game between the two rivals.