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Millersville

Brad Lantz

Football

Marauders Thrill Homecoming Crowd with Double OT Victory

Box Score

Photo Gallery

Millersville, Pa. - With the help of Jamal Smith's school record four touchdown catches, the Millersville football team overcame a late rally by Kutztown, a drenching rain storm and a near one-hour long lightning delay to earn a wild, double-overtime, homecoming victory Saturday at Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium.

Even in the downpour, quarterback Bill Shirk hooked up with Smith five times for 133 yards including four touchdowns, tying Kevin Cannon's record set against Shepherd in 1995. Smith made a leaping, contested catch for six on the first play of overtime, and senior Brad Lantz sealed Millersville's (3-6, 2-4 PSAC East) third win of the season and first overtime victory since 2003 with a two-yard plunge in the second overtime.

Millersville scored first and last, and Dan McClellan's blocked punt that Matt Egenrieder scooped up and returned for a touchdown with 6:09 left seemingly put the game away as the Marauders took a 28-16 lead. But with Kutztown (3-6, 1-5 PSAC East) facing a fourth-and-three from the Millersville 45 with 4:40 left on the clock, lightning was spotted and a delay started that last nearly an hour.

Immediately after the delay ended, Morton, who finished the game completing 29-51 passes for 324 yards, found Josh Mastromatto for four yards, moving the chains. Morton hooked up with Dominick Massey from nine yards out completing a 10-play, 80-yard drive.

But for the second time in the game, the snap on the extra point wasn't handled and the PAT failed, keeping the Marauders on top, 28-22.

Millersville went backwards in its three attempts to chew the clock, but Kutztown forced a punt with 3:00 left. John Banzhof boomed a 55-yard punt to reverse field position, but Kutztown quickly rolled downfield with Morton completing 8-of-11 passes including a 2-yard strike Massey--their second hook-up in as many drives--tying the game at 28-28 with 36 seconds on the clock.

Disaster in the kicking game struck again for the Golden Bears, though. With a chance to take a one-point lead, the snap and hold was not executed and the PAT--for the second-straight try and the third time in the game--failed.

Smith returned the ensuing kickoff to the 32 but a personal foul on Kutztown moved the ball to the 47. Shirk found Lantz for nine yards, and one play later, Smith drew a pass interference penalty, moving the ball to the Kutztown 29 with 10 seconds to go. Shirk scrambled for nine and escaped out of bounds with just over two ticks left. Banzhof's 37-yard field goal, however, sailed wide right, sending the game into overtime tied at 28.

The Marauders wasted no time putting points on the board in overtime. Shirk lofted a pass down the right sideline to Smith, who out-fought the defensive back for the ball and dove across the goal line with the ball outstretched, giving Millersville a 35-28 edge.

Kutztown needed only two plays to answer as Morton found Shane Martin from 21 yards.

Kutztown started with the ball first in the second overtime, and on second down, Antwain Brown-Barnes made one of the biggest defensive plays of the game. He tossed Morton for a loss of 18, and Morton was flagged for intentional grounding, resulting in a third-and-28 from the Millersville 43. An incomplete pass was followed by a leaping interception by Gary Tillman on fourth down.

Millersville, needing a score for the win, ran the ball seven times in the eight play drive, and a facemask penalty on Kutztown on a third-and-goal from the four gave Millersville a fresh set of downs from the two. On the next play, Lantz found pay-dirt and a 35-28 win for the Marauders.

It was Lantz's only TD of the game, but he rushed 25 times for 90 yards. 44 of his yards came on nine carries in the first quarter when he helped Millersville to an early 14-6 lead. Smith rushed five times for 28 yards. Lantz also led the team with six catches, totaling 70 yards. He finished with 156 all-purpose yards, moving past Mike McFetridge and into ninth place in career all-purpose yards with 3,158.

Smith caught five passes, rushed five times and returned four kickoffs for a total of 255 all-purpose yards. All four of Smith's TD catches were from at least 23-yards, and his 52-yard catch on the first series of the game was the team's longest pass play of the season.

Shirk completed 14-of-26 passes for 216 yards and four scores, becoming the first Marauder to throw four touchdowns in a game since Dan Csencsitz--now a Kutztown assistant coach--threw five against Cheyney in 2006.

The Marauders were out-gained 530 to 366 in total offense, but sacked Morton three times, while Shirk was not sacked once. Matt Sutjak led the Marauders with 13 stops. Shane Gross tallied 10 tackles including two for loss, one sack and one pass break-up. Ryan Christian also totaled 10 tackles and defended a pass. Freshman Pat Maloney recorded a career high seven tackles.

Millersville will look to string together consecutive victories next Saturday when it travels to East Stroudsburg.
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