Complete Game Notes

GAME QUICK FACTS
No. 8 Bloomsburg (5-0, 2-0) at Millersville (0-5, 0-2)
Saturday, Sept. 30, 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
Bloomsburg leads 34-31-5
First Meeting: 1918 (BU 42, MU 0)
Last Meeting: 2007 (IUP 42, MU 28)
Current Streak: BU, 8

ABOUT THE GAME
• Millersville enters Saturday's game at Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium not only looking for its first win of 2008, but also looking to pull off what would be one of the biggest upsets of the season. The Marauders (0-5) have been outscored by an average of 37.3 points per game since the close 28-24 loss to Slippery Rock in week two. Bloomsburg, meanwhile, has faced a difficult early-season schedule and has come through unblemished, boasting a 5-0 mark and a No. 8 national ranking. Kickoff from Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m.
• Last week, Millersville dropped to 0-2 in the PSAC East with a 35-14 defeat at Shippensburg. The Marauders surrendered 498 yards of total offense while managing 184. The offense did have a pair of bright spots in Brad Lantz and Jamal Smith, who continued to excel following their position switches. Lantz, back at running back after starting the season at wide receiver, led the team with 80 yards on 15 carries. It was the best single-game rushing performance of any Marauder this season. Smith, the former starting quarterback, was the team-leader in receptions for the second-straight week. He caught three passes for 40 yards including two on the team's opening series that led to a touchdown.
• Along with being 5-0 overall, Bloomsburg stands tied atop the PSAC East standings with East Stroudsburg with a 2-0 conference record thanks to last Saturday's 13-6 win over C.W. Post. Bloomsburg's defense stood tall, creating four turnovers and allowing just 86 yards passing. Quarterback Dan Latorre was efficient, completing 14-of-26 passes for 133 yards and a score.
• Millersville's 0-5 start is its first since 2002 and just the third since 1969. The Marauders last opened PSAC East play with two-straight losses in 2003 when Kevin Kiesel was head coach. The Marauders have allowed over 400 yards of offense in all five games this year. Three teams have passed for over 300 yards and the last four teams have rushed for at least 177. Offensively, the Marauders have rushed for at least 101 yards in all five games but Bill Shirk's touchdown run against Shippensburg was the team's first rushing touchdown of the year. The Marauders have mustered more than 100 yards passing in just two games as well.
• 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 Matt Majewski 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.
• Danny Hale, now in his 16th year at Bloomsburg and 21st as a Division II head coach, is among the winningest coaches in the history of Division II. With a 130-44-1 record at Bloomsburg, he is the school's all-time leader in wins and he also ranks in the top 10 nationally in career winning percentage (.746) with a record of 170-57-1.
• Prior to Bloomsburg, he was the head coach for five seasons at West Chester--his alma mater. He received his bachelor's degree in 1968 and his master's in 1973.
• Hale is 14-5-1 all-time against Millersville and has won eight-straight over the Marauders. He is 10-4-1 against Millersville as Bloomsburg head coach and won four of five games while head coach at West Chester.

ABOUT THE SERIES
• Millersville and Bloomsburg are among the longest-standing rivals in the PSAC, having met 70 times since the first meeting in 1918. Bloomsburg holds a slight 34-31-5 edge in the series and has only recently gained the upper hand by winning each of the last eight meetings. Millersville's last victory came by a 31-21 score in 1999.
• Bloomsburg captured the first meeting 42-0 and won the second game 32-0. Millersville's first win came by a 27-0 score in 1920. At least one team failed to score in 11 of the first 12 games in the series. Two of the games ended in a 0- 0 tie (1921 and 1932).
• Saturday's game is the 47th consecutive meeting between Millersville and Bloomsburg. Bloomsburg's current eight-game winning streak is the longest by either team in the series, topping Millersville's seven-game run from 1971-77.

THE LAST MEETING
• Running back Jamar Brittingham broke Bloomsburg's career yards rushing record on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2007 as the Huskies went on to defeat Millersville, 42-28, in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division game at Redman Stadium.
• Brittingham found the end zone four times, capped off by an 81-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to put the Huskies back in front by 21 points. He carried the ball 22 times for 257 yards and the four scores. Bloomsburg finished the game with 397 rushing yards on just 55 carries
• Millersville's Jamal Smith scored three touchdowns including two on the ground. He threw for 174 and rushed for a team-leading 65. Brandon Shelton provided a defensive score for the Marauders, intercepting a Dan Latorre third quarter pass and returning it 21 yards for a touchdown.

THE LAST TIME OUT
• Millersville and Shippensburg play Saturday's PSAC Eastern Division football contest at Seth Grove Stadium even into the second quarter. But Shippensburg received career performances from quarterback Chad DiFebbo, wide receiver Mike Harris and running back Kevin Marshall to pull away from the Marauders and hand them their fifth-straight loss to begin the season by a 35-14 final score.
• DiFebbo hit on 19-of-29 passes for 321 yards and three scores. Two of those touchdown passes were caught by Harris and Marshall, and Marshall finished the game with the fourth most all-purpose yards in Shippensburg history, rushing for 64, returning a kick for 41, and catching four passes for 158 yards. Harris totaled 10 catches for 128 yards.
• The two squads traded a pair of touchdown drives, but with the score tied 14-14 with 5:37 left in the first half, DiFebbo and Harris struck to give Ship the lead for good. That score started a run of 21 unanswered points for the Red Raiders, all of which came in just a 15-minute span.
• Shippensburg finished the game with 24 first downs and 498 total yards, while the Marauders managed 101 on the ground and 84 through the air. Junior Brad Lantz led the ground game with 80 yards on 15 lugs. It was the highest rushing total by any Millersville running back in 2008. Red-shirt sophomore quarterback Bill Shirk hit on his first four passes, but was 3-of-14 with two picks the rest of the way.
SCOUTING BLOOMSBURG
• Bloomsburg rolls into Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium with one of the PSAC's most impressive resumes. The Huskies knocked off nationally-ranked Ashland 49-42 in the season opener and then handed California (Pa.) its first regular season loss in 12 games. Bloomsburg has not necessarily been dominating its opponents, having just one win of more than 10 points. But the team seems to find a way to win. Against Cal, Oscar Rivera record a 52-yard interception return of the game-winning points. In the opener against Ashland, Kenny Domzalski scored on a 23-yard TD run with 54 seconds left.
• Bloomsburg is among the nation's best at running the football. Last week, the team ranked third in the nation is currently leading the conference with 274.4 yards per game. The Huskies have rushed 251 times while passing just 86. The running back tandem of Derrick Price and Kenny Domzalski is potent. Price is second in the PSAC with 127.2 yards per game but leads the league in total yards with 636. Domzalski is fifth with 94.6 yards per carry. Both backs are averaging over 6.2 yards per carry.
• Despite rarely putting the ball into the air, wide receiver Kyle Ream is among the top big-play threats in the league. He is averaging 18.9 yards per catch and has totaled five touchdowns, which is tied for second in the PSAC. Quarterback Dan Latorre may not put up huge passing numbers, but he is efficient, completing 45-of-86 pass attempts with seven touchdowns and just two picks.
• Defensively, Jon Ochs is a terror for the opposition. He has forced a conference-leading three fumbles, leads the league in sacks with four and is second in tackles for loss with eight. As a team, the Huskies are a middle-of-the-pack PSAC defense, surrendering 326.6 total yards of offense per game. Opponents are totaling 136 rushing yards and 191 passing yards per game.

BEST BEHAVIOR
• Millersville is the least penalized team in the PSAC through five games. The team has been flagged just 16 times. Kutztown is second with just 18 penalties. The Marauders' 16 penalties have totaled 165 yards for an average of 33.0 yards per game. That total also ranks first 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 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.
• 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. Smith grabbed three more receptions the following week against Shippensburg.

PEAK PERFORMANCES
• Several Marauders have turned in career efforts over the past few weeks.
• Julius Carter has been among the team's most active defenders in the last two weeks, recording 10 stops against West Chester and the a career-high 12 tackles with two pass breakups against Shippensburg.
• 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.
• Quarterback Bill Shirk made just his second career start and put up several career bests in the process. Shirk completed 18 of 31 passes for 243 yards, including an 80-yard TD pass.

MAKING A NAME
• Freshman Matthew Booker has made an immediate impact, leading the Marauders in rushing through five games with 198 yards. His 4.5 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 101 yards rushing against Shippensburg, Millersville has totaled more than 100 yards rushing as a team in each of the last 15 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 156.5 yards rushing per game since.
• The team has averaged 41.4 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.
• So far in 2008, Lantz is the team leader in receptions with 15 and has totaled a team-best 101 yards for 6.7 yards per catch. He also ones one of only four 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 has 23 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 174 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.
• He has also added wide receiver to his resume, and with 171 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 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 over three seasons, he has moved into 13th-place in career yards and needs just 112 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 460. 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 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.