MARIETTA, Ohio – The Otterbein University football team put together a strong effort Saturday night, but came up short in a 47-31 road loss to Marietta. The Cardinals led in first downs, passing yards, receiving yards and time of possession and even jumped out to an early lead behind a 24-yard field goal from Braylon Balandra on the opening drive.

Quarterback Brayden Bayles finished 21 of 33 for 198 yards and a touchdown. His top target was Zane Duning, who hauled in seven catches for 70 yards and a score.

The ground game also stood out, with three different Cardinals finding the end zone. Matt Griffin totaled 72 total yards and a rushing touchdown, Bayles added a score with his legs and after recovering a fumble at the 1-yard line, Cayden Lassiter powered his way into the end zone.

On defense, Damar Anderson led Otterbein with 11 tackles (six solo) and an interception. Ausar Imani added four solo tackles to help the defense.

Marietta's explosive second quarter, where they scored 21 points and another 14 points in the fourth ultimately made the difference in the 47-31 loss.

Otterbein now gets a bye week before returning home to host Muskingum on September 27 at Memorial Stadium in Westerville. It will serve as Otterbein's Homecoming weekend.