WESTERVILLE, Ohio—The Otterbein University football team, in the hunt for back-to-back winning seasons, hosts the Pioneers of Marietta College Saturday, 1:30 p.m., in Memorial Stadium. It will be Senior Day.
In addition, in honor of Veterans Day, U.S. veterans will receive free admission into the game.
“Senior Day is always tough on me,” said Otterbein head coach Tim Doup, who is in his second season at his alma mater. “I’m an emotional guy. This one won’t be as hard because it’s not the last game. After we play Northern, I think it’ll hit me harder.
“Seniors always mean a lot,” Doup continued. “They put in all that work for four years, and dedicated themselves to this program. It’s always tough to see them go.”
Otterbein, 4-4 overall and 4-3 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC), needs to win its final two games to ensure a second-straight winning season. The Cardinals close out 2013 at Ohio Northern Nov. 9. Otterbein finished 8-2 in 2012.
The Cardinals come into the game off a 19-14 win over crosstown rival Capital last Saturday in Westerville. Senior quarterback Ben Sizemore completed 25 of 35 pass attempts for 315 yards, and threw touchdown passes of 21 and 24 yards to senior receiver Steven Carpenter. Carpenter finished with nine catches for 134 yards.
“To be honest,” Doup said, “I don’t think it should have been that close.”
Otterbein made four other trips to the red zone, settling for field-goal attempts on three of them. Junior place-kicker Alana Gaither made both of her attempts from 18 and 22 yards.
Marietta, under first-year head coach Andy Waddle, heads into the game off a 31-7 loss to Baldwin Wallace University last Saturday in Marietta. The Pioneers outgained the Yellow Jackets in total offense, 360-313 yards. BW led by just seven points at intermission, 14-7, following a 43-yard pick-six with 33 seconds to play in the first half.
The Pioneers, 1-7 overall, snapped a 17-game losing streak a week earlier, scoring 22 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to defeat Wilmington College, 52-21, Oct. 26 at home.
“Offensively, I think they are pretty balanced,” Doup said about Marietta. “Kirby Harris is a great receiver. They can sling it around. But they are running the ball more than they have in the past. Defensively, they are a pressure defense, always stunting. They have some good guys in the back end disguising coverage. It’s going to be tough to read coverages and know when they are blitzing.”
Although Otterbein defeated Marietta, 40-20, last season in Marietta, the two teams have split wins over the last four years with Marietta winning in 2009 and 2011.
“It’s not going to be an easy day,” Doup said about Saturday’s matchup with Marietta. “Nothing is easy for us. If we can pull this one out, we will be within a win from our main goal (winning season). We’re in the second game of our three-game season.”
