No. 2 ranked Mount Union used a balanced offensive attack to defeat Marietta College by the score of 30-19 Saturday afternoon. The loss drops Marietta to 4-5 overall and 3-5 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Mount Union moves to 9-0 overall and 7-0 in the OAC.

Marietta got on the scoreboard first in the opening quarter. Quarterback Joe Tenta completed 5-of-7 passes, including four completions to John Sierputowski as the Pioneers drove 69 yards on 11 plays. Benny Lewis ran the ball in from the one for the touchdown.

Mount Union’s defense held on fourth and one at the Purple Raider 40-yard line. A long pass from Mikey Maloney to Davion Grant for 30 yards moved the ball to the Pioneer 28-yard line. After three short rushes, Maloney connected with Darnell Williams on a 9-yard touchdown pass tying the game.

After forcing a Marietta punt, the Purple Raiders moved to the Pioneer 6-yard line before settling for a 23-yard field goal from Ivan Maric. Tenta was picked off on the ensuing possession and Mount Union quickly added points to the board. Two passes to Grant, one for 16 yards and one for 17 yards and a touchdown, pushed the lead to 17-7.

Isaiah Mitchel returned the ensuing kickoff back 44 yards to the Mount Union 47-yard line. A pass to Sierputowski for 21 yards and a Vante’ Hodges 8-yard rush moved the ball to the 18-yard line. Tenta connected with Sierputowski on an 18-yard touchdown. The extra point was blocked and the score remained 17-13 at halftime.

Maloney capped a 6-play, 68-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown scamper. Once again Marietta responded with points of their own. Tenta completed a 24-yard pass to Sierputowski and a 32-yard pass to Dalton Miller setting up a Hodges 3-yard touchdown run. Marietta’s two-point try was no good.

Mount Union needed little time to put another touchdown on the board. On fourth-and-two from the Marietta 37-yard line, Maloney hit Grant for another touchdown. The Purple Raiders went for two and failed leaving the score 30-19.

Maloney completed 20-of-31 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns. Grant had nine catches for 170 yards and two scores. On the ground, Kayden Minner rushed for 73 yards on 17 carries.

Tenta completed 22-of-39 passes for 258 yards and one touchdown. Sierputowski had eight catches for 99 yards and one score. Hodges rushed for 34 yards on 10 carries and scored once.

Brady McManaway led the Marietta defense with 14 tackles, including 2.5 for a loss and one sack. He broke up one pass and blocked a Mount Union field goal.

Marietta closes out the season at home next Saturday when the Pioneers host Bluffton. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.