Game Notes
Coach Doup Radio Show - Week 10

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein University football team takes the field for the final time in 2016 Saturday afternoon, hosting Marietta College inside Memorial Stadium as part of Senior Day. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

The Cardinals, 4-5 on the year and 4-4 within the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC), will be looking for a fifth-straight victory over the Pioneers to salvage a .500 season.
"This game means a lot because it gets us back to neutral," head coach Tim Doup said. "Our goal every season is to have a winning record. While 5-5 may not necessarily be a winning season overall, a victory gives us a winning season in the OAC and sends our seniors off on the right note."

Otterbein will be saying goodbye to 11 members of its senior class, who will be recognized pregame for their countless hours of hard work, commitment and dedication into representing the program.

"It will be an emotional day for those guys," Doup explained. "They are suiting up in the last game of their careers and, more than anything, playing alongside their best friends for a final time. The camaraderie and bond of knowing they will compete together, on that field, goes away after time expires this week. I hope we make it a memorable day for each of them."

The Cards are eager to finish on a high note after recent losses to top-ranked Mount Union and No. 16 John Carroll. Otterbein's offense had score 30-plus points in four-straight games until the recent setbacks.

Junior quarterback Logan Stepp, sitting third in the OAC with 21 total touchdowns, enters the game needing 305 yards through the air to become just the fourth-different Otterbein player in the last 20 years to pass for 2,000 yards in a season. He currently leads the league with 267 yards of total offense per game (188.3 passing, 78.7 rushing).

Both Marietta and Otterbein have coincidentally scored 250 points each on the season, averaging an identical 27.8 per game. The Pioneers have twice topped 60 points this year and many believe Saturday's contest could turn into a high-scoring affair.

Otterbein's defense has featured a balanced tackling effort this fall, with safety Steven Carpenter and linebackers Jake Harper and Nick Toledo all between 54-56 stops. The Cards will be forced to contain a dangerous Marietta offense that is has posted 37.5 ppg. throughout the last month.

"They are a team with athletes everywhere and big guys up front, on both sides of the ball," Doup explained. "Their program is gaining steam behind a lot of younger players and playing very well right now. It may be Senior Day for us, but this game means a ton to Marietta as well. Another win pushes them into the offseason with momentum as they try to move up the OAC ranks. It's going to be a great battle."

Directing the Marietta offense is sophomore quarterback Darrien Fields, who has thrown for 1,832 yards this year and has 15 combined touchdowns (13 passing, two rushing). Running back Roger Walker has turned heads this fall as a true workhorse, leading the OAC with 174 attempts and now ranking third in rushing after topping 100 yards in six-straight games. He has crossed the goal line 10 times on the ground to go along with 269 yards and another three TD's in a balanced passing game.

The Pioneer defense is led statistically by linebackers Garrett Davis and Cody Walker, who are among the league leaders in tackles with 76 and 73, respectively.

Otterbein got a late defensive touchdown last season to hold off Marietta, 31-21, and notched a 20-0 victory the year before on its home turf. The Pioneers' last triumph in the series came in 2011, nailing a field goal in the closing seconds to escape Westerville by a score of 30-27.

Fans can follow this Saturday's game through LIVE STATS, LIVE AUDIO and LIVE VIDEO. Free admission will be granted to all military personnel in honor of Veterans Day.