Football travels to Marietta for annual Shriner Game

The Muskingum football team will play its first road game of the season at rival Marietta in the annual Shriner Game on Saturday, September 21. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Don Drumm Field. Muskingum leads the all-time series 52-43-2 and leads the Shriner series 7-4. 

The Muskies enter the game at 1-1 overall and 0-1 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Muskingum was tripped up in its OAC opener last Saturday against Ohio Northern, 39-10. The Muskies led 10-3 late in the first half before the Polar Bears scored two touchdowns in the final 41 seconds to take an 18-10 lead into the break. ONU added three second-half touchdowns to capture the win. Muskingum ended the game with 220 yards of offense (99 rushing/121 passing) on 58 plays and mustered 14 first downs. Muskingum's defensive effort was highlighted by senior captain defensive lineman Tim Ousley recording one sack to break the Muskingum career sacks record. Ousley now stands at 20.5 career sacks which surpassed the previous mark of 20 sacks held by Kevin Woods (1983-86).

Muskingum's offense, which is averaging 305 yards and 20.5 points per game, is directed by junior captain quarterback Brody Hahn. Hahn has thrown for 229 yards on 22-of-39 passing with one touchdown and one interception. He's also rushed for 113 yards and three scores on 20 totes.

Senior running back Bernard Johnson leads the ground attack with 117 yards rushing on 29 carries. He's averaging four yards per carry. Freshman running back Jeffrey Curtis has rushed for 43 yards on 17 touches.

The Muskie receivers are paced by freshman Tyler Heinecke, sophomore Patrick Eanes, and senior Darius Hayes-Carruth. Heinecke has a team-best eight receptions for 87 yards, while Eanes has three grabs for 72 yards and one score. Hayes-Carruth has registered four catches for 68 yards.

Muskingum's defense, which is allowing 325 yards and 29.5 points per game, is led by junior linebacker Nehemiah Bowie, senior linebacker Caleb Gaiters and Ousley. Bowie has a team-high 19 hits, while Gaiters has logged 15 stops with one sack and one forced fumble. Ousley has a team-best 2.5 sacks for 11 yards and has racked up 11 tackles. This season, the Muskies have four sacks for 23 yards and two interceptions.

Special teams are led by sophomore kicker Gavin Costello who has connected on both his field-goal attempts this season. He made a 30-yard field goal against Waynesburg and booted a 41-yard field goal against Ohio Northern. He's also averaging 54.2 yards per kickoff.  

Marietta enters the game at 2-0 overall and 1-0 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. The Pioneers opened OAC play last Saturday with a 44-7 win at Captial. Marietta scored 37 points in the second half en route to capturing the road win. The Pioneers ended the outing with 342 yards of offense and 18 first downs.

Senior quarterback Kyle McSweeney leads the Pioneer offense which is averaging 42.5 points and 388.5 yards per game. On the season, McSweeney has thrown for 381 yards and seven touchdowns on 34-of-55 passing with one interception. 

The running game is led by senior Tanner Clark who has rushed for 223 yards and three touchdowns on 44 carries. He's averaging 111.5 yards per game and 5.1 yards per rush. Sophomore Justin Bell has rushed for 128 yards on 23 totes.

The Pioneer receivers are paced by senior Andrew Barker and junior Robert Nelson. Barker has a team-best seven receptions for 116 yards and five touchdowns. Nelson has hauled in six receptions for 85 yards.

Marietta's defense, which is allowing 3.5 points and 205 yards per game, is directed by junior defensive back Tay Pryor, sophomore linebacker Brent McClure, and junior defensive lineman Kyle Gallagher. Pryor has recorded 14 hits and five pass breakups, while McClure and Gallagher have recorded 12 stops each. Overall, the Pioneer defense has logged six sacks for 33 yards and five interceptions.

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