JORDAN HOLLAND The Marietta Times Marietta College’s Tanner Clark (9) shakes a tackle on his way to the end zone during a college football game against Ohio Northern last week at Don Drumm Stadium. The Pioneers visit Heidelberg at 1:30 p.m. this Saturday.

Another entertaining shootout could be on tap when Marietta College plays Heidelberg University in an Ohio Athletic Conference football game this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Hoernemann Stadium in Tiffin.

The Andy Waddle-coached Pioneers (4-0, 3-0), who share first place in the OAC standings with NCAA Division III top-ranked Mount Union (4-0, 3-0), are averaging 481 yards of total offense this season, including a whopping 541 in a 51-50 win against Capital University in week two. Last Saturday, MC amassed 531 yards in a 43-42 triumph over Ohio Northern University (4-1, 3-1) at Don Drumm Stadium.

Marietta limited ONU to 508.

Meanwhile, on that same day, Scott Donaldson-led Heidelberg (3-1, 2-1) gained a season-best 551 yards of total offense in a 44-13 OAC win at Wilmington College. The Student Princes limited the Quakers to 317.

Needless to say, whichever team’s defense gets the most stops will probably win the game in Tiffin.

Waddle commented on the defense effort following Saturday’s game.

“We’re putting up points, so you get into games where the other team is not trying to manage the clock,” he said. “So, that’s some of it, because we are putting up points and we are playing at a high tempo. With that said, we missed tackles and we blew assignments where guys were running free and we’re in man coverage. We have to clean that stuff up. I do think we’re better (defensively) today than what we were a few weeks ago. We’re continuing to improve.”

Last year, the Pioneers defeated The Berg, 44-21, at Don Drumm.

Marietta is 4-0 for the first time since 1923 when Calvin Coolidge succeeded Warren Harding as President of the United States on Aug. 2 of that year.

MC needed quarterback Darrien Fields to throw a two-point pass conversion to junior running back Tanner Clark with 22 seconds remaining in the contest to beat the visiting Polar Bears of Ada.

Of Marietta’s four victories on the gridiron this season, two have been by one point.

Fields is MC’s triggerman and the school’s career record-holder in TD passes after throwing four against ONU. The senior signal caller — who finished with 315 passing yards on 25 of 36 throws — now has 44, breaking Jason Vrable’s career mark of 41 from 2003-06. (Vrable is currently a New York Jets assistant coach.)

Following the ONU game, Fields looked ahead to the Heidelberg matchup and what Marietta had to do to stay hot.

“We can’t come out flat,” he said. “We’ve got to ride our wave. We’ll celebrate (the win) tonight, (Sunday) watch the film and put it behind us, then get back to grind mode.”

Marietta junior Andrew Barker was Fields’ primary receiver with six catches for 112 yards and three touchdowns of 42, 23 and 12 yards. Bobby Cashaw also had a TD reception of four yards.

Clark was the team’s leading ground-gainer with 180 yards on 34 carries and two TDs of 13 and two yards. On the season, the former Caldwell Redskins standout has 699 net yards on 103 carries, an average of 174.8 yards per game.

Get this, Clark has lost only one measly yard on the ground in four games.

If Heidelberg doesn’t contain Clark, Fields, and Barker, the home team is going to be in for a very long afternoon.

Meanwhile, MC hitman Garrett Davis and his fellow defenders are expected to have their work cut out for themselves.

The Berg will be quarterbacked by Trace Reynolds, who completed 86 percent of his throws (19 of 22) for 265 yards and three TDs against Wilmington. He was also pretty mobile with 45 yards on eight attempts and a 6-pointer.

Reynolds’ main targets versus the Quakers were Braden Jerome with a career-high nine receptions for 142 yards and Maceo Matthews with three catches and two touchdowns.

Like Marietta, Heidelberg mixes the pass and run well. Student Prince sophomore tailback Branden Short rushed for a career-high 139 yards on 18 carries and one TD of 38 yards last weekend.

Heidelberg’s D is expected to be spearheaded by Erik Hagedorn.

“I’m just excited about where we’re at and excited about the community of Marietta supporting us,” Waddle said Saturday. “I think that’s been a big change this year, too. It’s great to be out here altogether and doing it.”

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Associate sports editor Jordan Holland contributed.