BEREA, OHIO -- The Baldwin-Wallace College football team lost to Ohio Athletic Conference rival Marietta College, 32-31, today (Nov. 5) at The George Finnie Stadium in Berea on Homecoming. The Pioneers scored the final 18 points of the game to erase a 31-13 Yellow Jacket lead.
The Yellow Jacket loss drops their overall mark to 3-6 and ends their 38-year streak of non-losing seasons. With its win, Marietta improves to 5-4 overall and 4-4 in the league.
B-W opened the scoring just 25 seconds into the first quarter when junior safety Jake Knipp sacked Marietta quarterback Jason Vrabel in the end zone and recorded a safety to put the Yellow Jackets up, 2-0.
Marietta then scored on a 20-yard pass play from Vrabel to Chad McDaniel to go up, 7-2, with 3:10 left in the first quarter. The Yellow Jackets responded with a three-yard touchdown run by sophomore Brad Rhoden (Galena/ Sunbury Big Walnut) at the 10:52 mark of the second quarter. The run failed on the two-point conversion attempt and the Yellow Jackets led, 8-7.
Less than two minutes later, B-W sophomore linebacker Luke Chronister (Ashland/ Senior) blocked a Marietta punt attempt and the ball was kicked by the Pioneer punter back into the Pioneer end zone, resulting in B-W's second safety of the game and gave the Jackets a 10-7 lead with 9:14 to play in the first half.
Junior All-OAC running back Brandon Hedges (Oregon/ Clay) added to the scoring when he found the end zone on a seven-yard TD run with 4:15 left in the half and the Yellow Jackets led, 17-7. Marietta struck again, scoring on a 10-yard run by Vrabel with 56 seconds to play in the half. Marietta's extra point attempt was blocked and B-W went into the intermission with the lead at 17-13.
The Yellow Jackets opened the second half with a 9:00, 18-play, 98-yard drive, capped by a two-yard TD run by sophomore quarterback Mickey Mental (Olmsted Falls) to lead 24-13 with 3:41 left in the third quarter. Hedges then added to the lead with his second TD of the game on a one-yard run at the 11:06 mark in the fourth quarter to give B-W a 31-13 lead.
Undaunted Vrabel then led three consecutive Marietta scoring drives to take the lead at 32-31 with 51 seconds left in the game. The first was a 75-yard drive, capped off with a one-yard TD run by Vrabel with 7:57 left in the game. Vrabel then marched the Pioneers 92 yards in 1:58 and found wide receiver Jason Curry for a six-yard TD pass with 3:50 to play. The Pioneers then went 80 yards and Vrabel found Nic North for an 11-yard TD on the third drive.
B-W had one final chance to win, but a Mental pass was intercepted by linebacker Darren Marks and the Pioneers ran out the clock.
Offensively, Mental led the Yellow Jacket attack, completing 15-of-29 passes for a career-high 227 yards. He also ran the ball 15 times for 50 yards and a score. Hedges topped all B-W runners with 59 yards in 18 trips with two TD. Senior wide receiver Tom Murphy caught a team-high five passes for 79 yards. Defensively, senior inside linebacker Joe George (Massillon/ Perry) had a game-high 17 tackles and now has 323 in his career and is seven shy of a B-W career record.
Marietta's Vrabel completed 32-of-52 for 305 yards with three TD and one interception. Vrabel also led Marietta runners with 49 yards in 14 attempts with two TD. McDaniel led all Pioneer receivers with 10 catches for 97 yards and a TD. Defensively, Marks topped the Pioneers with 13 tackles.
Next Saturday's (Nov. 12) B-W versus John Carroll game is the Annual Battle for the Cuyahoga Gold Bowl trophy. Game time at Finnie Stadium is 1:30 p.m.
FOR MORE B-W SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact B-W Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327, by FAX at 440-826-2329 or via e-mail atkruple@bw.edu. To contact Yellow Jacket Head Coach John Snell, please call him at 440-826-2069, FAX him at 440-826-2192 or e-mail him atjsnell@bw.edu.
