Complete Game Notes

GAME QUICK FACTS
Millersville (0-3) at West Chester (1-2)
Saturday, Sept. 20, 2008 - 6 p.m.
Farrell Stadium
Audio: Marauder Sports Broadcasting Network

THE SERIES
West Chester leads, 58-17
First Meeting: 1921 (MU 38, WCU 7)
Last Meeting: 2007 (WCU 42, MU 14)
Current Streak: WCU, 5

ABOUT THE GAME
• Following a disappointing defeat at the hands of No. 13 Indiana (Pa.) to end non-conference play, Millersville looks rebound and begin PSAC Eastern Division play with a victory. It will not come easy, as the team travels to long-time rival West Chester for a night game at Farrell Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 20. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
• Both teams are attempting to bounce back from lopsided losses. Millersville suffered its worst defeat in 50 years on Sept. 13 when IUP rolled up 634 yards of total offense en route to a 63-3 win. West Chester, meanwhile, took on the No. 6 team in the NCAA Division I Championship Subdivision, Delaware. The Blue Hens racked up 498 yards of offense including 308 on the ground to come away with a 48-20 win. With the loss, West Chester fell to 1-2 on the season, but both losses came against nationally ranked opponents. The Golden Rams dropped a 44-32 decision to then-fifth ranked California (Pa.).
• Millersville has suffered its first 0-3 start since 2002 and just the sixth time since 1957. The 2002 club opened the season 0-6. If the Marauders are to snap their three-game skid, they will have to defeat West Chester for the first time in five years. Golden Ram coach Bill Zwaan has never lost to the Marauders in his five-year tenure. In those five wins, his team is scoring 34.6 points per game and posted 42 points in 2007 and 54 in 2006. Millersville is averaging just 13.4 points per game against Zwaan's teams.
• Millersville is an impressive 33-11 all-time playing at night, but has lost three-straight under the lights, including a 35-22 loss at Bentley in the 2008 season opener.
• 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 (www.millersville.edu/~athletic). 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.
• Bill Zwaan has established himself as one of the winningest coaches in college football. Now in his sixth year at West Chester, his teams have made four-straight NCAA Playoff appearances and has posted a 46-20 record. The team has won no fewer than eight games in each of his five seasons. Prior to coming to West Chester, Zwaan served as the head coach at Division III Widener for six years, accumulating a 54-14 record and earning three NCAA playoff berths. With his first victory of the 2008 season, Zwaan earned his 100th career victory, boosting his career record to 100-34.
• Zwaan already ranks fourth on the school's all-time wins list and left Widener with the school's best all-time winning percentage. Zwaan was a standout quarterback at Delaware and led his team to a 1974 Division II championship game appearance. He graduated from Delaware in 1979.

ABOUT THE SERIES
• West Chester is one of Millersville's most long-standing rivals. This week's contest is the 76th meeting between the two programs dating back to 1921. Millersville has played more games against only Kutztown (81). West Chester has dominated the series, holding a 58-17 edge over the Marauders. However, in recent years, the series has been more even. Millersville won 16 of its 17 games in the series after 1975 and from 1975-2002, the Marauders were 16-12 against West Chester.
• Since that 31-24 Millersville win in 2002 and West Chester's hiring of Bill Zwaan, the Golden Rams have won five-straight and all of the victories have been by at least 15 points.
• Millersville opened the all-time series with a 38-7 victory in the season finale of the 1921 season. But West Chester went on to win the next 41 games in the series, 18 of which came by shutout. From 1922-1949, West Chester blanked Millersville in 14 of the 17 meetings. Eight Millersville coaches went winless against West Chester until Dr. Gene Carpenter ended the streak with a 17-12 triumph in 1975. Carpenter started a streak of his own in 1977, winning five in a row and six of the next seven meetings.

THE LAST MEETING
• Quarterback Bill Zwaan threw for 343 yards and four touchdowns to lead the West Chester University football team to a 42-14 victory over host Millersville University in a PSAC East game on Saturday, Oct. 6 at Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium.
• West Chester, ranked 17th in the last American Football Coaches Association poll, improved to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the PSAC. Millersville has an overall record of 2-4 and a 1-1 conference mark.
• Receiver Mike Washington caught five passes for 117 yards and one touchdown. Receiver Steve Miller also had five receptions for 67 yards and a score. Tight end Ryan Paulson had two touchdown grabs. On the ground, back Osagie Osunde ran the ball 13 times for 89 yards. Fullback Brandon Hargrose and running back Dean Millard both had rushing touchdowns.
• Jamal Smith led the Millersville offense with 146 yards passing, 51 yards rushing and two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing). Running back Brad Lantz had a team-high 52 yards on the ground on 20 carries. Wide out Randall Eggleton caught six balls for 84 yards and a touchdown.

THE LAST TIME OUT
• The 15th-ranked Indiana (Pa.) Crimson Hawks used an explosive offensive attack and a stifling defense to hand Millersville its worst defeat in 50 years Saturday at Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium.
• The Crimson Hawks (2-0), which downed C.W. Post 41-0 in week one, continued its impressive early season start with Saturday's 63-3 win. It was the most points scored against the Marauders since West Chester totaled 63 in 1968 and its widest margin of defeat since West Chester won 68-0 in 1958. The IUP offense rolled up 618 yards of offense including 293 on the ground and 325 through the air, while Millersville (0-3) was limited to 135 yards of total offense. The Marauders did, however, continue their string of 13-straight games with at least 100 yards rushing, totaling 102 on 35 carries.
• Indiana's balanced offensive attack was led by running backs Justin Warren and Tobias Robinson. Warren led the team with 134 yards on nine carries, including one touchdown run of 89 yards which capped a nine second drive at the end of the third quarter. It was the third play of more than 80 yards from the IUP offense this season.
• In the second quarter alone, the Crimson Hawks posted 28 points, three of the scores coming off runs of 18, five and seven yards by Robinson, who finished the game with 104 yards on 22 lugs.
• Quarterback Andrew Krewatch was equally impressive, connecting on 24-of-27 passes for 317 yards, three touchdowns and just one pick.
• For Millersville, sophomore tailback Cardoza Jacks turned in his best performance since Sept. 29, 2007 as he totaled 48 yards on the ground. Freshman Matthew Booker chipped in 45 yards on 11 totes.

SCOUTING WEST CHESTER
• West Chester, the defending PSAC East champs and the 2008 preseason favorites to repeat, are 1-2 after playing a difficult schedule in the early season. The Golden Rams' two losses have come against ranked foes. Delaware, which topped West Chester last week, is ranked sixth in the NCAA Division I Championship Subdivision. Those early season non-conference tests will no doubt prepare West Chester for its PSAC East title defense, which begins this week against Millersville.
• Despite being 1-2, West Chester's offense has flashed its ability, posting at least 20 points in all three games. Against California, the Golden Rams scored 32 and then scored 37 in its victory over Lock Haven.
• After last week's loss, the Golden Rams were bumped from the AFCA Division II Top 25 rankings, falling from No. 23 to receiving votes.
• Historically, West Chester has been known as a physical running team, but so far in 2008, the Golden Rams are averaging just 86.7 yards rushing per game and under 4.0 yards per carry. The team has generated its offense through the passing game and it ranks second in the PSAC with 280.3 passing yards per game.
• First-year starting quarterback Joe Wright has hit on 45-of-77 passes for a PSAC-leading 764 yards. His 254.7 yards per game is third best in the league. He has also tossed seven TD passes, but has been picked off six times. That total is also a conference high.
• The Golden Rams have a balanced and dangerous group of wide receivers. Leading the unit is Mike Washington, who is West Chester's all-time leader in receiving yards (3,737), 100-yard games (17) and yards per catch. He is a three-time All-PSAC East First Team and All-Northeast Region selection. He was a Preseason First Team All-American according to Lindy's this year. So far in 2008, Washington leads the team with three touchdowns and 220 yards receiving on 11 grabs.
• Steve Miller has emerged as the team's No. 2 threat. He has hauled in 11 catches for 210 yards. West Chester has four different receivers that have caught passes of longer than 40 yards.

BEST BEHAVIOR
• Millersville is the least penalized team in the PSAC through three games. The team has been flagged just seven times. Kutztown is second with just eight penalties. The Marauders' seven penalties have totaled 86 yards for an average of 28.7 yards per game. That total ranks third in the PSAC.

SWITCHING SPOTS
• 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 has had just two carries for -1 yards this year, but coming into the season he ranked 13th on the all-time Millersville rushing list with 1,759 yards.

PEAK PERFORMANCES
• Several Marauders have turned in career efforts in the last two weeks.
• 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 both games.

MAKING A NAME
• Freshman Matthew Booker has made an immediate impact, leading the Marauders in rushing through three games with 166 yards. His 5.2 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.

CENTURY STREAK
• With 102 yards rushing against Indiana (Pa.), Millersville has totaled more than 100 yards rushing as a team in each of the last 13 games dating back to the second game of 2007.
• The streak began in quarterback Jamal Smith's first career start. Millersville is averaging 165.3 yards rushing per game since.
• The team has averaged 46.3 rushes per game in each of those games. But against Slippery Rock and Indiana (Pa.) the team logged 39 and 35 carries respectively, which are the only times the team has totaled fewer than 40 carries since the streak began.

GREEN LIGHT IN RED ZONE
• Despite dropping its first three games of the season, Millersville has been excellent in the red zone, scoring on 6-of-7 trips including three touchdowns and three field goals.
• Millersville is fifth in the PSAC in red zone offense. West Chester is the only PSAC team with a perfect conversion ratio, cashing in on 10-of-10 trips to the red zone. Of those scores, nine have been touchdowns. Millersville is one of only four teams to score on all but one trip inside the 20. Millersville is 3-of-3 on field goal attempts in the red zone and is the only team in the conference with at least three field goal attempts to be perfect.

MOVE PAYS OFF
• In an effort to bolster the receiving corps, the coaching staff moved senior Derek Fry from tight end to wide receiver. The moved 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).
• On the season, Fry is second on the team with 10 catches for 81 yards.

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.).

IN RELIEF
• On Aug. 29 against Bentley, red-shirt sophomore quarterback Bill Shirk came off the bench to complete a career-high 8-of-12 passes for a 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.
• Shirk also appeared in the Sept. 20 meeting against IUP. Despite being intercepted twice, he completed a pair of passes and led the team on its only scoring drive.

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.
• So far in 2008, Lantz is the team leader in receptions with 11 and has totaled a team-best 95 yards for 8.6 yards per catch. He also ones one of only three 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 totaled four tackles and registered a half sack against Bentley and made a tackle for loss against Slippery Rock. Kershner 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 has 22 tackles for loss in three seasons and 7.5 career sacks. Linn has 9.5 for loss and 6.0 career sacks. He has also forced three fumbles and recovered two.
• The tandem has combined for 168 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 second 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.

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 aftering 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 two seasons, he has has moved into 13th-place in career yards and needs just 253 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 sixth in career carries with 427. He is on pace for 854 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 apart 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.