INDIANAPOLIS -- The NAIA's No. 4 team had its offense in high gear on Saturday, as Marian (Ind.) rode a 20-of-21 performance by quarterback Adam Wiese to a 38-0 victory over Notre Dame.  (Box)

Marian (4-0) -- an NAIA playoff team a year ago -- racked up 565 total yards of offense, and the Notre Dame (1-2) offense was held off the scoreboard for the first time in 2011. Wiese was outstanding for the host Knights. The junior Indianapolis native threw for 273 yards, and three of his completions found paydirt. At the end of the afternoon, an outmanned NDC defense had given up 292 rushing yards, 273 passing yards and a season-high 38 points.

Running back Pedro Powell's day in Indianapolis was a bright spot for Notre Dame. The 5-foot-10, 210-pound sophomore rushed for 157 yards. But none of those yards carried NDC over the Marian goal line, and that resulted in the Falcons being shut out for the fourth time in their history and the first time this season.

For Marian, shutting down an opponent is nothing new this year. The Knights have held foes scoreless in three of their four wins this year. Overall, they've outscored their opponents, 156-14, over their four games.

Marian struck first in the game, when the Knights knifed through Notre Dame on a quick, four-play drive in the middle of the first quarter. Quarterback Adam Wiese connected with Dexter Taylor on a 23-yard screen pass to cap the 80-yard drive off with a touchdown, as Marian grabbed the early lead.

Notre Dame looked like they were going to match MU's '7' on the St. Vincent Health Field scoreboard when on their next drive Pedro Powell darted 71 yards down the right sideline before being pushed out at the Marian 2-yard line. But the Knights defense came up big -- MU came up with a goal-line stand, and the Falcons came away with nothing when kicker Chris McClearn had a 25-yard field-goal attempt blocked.

After that special-teams miscue, Marian again marched down the field, this time eating up six minutes-and-35 seconds on a 12-play, 82-yard drive which resulted in a TD run by fullback Nick Bradford.

Marian tacked on seven more points before the end of the first half, when Wiese found running back Tevin Lake on a screen play. Lake weaved his way through the NDC defense and found paydirt to put the home side up, 21-0.

In the opening half, Marian racked up 185 yards through the air, as Wiese went 13-of-14, finding six different Knight receivers in the process.

Notre Dame's offense showed late life in the first half. After the Lake touchdown, which was scored at the 1:07-mark, NDC marched into MU territory before a fourth-down hail mary fell incomplete in the waning moments of the second quarter. With that incompletion, the Falcons went into halftime trailing, 21-0.

In the first half, Marian managed to top the 250-yard mark (254) in total offense. Pedro Powell (132 yards rushing) represented 70 percent of NDC's 189 yards in total offense.

In the third quarter, Marian retained control of the game as the Knights continued to display a high-power offense. MU got a 23-yard field goal from Mike Josifovski and then a 6-yard TD run from Tevin Lake, as the Knights extended their lead to 31-0.

Marian scored the final TD of the game in the fourth, when Wiese connected with Taylor yet again on a long gain on a screen pass, a 25-yarder on a third-and-3 at the 9:55-mark. Notre Dame held the ball for just three minutes-and-17 seconds in the final quarter.

Powell followed up his big first half with 25 rushing yards in the second. His 157 yards for the game mark the second-best single game performance of his career (236 yards at Central State, Oct. 2, 2010). Powell toted the football 20 times in the game, averaging 7.8 yards per carry.

NDC managed just 90 yards through the air, with quarterback Rob Partridge going 12-of-32. Partridge was sacked twice, and he threw one interception. For a second straight week, Jack Foy led the team in catches. Foy had five grabs for 22 yards.

On defense the Falcons were led by safety Bo Grunder, who recorded 10 tackles. Grunder forced and then recovered a Marian fumble, thus accounting for the Knights only turnover of the game. Hayden Davis, Josh Remark and Sylvester Flowers each made seven stops in the game.

Marian's run game was paced by Tevin Lake (19 carries, 99 yards) and Dexter Taylor (five, 106). Four separate MU rushers averaged over 5.0 yards per attempts with four or more carries. Wide receiver Jullian Williams led all receivers in the game -- he hauled in eight balls for 111 yards. Defensive lineman Seth Vondersaar had a big game for the still-undefeated Knights. Vondersaar had 12 tackles, including three-and-a-half tackles for loss and two sacks. He also forced a fumble and was a constant disruptive force for Notre Dame to deal with.

For the Knights, their 565 yards of offense set a new program record. That total sets a new mark for NDC as well, as the most the Falcons have yielded in a single game.

The game at Marian caps off a three-game road swing to start the 2011 season for the Falcons. Notre Dame will play its home opener next Saturday (Sept. 24) when the Falcons host the Saints of Siena Heights University (Mich.).