INDIANAPOLIS –Â The Marian football team is on to the NAIA FCS Quarterfinals after taking down No. 13 Reinhardt, 17-7, Saturday at St. Vincent Field in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Knights are 10-0 with the win and in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2016.
With a hard sleeting rain coming down, Reinhardt drew first blood on the opening kickoff. Otis Odom hauled in the kickoff and took it back 92 yards to the house to make it 7-0 Eagles. After the opening kickoff, the rain wreaked havoc on both teams with multiple bad snaps, interceptions and fumbles. Marian’s first drive ended with an interception that Reinhardt took back to the Marian three. Johnny William made a massive tackle, hustling back to make the play at the three, keeping Reinhardt out of the end zone.
Marian’s defense then came up with a huge stop that swung momentum the Knights’ way. On 3rd-and-goal, the Eagles fumbled the ball away and Mac Dutra recovered it. The stop proved to be a defining moment in the game. After the two teams traded punts, Marian found the end zone at the end of the first quarter to level the score. After driving down the field thanks to Tristen Tonte, Marian went to the air to get the score with Ethan Darter hitting William in the end zone from 18 yards out. The catch was a beauty as William hauled it in over his shoulder while falling down.
The tie game held until later in the second quarter when Matt Plesac connected on a field goal try from 20 yards out. The field goal capped a mammoth 17 play, 75 yard drive that took almost nine minutes off the clock. Charles Salary ran the ball 14 times during the drive and Marian also had a touchdown called back due to a penalty. The teams went to the locker room with Marian leading 10-7, and Reinhardt gained only 29 yards in the second period.
The third quarter belonged to the punters as five straight 3-and-outs opened the half. Luke Frain was solid for the Knights, averaging nearly 44 yards per punt and pinning the Eagles inside the 20 twice. Neither team was able to score and Marian clung to its three point lead heading into the final 15 minutes. While the offense struggled in the elements, the Knights’ defense was exactly the unit they had been all season. Reinhardt was unable to get anything going, punting on its first two drives of the fourth. Marian then put the game away, turning to Tonte for six straight runs before Darter found Ben Stevens for a 32-yard catch-and-run touchdown.
Marian’s defense shut down Reinhardt on fourth down and the Knights ran out the remainder of the clock to seal the win. Marian gained 333 yards of offense and held Reinhardt to just 102. Darter finished 10-for-21 for 161 yards and two touchdowns, while William hauled in six catches for 105 yards and a touchdown. Tonte and Salary were double trouble on the ground with Tonte racking up 99 yards and Salary finishing with 91. Defensively, Nickai Poyser finished with a team-high nine total tackles with two coming for loss. Dutra had eight tackles, two tackles for loss, one pass breakup and a fumble recovery.
The Knights will await their quarterfinal opponent. The game is scheduled to be played at St. Vincent Field on Nov. 30 at 1:05 p.m.
