The Muskingum football team lost its Homecoming contest against Otterbein on a cold Saturday afternoon in McConagha Stadium, 32-20.
At halftime, Muskingum recognized its newest members of the Athletic Hall of Fame. Inductees honored were Dr. Steve Kokovich '63 (Special Category), Richard CC Rider '65 (Football), Kristen Vejsicky McLane '01 (Volleyball) and Cheryl Davies Ficco '04 (Women's Soccer).
The Muskies (1-5, 1-4) churned out 298 yards of total offense, which included 180 yards on the ground. Junior running back Dominic Bell rushed for 36 yards on six totes, while junior running back Melvin Smith added 34 yards on 12 carries.
Junior quarterback Cody Williams had 32 yards on 14 rushes with two touchdowns. He also went 7-of-13 passing with one touchdown and one interception.
Senior Marvin Morris paced the Muskie receivers with five grabs for 88 yards and one touchdown. Smith logged one grab for 16 yards.
Defensively, senior linebacker Damond Goggins had a game-high 12 tackles. Junior linebacker Chaney Fulton had 10 stops and junior linebacker Zach Barry made nine hits. Junior defensive back Dorian Maynard recorded an interception for the second straight week.
Otterbein (4-2, 4-1) mustered 472 yards of offense. The Cardinals rumbled for 296 yards on the ground.
Brick Davis led the offense going 18-of-29 for 176 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Reid Hutchison had 111 yards rushing on 10 totes with one touchdown and Drew Ervin had 66 yards rushing on 15 carries.
Logan Stepp paced the Cardinal receivers with six grabs for 38 yards and Ryan Thombs had four receptions for 85 yards and one score.
Preston Pearson led the defensive effort that featured five sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Pearson had 11 stops and one interception, while Austin Jones made 10 hits. Dalton Jarvis ended the game with two sacks.
Muskingum led 14-13 late in the second quarter before a Smith fumble on a fourth-and-one gave the ball to the Cardinals at the Otterbein 46 yard line. Hutchison took the first snap following the Muskie turnover and raced 54 yards for a touchdown to give Otterbein the lead for good and change the outings momentum with 1:20 left in the opening half.
Otterbein went on to score the next 12 points to make it 19 unanswered points to take control of the game.
The Muskies opening score came on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Williams to Morris to cap off an eight-play, 75-yard drive in the first quarter.
Williams rushed for a six-yard touchdown to finish a 10-play, 65-yard drive en route to giving the Muskies a 14-13 lead in the late stages of the second quarter.
Williams completed the Muskie scoring with a 16-yard run midway through the fourth frame. The play ended a 13-play, 90-yard drive.
Otterbein used three big plays throughout the game to sting the Muskies. Thombs hauled in a 67-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter, Hutchison raced 54 yards for a score late in the opening half and John Pyles ran for a 36-yard touchdown to end the Cardinal scoring late in the third quarter. Two of Otterbein's big plays followed a Muskingum turnover.
Muskingum hits the field next at Ohio Northern on Saturday, October 25. Game time is slated for 7:00 p.m.