MARIETTA, Ohio – The Otterbein football team dropped its first road game of the season on Saturday afternoon inside Don Drumm Stadium, falling behind early to host Marietta College and eventually resting with a 50-0 final result.

The Cardinals will now look to regroup quickly with their annual cross-town rivalry showdown on deck, as the Capital Comets await next week in Bexley.

Marietta improves to 2-1 on the season with another strong defensive effort. The Pioneers held St. John Fisher to just seven points in their opener, and then held powerhouse Mount Union scoreless in the second half last week while intercepting the Purple Raiders twice.

This time around, Marietta kept Otterbein off the scoreboard en route to methodically pulling away despite some very competitive stretches.

THE PLOT:

• Both teams exchanged possessions before an Otterbein set Marietta up in the red zone. The Pioneers scored, and then added two more to hold a 16-0 edge after one full quarter.
   
• The Cards trailed 22-0 but pushed forward with a nice offensive drive late in the second period. An 11-play, 78-yard drive advanced down to the one-yard line after four-straight completions from Eason Hardouin and the chains moving on fourth down. Unfortunately, Otterbein came up empty on four-straight plays.
   
• Marietta went 98 yards over the next four minutes to post a backbreaking touchdown, as Otterbein's defense was formidable but succumbed to a screen pass (that went the distance) in the final 30 seconds. The Pios went into halftime leading 29-0.
   
• The Pioneers scored on their opening drive of the second half to make the game 36-0.
   
• Both teams went on fourth down in "no-man's land" multiple times in the second half, with Otterbein eventually moving inside the five-yard line during the closing minute. The last-ditch attempt to hit the board came up short after a pair of rushes for no gain.
   

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Marietta was 8 of 13 on third down compared to just a 2 of 13 output for Otterbein.
   
• The game featured 21 penalties for more than 200 yards assessed.
   
• The Pioneers held a 290-45 edge in rushing yards.
   
• Armani Burton finished with nine catches for 104 yards out wide for the Cards.
   
• Tayon Howard made a whopping 17 tackles (easily a career-high), including 1.5 for a loss and his third interception of the season.
   

 UP NEXT:

• Kickoff between Otterbein and Capital for the Roush Auto Rivalry Showdown inside Bernlohr Stadium is set for 1:30 p.m.