MARIETTA, Ohio – Heidelberg University scored 24 points off Marietta College turnovers as the Student Princes defeated the Pioneers, 44-21, Saturday (Oct. 9) afternoon at Don Drumm Stadium. Marietta slips to 2-3 overall and 2-2 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Heidelberg moves to 3-1 overall and 3-1 in the OAC.
Heidelberg took the opening drive 75 yards on 10 plays and capped the drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass. The Student Princes got in the endzone on a 14-yard wide receiver screen pass from Drew Sims to Maceo Matthews.
Marietta had their opening drive cut short when Connor Vierstra fumbled on a quarterback keeper and the ball was recovered by Heidelberg on the Marietta 31-yard line, with 9:26 minutes to play in the opening frame. The Student Princes took advantage of the short field to make the score 14-0. Heidelberg put together a six-play, 31-yard drive capped by a 1-yard run by Montavious Yearby.
On the Pioneers' ensuing possession, Zach Blackiston had a strip sack on Vierstra on third and 10 for the Pioneers. The Student Princes made Marietta pay with a 24-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the drive. Sims threw his second touchdown pass of the quarter when he found Dimitri Penick in the endzone with 6:10 remaining in the quarter.
Marietta got on the board late in the first quarter on a six-play, 61-yard drive. The Pioneers made it 21-7 when Vierstra threw a 17-yard strike to Dawson Snyder, as time expired in the first quarter. Matthew Haus added the extra point.
The ensuing Heidelberg drive was cut short as Sims threw an interception on 3rd and 14. The ball was picked off by Darius Hatch at the Marietta 30-yard line and returned for 20 yards to midfield. But for the third time Marietta's drive ended with a lost fumble.
The Student Princes took a 28-7 lead on a four-play, 49-yard drive that ended with 10:20 minutes to play until the half. Heidelberg ran on the first three plays of the drive and finished the drive with a 38-yard touchdown pass from Sims to Matthews.
Marietta turned the ball over on downs at the Berg 33-yard line. The Student Princes took the ball 67 yards on eight plays. The drive was capped by a 38-yard touchdown pass by Sims to Brandon Reed, to make the score 34-7 with 4:40 to play until the half.
Heidelberg closed out the first half scoring with a 21-yard field goal from Braden Steckel. The field goal was set up by an interception from Easton St. Clair.
The Pioneers got the second half kickoff and drove down the field on five plays covering 62 yards. The drive was capped by a 33-yard touchdown pass from Logyn Ratliff to Austin Veatch. Veatch caught the pass on the five-yard line and dove to the pylon for the score.
After three straight punts, Marietta opened an 11-play, 98-yard drive that spanned over four minutes of action. Bryce Agnew was the main offense on the drive, he carried the ball four times and covered 52 yards. Agnew capped the drive with a 39-yard touchdown run. The run made the score 37-21 late in the third quarter.
The Student Princes answered quickly with a four-play, 79-yard drive. Heidelberg put the ball in the endzone on a 57-yard strike from Sims to Matthews.
Marietta travels to Wilmington College on Saturday (Oct. 16) for a 3 p.m. kickoff.