Marietta College lineman Brady Shildwachter (70) and Nate Curry (71) line up for a snap during a game against Capital last season at Don Drumm Stadium. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

The Tom Kaufman era at Marietta College is off to a good start.

The Pioneers avenged a loss to Westminster in the 2024 Extra Points Bowl by defeating the Titans 12-8 in last Thursday’s season opener. Now, Marietta is set to welcome Otterbein to Don Drumm Stadium at 7 p.m. Saturday for the program’s home opener.

“The guys are excited,” Kaufman said. “It was a unique experience to open on the road on a Thursday night. Now to be at home in another night game, it’s going to be fun. There’s positive vibes around the campus and community, and we’re grateful for that.”

After winning the preseason quarterback competition, junior Antwon Johnson ran for a 3-yard touchdown at the 8:53 mark in the third quarter to put MC up for good. The Pioneer defense held from there.

“I thought he played really, really well,” said Kaufman, who watched Johnson go 16 for 26 for 123 yards and no turnovers. “He managed the game extremely well. He made great reads, great decisions, and was an effective runner when he needed to be. He showed maturity and game readiness that was probably ahead of schedule for where he’s at in his career.”

The defense held Westminster to 183 total yards of offense, with Zander Stroup forcing a fumble in the final minute to shut down the Titans’ attempt at a game-winning drive.

“I thought our defense played absolutely lights out and with their hair on fire,” Kaufman said. “They were flying around. I thought our staff did a good job putting players in position to be successful. We named (nose tackle) Isaiah McCartney our player of the week on defense. He played really well against the run and pass.”

McCartney and the Pioneer defense racked up six tackles for loss in the affair and held Westminster to 3.7 yards per carry, a number that was inflated by a Ty McGowan 26-yard QB scramble on the final drive that resulted in a lost fumble

“It was great to see our players play the game the right way,” Kaufman said. “I told them after I truly felt inspired. They played really, really, really hard. They played physical. We were able to run the ball and stop the run, which are the two things we have to do to win in this league.”

Few players in the country ran the ball harder in week one than Marietta’s Vante’ Hodges. The Pioneer senior running back carried 37 times for 171 yards and a touchdown.

“The plan was certainly to give him the ball, but 37? I don’t know if anybody thought it would be that high,” Kaufman laughed. “He wanted it. He asked for it. I thought Benny Lewis (12 carries, 54 yards) spelled him extremely well when he needed a break. It was just that type of game.”

There were a lot of positives to come out of the week one victory, but as Kaufman pointed out, it’s just one game and Marietta aims to keep the momentum going as Ohio Athletic Conference play begins this week.

The Cardinals fell to Ohio Wesleyan 65-28 last week.

“They’re very competitive,” Kaufman said. “Their kids play hard. They look like they do a really nice job running some split zone, and they get downhill pretty quick in the run game and run nice play actions off it. When they’re on defense, they mix up coverages well. They’ve got a couple guys up front that are big, tough and physical. Like every game in the OAC, it’s going to be a tremendous challenge.”

The Cardinals are quarterbacked by Brayden Bayles, who was 11 for 20 for 183 yards and a TD against Wesleyan. His top targets were Owen Menge (3 rec., 90 yards) and Jayson Walker (5 rec., 76 yards, TD). Rocco DeLorenzo led the ground attack with 42 yards on 11 carries.

Defensively, Damar Anderson led the unit with 10 tackles while Zach Nelson had a pick.

“Special teams are going to be a key,” Kaufman said. “I know their head coach (Dave Marquis). He’s a tremendous head coach. They opened their season with a surprise onside kick attempt. They’ll fake a punt, do a sky kick, all the things that give you gray hair. We’ve got to match that energy. Be sharp with our eyes, be sharp with our body position and make sure we break even in that aspect of the game.”

Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@newsandsentinel.com.