Complete Game Notes
GAME QUICK FACTS
Cheyney (0-6, 0-3) at Millersville (0-6, 0-3)
Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008 - 1 p.m.
Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium
Audio: Marauder Sports Broadcasting Network
TICKETS
Reserved Seat: $8
General Admission: $6
Senior Citizen: $3
Children under six: Free
MU Students, Facults, Staff with ID: Free
THE SERIES
Millersville leads, 52-4-1
First Meeting: 1951 (MU 14, CU 13)
Last Meeting: 2007 (MU 16, CU 0)
Current Streak: MU, 24
ABOUT THE GAME
• Both Millersville and Cheyney enter Saturday's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division clash looking for not only its first conference victory, but also its first overall win of 2008. Both teams are 0-6 overall and 0-3 in the league. Millersville, 0-6 for just the second time since 1969, has shown marked improvement in recent weeks, especially on offense which managed 24 points against the No. 8 Bloomsburg Huskies last week. Cheyney is also coming off a near-miss, as it led Kutztown 13-7 at halftime last week before falling 31-13.
• Last Saturday, the Marauders went toe-to-toe with nationally ranked Huskies before bowing to its power running attack in the fourth quarter. Millersville trailed just 21-14 at halftime and was within 34-24 before Bloomsburg pulled away with two late scores. The Marauders still managed one of their best offensive showings of the season, totaling 22 first downs and matching its highest point total of the season with 24 points. Senior Andy Tischbein recorded his first 100-yard receiving performance since 2006 with 111 yards on eight catches. Bill Shirk connected on 22-of-33 passes for 228 yards and two scores. It was his second 200-yard passing performance in three games as the starting quarterback. Matthew Booker also scored the first two touchdowns of his career.
• Three second half turnovers proved to be Cheyney's undoing against Kutztown last week. Cheyney managed just 69 yards rushing and 131 yards passing. Quarterback was 18-of-28 for 131 yards and a touchdown. Darryl Jones made the TD grab, and it was one of his team-leading seven catches.
• Millersville's 0-6 start is its first since 2002 and just the third since 1969. The Marauders last opened PSAC East play with three-straight losses in 2003 when Kevin Kiesel was head coach. The Marauders have allowed over 400 yards of offense in all six games this year and have allowed over 400 yards rushing twice. Offensively, though, the team seems to have turned a corner with Bill Shirk at the helm. Shirk has thrown for 554 yards and five touchdowns in his three starts.
• Audio coverage can be heard on the new home for Millersville athletics, the Marauder Sports Broadcasting Network (MSBN). MSBN is accessed by visiting the Millersville athletics' site. Millersville alum Domenic Panza will be the play-by-play commentator and Brad Chandler will be the color commentator.
THE HEAD COACHES
• Greg Colby spent most of his career as an assistant at the Division I level, but has served as a head coach. From 1979-86, he was the head coach at Schlarman High School and Naperville High School in Illinois. While at Schlarman, Colby led the team to back-to-back Illinois High School 2-A State Championships (1981-82).
• Colby has an impressive resume. He came to Millersville after serving as the defensive coordinator at Northwestern from 2002-07 during which time the Wildcats posted three-straight six-win seasons for the first time in 70 years. He was also the defensive coordinator at Kent State for four seasons and served as a defensive assistant at Michigan State under Nick Saban and at Illinois under Lou Tepper.
• Jeff Braxton is in his first season with the Wolves after spending three years as the offensive coordinator at Delaware State. Prior to taking over, Braxton gained experience as an assistant at Cheyney, Delaware State, Bowie State, Hofstra, Towson, Fordham, Wesleyan, Morehouse and Tennessee State.
• Braxton was an offensive lineman at Salisbury State. He earned his bachelor's from there and in 2004, he also earned a master's in education from Salisbury.
ABOUT THE SERIES
• Millersville and Cheyney have met 57 times since the first meeting in 1951. The Marauders hold an impressive 52-4-1 all-time mark and have won 24-straight. Cheyney's last victory in the series came in 1983 by a 21-20 score. Cheyney's four wins in the series have come by just 6.75 points per game. Millersville, meanwhile, has outscored Cheyney by an average score of 32.5-9.3. Since 2001, Millersville has outscored Cheyney by an averaging margin of 40.1-6.4. Included in those six games have been four shutouts by the Marauders.
• Millersville blanked the Wolves one year ago in Cheyney, 16-0. It was the closest contested game in the series since 1991 when the Marauders edged Cheyney 42-32. Last year, Millersville forced seven Cheyney turnovers and received 133 yards rushing from Brad Lantz.
THE LAST MEETING
• Millersville forced seven Cheyney turnovers and went on to pick-up their first shutout of the season, 16-0, Oct. 27, 2007 in PSAC action at Cheyney University.
• Defensive Back Brandon Shelton picked off Cheyney quarterback Derrick Murry twice in the first half, including one he returned 60 yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage that put the Marauders on the board just 21 seconds into the game. The interceptions were his team-leading fourth and fifth of the season and marked the second week in a row he returned an interception for a touchdown. Shelton intercepted a pass and returned it 21 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter of last week's 42-28 loss to Bloomsburg.
• The Marauder secondary would not be done with Murray as they picked him off two more times including interceptions by linebacker Brandon Tyler and defensive back Julius Carter.
• Tyler ended a Cheyney scoring threat late in the third quarter when he intercepted the ball at Millersville's 34-yard line and returned it 16 yards before being tackled. The play ended a seven-play, 28 yard drive by the Wolves.
• Carter's interception came on Cheyney's second possession of the game and also ended a seven-play drive into Marauder territory. Carter returned the pick 21 yards before taken down.
• Brad Lantz finished the day with 133 yards rushing on 23 carries.
THE LAST TIME OUT
• Millersville traded punches for three quarters with No. 8-ranked Bloomsburg Saturday at Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium, but the heavyweight Huskies delivered a knockout blow with its power running game in the fourth quarter to pull away from Millersville by a 49-24 final score.
• Bloomsburg remained perfect on the season, improving to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the PSAC East while the Marauders were kept without a victory, falling to 0-6 and 0-3 in the conference. The Huskies entered the contest ranked third in Division II in rushing offense with 274 yards per game and after managing 138 yards in the first half, Bloomsburg broke out in the second, racking up 290 rushing yards on 30 carries while controlling the ball for over 21 minutes. Bloomsburg finished the game with 428 rushing yards and 511 total, becoming the second opponent to rush for over 400 yards against Millersville this season. It also became the sixth-straight team to record over 400 yards of total offense against Millersville.
• Millersville's offense, however, was up for the challenge. Red-shirt sophomore Bill Shirk kept the Marauders close until late, leading four scoring drives in the first three quarters to match Millersville's highest point total of the season. Shirk completed 22-of-33 passes for 228 yards, 157 of which came in the first half, giving him two 200-yard passing performances in his three starts this season.
• Benefiting from Shirk's accuracy was senior wide receiver Andy Tischbein, who hauled in eight catches for 111 yards--his first 100-yard receiving effort since 2006. Brad Lantz (Towanda/Towanda) was impressive early, rushing for 51 yards on 12 carries and catching five passes for 75 yards, but was forced to exit the game in the third quarter because of injury and was not able to return.
• Lantz's absence obviously slowed the Marauder offense as it was unable to match Bloomsburg's two-score fourth quarter run. Bloomsburg also had an answer for every Millersville comeback attempt.
SCOUTING CHEYNEY
• Cheyney has struggled on both sides of the ball this season, averaging just 11.2 points per game (15th in the PSAC) and allowing a league-worst 42.6 points per game. Its offense is led by quarterback Ronald Thompson, who has rushed for 122 yards and thrown for an average of 134.8 yards per game. Darryl Jones is his favorite target with 16 catches.
• Cheyney has balance between the rush and pass. Thompson has been efficient, completing 54.9 percent of his passes for 809 yards. He also has four touchdowns to three interceptions. Thompson ranks ninth in the PSAC in total offense at 155.2 yards per game. The ground game is led by Chinoso Okoro, who has a team-leading 298 yards but is averaging just 3.2 yards per carry. He does, however, have a team-best five touchdowns. He and back-up Bobby Hogan have both displayed big-play ability as each have a rush of 40 or more yards this year.
• Cheyney is one of the best in the PSAC at taking care of the football. The team has turned the ball over just eight times, which is second best in the league. At the same time, it has forced 14 turnovers, including nine fumbles and five interceptions, to rank second in the PSAC with a +6 turnover margin.
• Defensively, the Wolves are surrendering 238.5 rushing yards per game and teams are converting on 54 percent of third downs. Demel Chambers is the team's top tackler with 61.
• Special teams has been an issue for the Wolves as well. They rank last in the conference in kickoff average and kickoff coverage. The team has also failed to convert six of its nine PAT attempts.
TOUGH SLEDDING
• While Millersville is 0-6 to start the season, the team has endured one of the most difficult schedules in the PSAC to date. Each of Millersville's first six opponents is .500 or better. Bentley and Shippensburg, at 3-3, have the lowest winning percentage of any opponent. Slippery Rock has four victories. Indiana (Pa.) is 4-1 and is ranked 16th in the nation. IUP's lone loss was to No. 8 California by two points. West Chester is 4-2 and was at one point ranked in the top 25. The Golden Rams' two losses came to California and to Delaware, which is ranked in the top 10 in Division I Championship Subdivision. Bloomsburg, Millersville's most recent opponent, is No. 6 in Division II with a 6-0 record.
• Two of Millersville's opponents are nationally ranked and three cracked the top 25 during the season. Slippery Rock has also received votes in recent weeks. Looking ahead, Edinboro is on the schedule in the final week of the season and is currently ranked No. 18 in Division II. Also, East Stroudsburg, which Millersville is scheduled to face on Nov. 1, is 5-1.
NEW FOUND OFFENSE
• With Bill Shirk at the helm, the Marauders have cranked up its offensive output. Last Saturday against Bloomsburg, Millersville produced its highest offensive output of the season with 24 points. Millersville also scored 24 points against Slippery Rock on Sept. 6, but 14 of those points came on a punt return for a touchdown and a recovered fumble for a touchdown. Shirk led four scoring drives against Bloomsburg, which was the most all season.
• Shirk was sharp, completing 22-of-33 passes to become the first Millersville quarter back since 2004 to complete at least 20 passes in a game. The last Marauder QB to perform the feat was Dan Csencsitz. Shirk's two touchdown tosses was the first two TD pass performance by a Millersville quarterback this season, the first since Jamal Smith found the end zone twice in against East Stroudsburg on Sept. 29, 2007 and just the second since the 2006 season. Csencsitz, who was the Millersville quarterback from 2004-06, threw two or more touchdowns in a game seven times in the 2006 season alone.
• Andy Tischbein's 111 yards receiving against Bloomsburg was just the second 100-yard receiving effort of the 2008 season for the Marauders. Jamal Smith totaled 131 against West Chester in week four. It was also Tischbein's first 100-yard day since 2006 and the second of his four-year career.
CATCHES IN BUNCHES
• Andy Tischbein's eight catches on Oct. 4 against Bloomsburg was the most by any Millersville player this season. It was his first eight-catch outing since Sept. 9, 2006 against Slippery Rock. In fact, no other Millersville player recorded more than six receptions in a game since Tischbein's 2006 effort.
• Despite only playing three quarters, junior running back Brad Lantz made five catches against Bloomsburg as well. It was his second five-catch of the game of the season (Aug. 29 at Bentley), but he was playing wide receiver the first time he accomplished the feat. The five grabs were the most by a Millersville running back since Lantz caught five passes for 52 yards against Bloomsburg on Oct. 28, 2006. The last running back to record more than five catches in a game was Omar Sanders, who made six receptions for 79 yards at Kutztown on Oct. 25, 2003.
THE SACK IS BACK
• Thomas Wilmer and Ryan Knox combined for a sack on Oct. 4 against Bloomsburg. It was Millersville's first sack since the season opener when Knox, Jarrod Linn and Jacob Haines combined for two sacks. The defense, which is last in the PSAC in total defense (525.3 yards per game) is also tied for 15th with just three sacks for 11 yards on the season. Lock Haven also has three sacks for 16 yards.
BEST BEHAVIOR
• Junior Brad Lantz was an All-PSAC East Second Team pick at running back last season but was switched to wide receiver at the start of 2008. Lantz hauled in a team-leading 11 catches for 95 yards and a touchdown, but prior to the Sept. 20 game against West Chester, the coaching staff moved him back to his natural position of running back. Lantz picked up where he left off, rushing for a team-leading 62 yards against West Chester and then turned in the team's best rushing effort of the season with 80 yards against Shippensburg. Since moving back to running back, Lantz has 193 yards on the ground and nine catches.
• Also making a position switch was former starting quarterback and PSAC East Rookie of the Year Jamal Smith. Prior to the game against West Chester, Smith was moved to wide receiver where he caught six balls for 131 yards and a touchdown. The bulk of the yards came on an 80-yard touchdown strike from quarterback Bill Shirk. It was the team's only 100-yard receiving performance of the season at that point. Smith grabbed three more receptions the following week against Shippensburg and kept a streak of games with at least one reception alive with one grab against Bloomsburg.
DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCES
• Julius Carter has matched a career-high in tackles in two of the last three weeks recording 10 stops against West Chester and a career-high 12 tackles with two pass breakups against Shippensburg. He also totaled two pass breakups against Bloomsburg.
• Sophomore Linebacker Jerrod Bowling racked up 16 tackles against Slippery Rock, which were not only a career high, but also the most by any Millersville player since Joe Hollister totaled 17 against Shippensburg in 2004.
• Senior Matt Harmon totaled a career-high 10 tackles against Slippery Rock and then tallied 12 the following week against Indiana (Pa.), marking the first time in his career he had posted back-to-back double-digit tackle performances. Harmon's previous best was nine, which came at Lock Haven on Sept. 16, 2006. Sophomore Jacob Haines totaled a career-high nine tackles against Slippery Rock as well.
• After not tallying more than two tackles in any game in 2007, Haines set career-highs in each of his first two games of 2008. He made four stops against Bentley and topped it with nine against Slippery Rock. He also recorded at least one tackle for loss in three of the team's six games.
MAKING A NAME
• Freshman Matthew Booker has made an immediate impact, leading the Marauders in rushing through six games with 230 yards. His 3.9 yards per carry average is also a team best. Booker totaled a career-high 78 yards against Slippery Rock, and he became the first Millersville freshman since Brad Lantz in 2006 to lead the team in rushing in the first two games of his career.
• His 39-yard jaunt against Slippery Rock on Sept. 6 was the team's longest rush of the season.
• Booker is also the only Millersville running back to have a rushing touchdown this season and owns one of the team's two on the season.
CENTURY STREAK
• With 106 yards rushing against Shippensburg, Millersville has totaled more than 100 yards rushing as a team in each of the last 16 games dating back to the second game of 2007.
• The streak began in Jamal Smith's first career start at quarterback and has continued with Bill Shirk at the helm. Millersville is averaging 153.4 yards rushing per game since.
• The team has averaged 41.1 rushes per game in each of those games. So far this season, Millersville has rushed 40 or more times in just one game including a season-low 26 against Shippensburg in week five. Millersville rushed 43 times for 103 yards in the season opener versus Bentley.
MOVE PAYS OFF
• In an effort to bolster the receiving corps, the coaching staff moved senior Derek Fry from tight end to wide receiver and quarterback Jamal Smith to the wideout position as well. The moves paid immediate dividends for the coaching staff.
• While Fry entered the season with just 15 career catches and five touchdowns (all five coming in 2006), he hauled in a team-high and career-high six catches and totaled a career-best 47 yards in the season opener against Bentley. Fry also scored a career-high two touchdowns, bringing his career total to seven. In the Aug. 29 game alone, Fry matched his 2007 season totals in receptions (four) and yards (41).
• Smith, with his speed and quickness, proved he to be a huge threat on the outside for opposing defenses. In Smith's first career start at the position he recorded a team-best 131 yards on six catches and then tied for the team-lead with three catches for 40 yards against Shippensburg the following week. His nine receptions are fourth most on the team.
BEST FOOT FORWARD
• Matthew Booker and Matt Sutjak each made positive impressions in their Millersville debuts on Aug. 29 against Bentley and each were on different sides of the ball.
• Booker, a freshman running back, totaled a team-leading 43 yards on nine carries for a team-best 4.8 yards per carry. His gain of 12 was the team's second longest of the game. He is the first freshman to lead the team in rushing in the season opener since Brad Lantz in 2006. Lantz rushed for 53 yards on seven carries in his rookie debut.
• Sutjak, a sophomore transfer at safety, registered a team-high and career-high nine tackles as well as his first career interception. Sutjak took the interception for a 23-yard return. The last player that led the team in tackles in his Millersville debut was Andrew Pough in 2006. Pough made eight tackles. The last Marauder to make an interception in his first game was Brandon Shelton in 2004 against Indiana (Pa.).
ON DECK TO IN THE BOX
• Red-shirt sophomore quarterback Bill Shirk made his second career start against West Chester and was given his chance to shine. Shirk threw the ball 31 times, the most attempts by a Millersville starting quarterback in a single game since Aug. 26, 2006 when Dan Csencsitz tossed the ball 34 times against Shepherd.
• Shirk's 243 yards passing was the third most by a Millersville starting quarterback over the past four seasons. The only other quarterback to throw for more than 225 yards in a single game over that span was Csencsitz who did it twice, once in 2005 and again in 2006.
• Despite the WCU game being his first start of the season, Shirk has not been a stranger to the field. Against Bentley, Shirk came off the bench to complete a then career-high 8-of-12 passes for a then career-best 74 yards. His fourth quarter TD toss to Derek Fry was also the first touchdown pass of his career.
• Shirk's previous best outing was also against Bentley. In 2007, he completed a then career-high 6-of-9 passes for 50 yards.
PICK SIX
• Sophomore cornerback Dan McClellan turned defense into offense in the season opener against Bentley, taking a third quarter interception 43 yards for his first career touchdown. It was just the second interception of McClellan's career. Millersville has now had at least one interception return for a touchdown in eight-straight seasons dating back to 2001.
• The most notable playmaker in recent years was Brandon Shelton. Shelton returned five interceptions for touchdowns in his four-year career, including two in 2007 and two as a freshman in 2004.
• McClellan is just the fifth player in the last eight years to take a pick for a touchdown. Along with Shelton, Andrew Siggins performed the feat twice, returning one in 2005 and one in 2002.
DUAL THREAT
• While playing running back in his first two seasons at Millersville, Brad Lantz not only showed ability to run the football, but also catch the football. He not only led Millersville in rushing in 2007 and ranked second on the team in receiving. He made 15 catches for 119 yards to go with his 902 yards rushing. Including his receiving yards, Lantz finished the season with a team-leading 1,061 all-purpose yards and averaged 96.5 yards per game.
• His pass catching ability prompted the coaching staff to move him to wide receiver for the 2008 season. He made the most of the position switch, catching five passes for a team-leading 78 yards in the season opener at Bentley. On Millersville's second offensive play, Lantz made a 43-yard reception which is now the longest of his career. His previous long was a 36-yard catch on Sept. 30, 2006 against Kutztown. He now has four career catches of more than 30 yards. Lantz added a touchdown catch in the second game of the season as well. It was his first receiving touchdown since Nov. 4, 2006.
• Despite moving to running back, Lantz has continued to show his pass catching ability. He made five catches for 75 yards and a touchdown against Bloomsburg in week six.
• So far in 2008, Lantz is second on the team in receptions with 20 and is third in yards with 176. He also owns two of only seven receiving touchdowns the team has this season.
THE END OF THE LINE
• There is no dispute that pass rushers are key to a top-tier defense, and Millersville is fortunate enough to have not just one, but two senior defensive ends that were both All-PSAC East honorees last season.
• Kevin Kershner was a first teamer in 2007 and Jarrod Linn was named to the second team for the second-straight season. Millersville enters the season as the only team in the PSAC to return two all-conference defensive ends.
• Both players are making their presence felt in 2008 as well. Linn matched a season high with four tackles and a half tackle for loss against Shippensburg. He also totaled four tackles and registered a half sack against Bentley and made a tackle for loss against Slippery Rock. Kershner Made a season-high eight tackles and one tackle for loss against Shippensburg. He totaled three tackles including a half tackle for loss and a pass breakup at Bentley and then totaled six stops and two tackles for loss against Slippery Rock. Kershner also made a tackle for loss and three total tackles against Bloomsburg.
• Kershner has 24 tackles for loss in three seasons and 7.5 career sacks. Linn has 10 for loss and 6.0 career sacks. He has also forced three fumbles and recovered two.
• The tandem has combined for 181 tackles in three seasons at Millersville.
BY LAND AND AIR
• Millersville red-shirt sophomore quarterback Jamal Smith was named PSAC East Rookie of the Year in 2007, making him the first Marauder to earn that award since quarterback Drew Folmar in 1997 and just the second ever.
• He earned the award by impressing the opposition with his feet. In 2007, he rushed for a team-high five touchdowns and totaled nine on the season. His 1,440 yards of total offense led the team, and his 633 yards rushing was 352 more than any other quarterback in the league. Clarion Tyler Huether was second among quarterbacks with 281 yards.
• Smith's 633 yards is the most rushing yards by any quarterback in Millersville history and stands as the most rushing yards by a PSAC quarterback since before 2000. Only East Stroudsburg's Jimmy Terwilliger (503 in 2006) and Clarion's Adam Almashy rushed for more than 500 (513 in 2002) since Slippery Rock's Randy McKavish rushed for 641 in 2000.
• So far in 2008, Smith is tied for third on the team in rushing with 93 yards. He has also thrown for 144. He has rushed for 30 or more yards in nine of his 14 career appearances and for positive yards in 14 of his appearances.
• He has also added wide receiver to his resume, and with 182 yards receiving, he has a rare opportunity to record over 100 yards passing, receiving and rushing.
WORK HORSE
• Brad Lantz has emerged as one of the most durable backs in the PSAC the last two seasons. He was named All-PSAC East Second Team last year after ranking sixth in the PSAC with 902 yards and an average of 82 yards per game.
• More impressively, he lugged the ball 234 times, which ranked second in the conference trailing only Bloomsburg's Harlon Hill nominee Jamar Brittingham. In the last two seasons, Lantz has totaled 1,759 yards and 12 touchdowns.
• Lantz is quickly advancing up the Millersville career records lists. In just over three seasons, he has moved into 13th-place in career yards and needs just 61 more to pass John Flamish (1998-2000) for 10th all-time. If Lantz stays on his current pace of 879 yards per season, he will finish his four-year career with 3,516 yards, placing him second to only the legendary Ricke Stonewall, who totaled 4,169 from 1981-84.
• Also, Lantz already ranks third in career carries with 472. He is on pace for nearly 800 career carries, which would shatter Stonewall's record of 648. It would also place him fifth in PSAC history behind Bloomsburg's Jamar Brittingham (2004-07).
SHOOTING FOR TWO AND THREE
• Millersville landed eight players on the All-PSAC East team a year ago. Tackle Adam Cobb and defensive end Kevin Kershner were first team honorees, and Brad Lantz and Jarrod Linn were on the second team.
• Cobb was the first Millersville offensive lineman to be a first team selection since center Matt Doherty in 1998. If he earns first team honors in 2008, Cobb will be the first Millersville offensive lineman to be a two-time first teamer since guard Chris Smith in 1993-94 and the first tackle since Greg Faulkner in 1992-93.
• Linn could possibly be a three-time All-PSAC East pick. The most recent Marauder to be a three-time selection was cornerback Marcus Banks (2005-07) and defensive back Braden Steffey was a four-time honoree from 2000-03.
FIRST TIME NOT A CHARM
• History was not on Greg Colby's side in the Aug. 29 opener against Bentley. With the 35-22 defeat, new Millersville coaches are 6-12-2 all-time in their debut. However, picking up a win in the first game is no indication of long-term success.
• Only one of the last 11 Marauder coaches won their debut. Joe Trainer defeated Indiana (Pa.) 28-9 in 2005. Before Trainer's victory, the last coach to win his Millersville debut was Philip Aines in 1923. At that time, Millersville was known as Millersville State Normal School and his team defeated Stevens Trade School 13-7.
RETURN OF THE STATE GAME
• One of the biggest changes to the PSAC this season is the return of the “State Game.”
• This will serve as the conference championship game and will be contended between the two division winners on the final day of the season. It will be the first time that the State Game has been contested since 1987.
MAKING CHANGES
• Not only did Millersville introduce a new head coach in Greg Colby and several new assistant coaches, but the PSAC picked up three new members in Mercyhurst, Gannon and C.W. Post.
• Mercyhurst and Gannon, both formerly of the GLIAC, will compete in the PSAC Western Division, and C.W. Post joins Millersville in the Eastern Division. The expansion brings the total number of football schools in the PSAC to 16, making it the largest football playing conference in Division II.
• In the wake of the PSAC expansion, the NCAA decided to create four “Super Regions.” These Super Regions pull together two regions. In the past, PSAC, NE-10 and WVIAC combined to create the Northeast Region. The PSAC, WVIAC and CIAA now make up the Atlantic Region and are a part of the East Football Super Region with the NE-10, NYCC and CACC of the New England Region.
• Now, to reach the NCAA Playoffs, a team must be ranked in the top eight in the region rather than the top 10.
NICE TO MEET YOU
• In addition to Greg Colby, Millersville football has added some new faces to the coaching staff. Among the newcomers are offensive line coach Derrick Roche, wide receivers coach Dave Keeny, tight ends coach Corey Adderly and intern Dondre Gilliam who will be helping with wide receivers and the return game.
• Roche was an All-American offensive lineman at Washington State and played in the 2003 Rose Bowl. He also spent the last three seasons at UTEP as a special teams assistant and program coordinator.
• Keeny served as the head coach at Kutztown from 1998-2005 and became the third winningest coach in school history.
• Gilliam was an All-PSAC wide receiver and returner while at Millersville from 1999-00.
• Also, changing responsibilities on the staff was Ron Rankin, who switched from the offensive line to the defensive line. Aubrey Kelly is now defensive backs coach instead of cornerbacks coach.
