(COLUMBUS, Ohio) - Capital University's football team rolled up 531 yards of total offense and the Crusaders defeated Marietta College 38-6 in an Ohio Athletic Conference matchup Saturday at Bernlohr Stadium.
Capital, ranked No. 4 in the nation, improved to 4-0 (3-0 OAC), while the Pioneers dropped to 1-3 (0-3) on the season. The Crusaders travel to Alliance to face top-ranked Mount Union College next Saturday.
Touchdown passes of 16 and 32 yards from junior quarterback Marty Assmann (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley HS) to junior wideout Evan Blake (Circleville, Ohio/Logan Elm HS) put the Crusaders ahead 14-0 just over five minutes into the game. Assmann's keeper from 15 yards out gave Capital a 21-0 lead in the second quarter, and senior receiver Derick Alexander (Grove City, Ohio/Grove City HS) scored on a 76-yard fumble recovery to make it 28-0 at intermission.
Freshman kicker Garrett Bennington (Cambridge, Ohio/John Glenn HS) connected on a 44-yard field goal in the third quarter, and sophomore receiver Matt White (Mason, Ohio/Mason HS) scored on a 30-yard pass from Assmann that gave Capital a 38-0 lead halfway through the third.
Senior linebacker Pete Ankrom (Springfield, Ohio/Springfield North HS) led Capital's defense with a game-high 13 tackles, senior defensive end Nick Sadler (Lima, Ohio/Shawnee HS) had five tackles and 1.5 sacks, and sophomore linebacker Sam Jacobs (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Watterson HS) added nine tackles. The defense forced 12 punts and came up with a pair of takeaways.
Assmann ran for 47 yards and also completed 14-of-19 passes for 267 yards and the three touchdowns. His top target was Alexander, who caught five balls for 105 yards, while Blake and White each had over 50 yards receiving. Junior running back Tim Connor (Cleveland, Ohio/Glenville HS) had 78 yards on 19 carries as the Crusaders rushed for 255 yards.