Muskingum hosts John Carroll for 91st Homecoming game
NEW CONCORD, OHIO, October 9, 2012 - The Muskingum University football team will host John Carroll University as part of Muskingum's 91st annual Homecoming celebration on Saturday in McConagha Stadium. Game time is slated for 1:30 p.m. [Inside the Huddle with Coach Al Logan]
The game will be broadcast live on WMCO 90.7 FM and simulcast on the Muskie Sports Network located on the Muskingum athletic web site beginning with the pregame show at 1:15 p.m.
At halftime, Muskingum will honor its newest members of the Athletic Hall of Fame - Doug Morgan (football/1990), Laurie Deal (women's basketball/1993), Ashley Layman Bennett (volleyball/2002) and Rex Hoon (special category/1948).
The Muskies (1-4, 1-3) enter the game after dropping a 23-13 contest at 25th-ranked Otterbein University. Muskingum has opened the year with three games against opponents ranked in the top 25 and one opponent which received votes in the national poll.
John Carroll (3-2, 2-2) enters the outing after beating Marietta College, 61-14. The Blue Streaks ended the game with 641 yards of total offense and were a perfect 9-for-9 in the red zone.
The Muskie offense, which is averaging 17.4 points and 235.2 yards per game, is led by sophomore quarterback Alex Meredith and freshman signal caller C.J. Snider.
Meredith has thrown for 433 yards and three touchdowns and has added 112 yards on the ground, with two scores. Snider is coming off a career-best 96-yard rushing performance with one touchdown. He also has thrown for 79 yards on the year.
In the Muskie backfield will be junior running back Anthony Frye, who has rumbled for 120 yards, and junior back Shane Dotson, who has added 113 yards and one touchdown.
The receivers are paced by junior James Washington and tight end Wes Rataiczak. Washington, who ranks 10th all-time at Muskingum with 1,123 receiving yards, has hauled in 15 receptions this season for 266 yards and three touchdowns. He is just one receiving yard shy of ninth place all-time at Muskingum. Rataiczak has caught four passes for 60 yards and one score.
Muskingum's defense ranks fifth in the league in total defense (309.4 ypg) and sixth in scoring defense (25.4 ppg). The hard-hitting unit is led by junior linebacker Erik Hall and freshman linebacker Chaney Fulton.
Hall ranks 16th in the OAC averaging 6.4 tackles per game, while Fulton ranks 18th averaging 6.2 stops per game.
Also aiding the squad is senior lineman Steve Stooksbury who has logged 20 tackles and junior defensive back Tristan Heath who leads the unit with two interceptions.
Muskingum special teams are paced by senior punter Danny Snively and junior kicker Caleb Carpenter. Snively ranks second in the OAC averaging 39.1 yards per punt with eight punts inside the 20. Carpenter is 3-for-3 on field goal attempts, with a season long of 36 yards.
Sophomore quarterback Mark Myers leads the John Carroll offense which is averaging 465.6 yards and 34.6 points per game. The Blue Streaks rank fourth in the nation in passing offense (351.2 pypg) and 25th in total offense. Myers has thrown for 1,367 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Joining Myers in the backfield is the senior running back tandem of DaQuan Grobsmith and Sean Kuenzig. Grobsmith has rushed for 294 yards and four touchdowns and Kuenzig has added 150 rushing yards and four scores.
The receivers are led by senior Lane Robilotto and junior Alex Kline. Robilotto leads the league averaging 103 receiving yards per outing. He has snared four touchdowns. Kline has notched 20 receptions for 340 yards and three scores.
The Blue Streak defense, which is allowing 16 points and 254.2 yards per contest, is led by the sophomore trio of Kevin Cope, Jimmy King and Frank Pines.
Cope has recorded 46 stops with seven tackles for loss, while King has garnered 39 tackles. Pines has a team-best four sacks.
John Carroll's special teams are paced by Robilotto and sophomore kicker Kresimir Ivkovic and senior kicker Brad Marchese.
Robilotto is averaging 27.6 yards per kick return and the tandem of Ivkovic and Marchese are a combined 5-of-7 on field goal attempts.