Defiance, Ohio — The 12th-ranked Marian University football team rode a 30-point second quarter to victory in its 53-0 win at Defiance on Saturday, the team's first win of the 2026 season.
TEAM STATISTICS
- Marian out-gained Defiance 524-175
- The Knights rushed for 310 yards to Defiance's 113 rush yards
- MU threw for 214 yards, while holding the Yellow Jackets to 62 yards passing
- Marian gained 20 first downs; DC picked up 15
- The Knights led the time-of-possession battle 32:39 to 27:21
- MU was 4-for-12 (33 percent) on third down, while keeping Defiance to 4-of-13 (31 percent)
- The Knights picked up three sacks in the ball game, while not allowing any on the other side
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
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Ben Schoster was 13-of-19 for 195 yards and two touchdowns in his first action of the season
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Alex Leugers led the team with 86 rushing yards with a touchdown
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Uriah Buchanan added 83 rush yards and a touchdown on a team-leading 10 carries
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Charles Vaden caught two passes for 62 yards and a touchdown
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Montasi Clay totaled 135 all-purpose yards
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Wyatt Woodall logged six tackles with 2.5 for loss and a forced fumble
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Cade Houseman had five tackles and a 37-yard pick-six
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CJ Harris returned a kick 77 yards for a touchdown
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST QUARTER
- Marian took the opening kickoff and went 87 yards in 10 plays, capped by Buchanan's one-yard TD plunge to go up 7-0
- The teams traded punts on the next two drives; Defiance drove the ball into Marian territory on its next possession, but Houseman and
Luke Swartz teamed up to drop the Yellow Jackets for a loss on third and short and the Knights were able to stop Defiance on fourth down to take the ball over
SECOND QUARTER
- Clay's 31-yard grab on 3rd &14 allowed the Marian drive to continue; on 3rd & goal, Schoster's pass found
Zander Bernecker for the touchdown to lead 14-0
- Defiance's Jordan Southall was intercepted by Houseman on the ensuing drive and the junior returned it 37 yards to the house to 21-0
- After a short Defiance return left the Yellow Jackets inside their own 10-yard line, Woodall and
Solomon Parker sacked Southall in his own end zone for a safety, tacking on two points to Marian's lead
- Harris returned the free kick from the safety 77 yards for a touchdown to lead 30-0; the Knights scored 23 points in less than a three-minute span
- Defiance punted on its next drive and both teams failed to convert a fourth down on its following drives
- A 34-yard pass to
Demario Spence set up the Knights in Defiance territory, scoring on Vaden's 22-yard touchdown catch to go up 37-0 at the half
THIRD QUARTER
- Marian forced a Defiance punt on its opening possession of the second half before a 66-yard Clay rush set up the Knights with first and goal
- Harris scored his second touchdown of the day on a three-yard score to extend the lead to 44-0
- After the Knights forced a Yellow Jackets punt, Leugers took the first play 85 yards, as MU led 51-0 at the 5:51 mark in the third quarter
- Back-to-back Marian sacks by
Lucas Hines and Parker &
Alex Bailey pushed Defiance to 4th & 25 in Marian territory; Marian forced an incomplete pass to turn the ball over on downs once again
FOURTH QUARTER
- With the reserves taking over,
Logan Blincoe dropped a 53-yard punt to Defiance's one-yard line at the 3:26 mark
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Devon Brenner and
Jacarei Markey combined for a TFL for the Knights' second safety of the afternoon
GAME NOTES
- Marian moves to 2-0 all-time versus Defiance; the Knights defeated the Yellow Jackets 69-14 in their first-ever meeting last season
- The Knights' third shutout win in the last two seasons
- First career touchdowns for Bernecker, Houseman and Leugers
UP NEXT
- The Knights wrap up their season-opening three-game road trip next week with the Franciscan Bowl, taking on Saint Francis (Ind.) in Fort Wayne at 7 p.m.
