INDIANAPOLIS - Overcoming a lengthy weather delay, the Marian football team wasted no time asserting their dominance in their first-ever meeting against Defiance College, racing to a 38-0 halftime lead before ending the game on top 69-14. The family weekend victory at Ascension St. Vincent Field moves the Knights to 2-1 on the season. 

As kickoff loomed, so too did Mother Nature, with a storm cell delaying the start of Saturday's game for 80 minutes. The Knights overcame the long delay pregame and wasted no time welcoming Defiance to Ascension St. Vincent Field, forcing a quick three-and-out as Ozzy Pollard recorded a third down sack to force a punt. Marian put points on their first possession as the drive stalled in the red zone and led to a Kenny Curry 28-yard field goal. The defense forced another punt, and in an instant, the offense found the end zone, with Avery Garlock taking his first collegiate carry 68 yards for a touchdown on the second play of the ensuing series. Garlock nearly hit the turf as he was wrapped up after a 13-yard pickup, but avoided touching the ground, and continued racing to make it a 10-0 lead.

A Deon Pettiford sack at the end of the first quarter sealed a 10-0 lead, and set the program record for career tackles for loss, with the senior logging his 39th career TFL. Pettiford passed Ryan Hartnett '15 for the all-time lead.

The offense continued to click as they moved near midfield with the first quarter coming to a close, and on the second play of the following period, Tristan Polk hit a deep shot to Jake Reichard, connecting for a 51-yard score. A three-and-out set up by a Wyatt Woodall sack brought the offense back onto the field, and with a short field following the punt, Polk scampered in from 13 yards away on a draw to make the game a 24-0 contest. Logan Carrington ended the next Yellowjacket drive with his third interception of the year, and again the offense scored, this time on the legs of Polk as the senior quarterback took a fourth-and-one 63 yards to the house.

The longest run of Polk's career made the game 31-0 in favor of Marian, and on the next possession Hunter Newman scored his first collegiate touchdown on an 11-yard rush. Marian's defense would pitch a first-half shutout as they forced a turnover on downs at their own eight-yard line in the waning seconds of the quarter, and went into halftime leading 38-0. 

Marian scored on six of its seven first-half possessions, and continued its offensive dominance into the third quarter, opening the half with a 31-yard field goal from Kenny Curry. The Knights would punt on their second series of the quarter, but continued their scoring as the defense proved to be too much to handle, getting a touchdown run from Uriah Buchanan to make the game 48-0.

The Knights scored on all but one of their fourth-quarter possessions, getting rushing scores from Todd Hickman (69 yards) and CJ Harris (63 yards), while Montasi Clay ran back a kickoff for a touchdown from 84 yards out. Defiance would score twice in the fourth quarter, but the return touchdown from Clay was the final strike, ending the game in a runaway 69-14 victory.

As a team, the Knights rushed for 435 yards, the second-highest total in program history behind a 2015 performance at Missouri Baptist. Marian out-gained Defiance 569-283 in offensive yards, doing so while possessing the ball for 10 minutes less than the Yellowjackets.

Tristan Polk passed for 134 yards and one touchdown in the win, while setting a career-high 71 yards on the ground with two rushing scores. Reichard recorded 89 yards through the air and a touchdown, while Todd Hickman led the team in rushing with 77 yards. Eight different Knights ran the ball on Saturday, with each player gaining 30 or more yards. Four different Marian running backs scored their first collegiate touchdowns, while Montasi Clay scored his first career touchdown on his kickoff return score. Clay had 104 yards of all-purpose yardage, a game-high for Marian. 

Defensively, Cade Houseman led the team in tackles with nine, while Jaxson Scruggs made seven total tackles, including his first career interception. Jason Redmon also recorded his first career interception in the win, while JT Downey was one of six Knights to record at least a half sack. 

The Knights hit the bye week following the win, and will finish the month of September at home against current No. 6 Indiana Wesleyan. The September 27 game will kick at 1:05 p.m.

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