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UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio — It wasn't the finish Marietta's football team was expecting, but the Pioneers' 2024 season is not over.
No. 22 Marietta (8-2, 7-2) was unable to handle an athletic John Carroll (8-2, 8-1) on Saturday as the Blue Streaks cruised to a 49-35 victory in front of 2,557 fans at Don Shula Stadium.
"I don't think we matched the energy we had last week (at Mount Union)," said Marietta coach Andy Waddle. "John Carroll is a talented football team and they did a good job of having their guys ready to play and they executed very well today. We didn't play up to the best of our abilities."
Marietta's defense entered Saturday's game allowing only 9.8 points a game, but John Carroll jumped out to 21-7 halftime lead and never looked back.
JCU quarterback Nick Semptimphelter had a near-perfect game as he completed 27-of-32 passes for 288 yards and six touchdowns.
"He completed 84% of his passes, which is unreal," Waddle said.
Tyren Montgomery led JCU in receiving with 10 catches for 145 yards and two touchdowns. He also had a 63-yard rushing score. Kenneth Rawls caught three passes for 38 yards and two scores. Tyler Mintz and Jon Tomcufcik each had a TD catch.
Marietta's fifth-year quarterback Connor Vierstra had another strong outing as he completed 28-of-46 passes for 307 yards and two scores. He connected with senior Dawson Snyder 10 times for 126 yards and one TD. Senior Evan Gandee added six receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown.
"I thought Connor played a great game," Waddle said. "Connor and Dawson Snyder are a record-setting duo and they continued to add to that today. Overall it's been a great group of seniors."
The Blue Streaks outgained Marietta on the ground 182 to 83. Vanté Hodges led the Pioneers with 48 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries. Taz Morris also added a 1-yard TD run.
On defense, Brady Panucci led Marietta with 10 tackles, while Harley Hopkins chipped in with nine tackles. Brady McManaway and Chance Knight each had eight tackles for the Pioneers. JCU's Dylan Crasi had eight tackles, while Tyler Thimons added seven tackles and a sack.
Despite losing its final two games of the season, Marietta's season is not over.
Waddle said the Pioneers will represent the Ohio Athletic Conference in the inaugural Opendorse Bowl Series on Saturday, November 23, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium at Hall of Fame Village in Canton. The Pioneers will face the highest-ranked school from the Presidents Athletic Conference that doesn't make the postseason.
"We're excited to have one more opportunity to play football with this group of student-athletes," Waddle said.
General admission tickets are $20, while club seats are $40. Tickets will be good for both games in the Opendorse Bowl Series and are available online via Ticketmaster. The other game will be a matchup between teams from the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference and the North Coast Athletic Conference.