Complete Game Notes


ABOUT THE GAME
•    The Millersville Marauders head to Bloomsburg Saturday with hopes of toppling the No. 4-ranked Huskies and ending a four-game skid. The Marauders, playing at home the last two weeks, allowed 63 points in both games but look to cure their defensive ills against a Bloomsburg team that ranks 11th in the PSAC in scoring offense. The Marauders are looking to avoid its second five-game losing streak in as many seasons. So far this season, the Marauders are 1-2 on the road and Bloomsburg is 2-0 at home.
•    Kickoff from Redman Stadium is scheduled for 5 p.m., and audio can be heard on the home of Millersville Athletics, the Marauder Sports Broadcasting Network (MSBN). MSBN is a webcast that is accessed at millersvilleathletics.com. Domenic Panza and Matt Majewski will call the action. 
•    Saturday's game is Millersville's fourth and final night game of the season. The Marauders won at Assumption to start the season but have dropped two in a row including last week's 63-24 loss to Shippensburg.
•    The Marauders were able to take some positives from the recent loss to Shippensburg. The offense turned out its best performance since the opener, generating 24 points and 305 yards of offense including 175 on the ground. It was the team's first 100-yard rushing game since the opener. 
•    Bloomsburg is the highest ranked team from the PSAC and the only team from the conference in the nation's top 10. In four of the last five years, Bloomsburg has been ranked in the top 10 when it played Millersville. The Huskies reached the NCAA Division II regional final in 2008, and they are the only remaining undefeated squad in the PSAC. Running back Derrick Price, who rushed for over 1,200 yards last year, missed the first three games of the season but has rushed more than 100 yards in each of his two games back.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
•    Bloomsburg holds a slight 36-30-5 edge in the all-time series but has won nine in a row dating back to 2000.  Bloomsburg has scored 40 or more points in six of those nine victories and boasts an 18-point average margin of victory. Bloomsburg has averaged 45.5 points per game in the last two meetings. Millersville, meanwhile, has scored 26 points per game in the last two meetings.
•    Saturday is the 72nd meeting between the two teams. The series dates to 1916, and the Marauders and Huskies have met each season since 1962.  Millersville controlled the series from 1970-1999, holding a 22-7-1 edge. Millersville bested Bloomsburg seven times in a row from 1971-77. That was the most victories in a row by any team in the series until Bloomsburg's recent nine-game streak.
•    Since 1968, Millersville is 9-10-1 at Redman Stadium, but the Marauders have lost four in a row at Bloomsburg. Millersville's last win at Redman Stadium was also its last win in the series. It came by a 31-21 score on Oct. 9, 1999. 
•    Bloomsburg's Danny Hale is entering his 17th season at Bloomsburg and is 11-4-1 all-time against the Marauders. 

THE HEAD COACHES
•    Millersville's Greg Colby is in his second season as head coach. Colby spent most of his career as an assistant at the Division I level. 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, one of the winningest coaches in all of Division II, is in his 17th season at the helm of the Huskies in 2009. Hale also spent five years as head coach at West Chester University. At Bloomsburg, Hale has posted a career record of 136-46-1 (.745) and holds the school record for most coaching victories. Overall in 21 years as a head coach he has a mark of 176-59-1 (.747) and is ranked among the top 10 active coaches in NCAA Division II in winning percentage.
•     In his 16 seasons as head coach at Bloomsburg he has led the Huskies to 10 outright or shared Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division titles and six NCAA post-season playoff berths. In the period from 2000 to 2008 the Huskies are also one of the most successful NCAA Division II programs with a combined record of 84-22 (.792).
 
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
•    Bloomsburg is the only undefeated team in the PSAC but has hardly been dominating in its five games. The Huskies win with a stout defense and physical running attack that features Derrick Price. The Huskies enter Saturday's game averaging just 20.6 points per game, ranking 11th in scoring offense. The Huskies also rank 12th in passing offense, averaging just 150 yards per game. At 293 yards of offense per game, the Huskies are 11th in the PSAC. Quarterback Dan Latorre may not direct an explosive passing game, but he manages the game well, as he has completed 56 percent of his passes and has thrown five touchdowns to one interception.
•    The running game is one of the league's best, averaging over 143 yards per game. In his two games since his return to the lineup, Price has averaged 145 yards per game, 6.3 yards per carry and totaled five touchdowns.  He broke out last week against C.W. Post with 183 yards.
•    Bloomsburg's defense is without rival in the PSAC. It has surrendered just 10 points per game this season, and opponents have managed just 2.7 yards per carry. If it has a weakness, it is throw the air, as it has surrendered nearly 190 passing yards per game. But the Huskies are tied for second in the league with seven interceptions.
•    Linebacker Anthony Smith has won the PSAC Eastern Division Defensive Player of the Week award three times on the young season and is tied for first in the PSAC in tackles per game at 11.2. He also has seven tackles for loss. Justin Pressley has been almost unblockable as well. His 7.0 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss are both league bests.

THE LAST TIME OUT
•    Millersville senior Brad Lantz gashed Shippensburg for a season-high 107 yards, but the Marauders were still no match for Shippensburg's potent offensive attack which rolled up 566 yards of offense en route to a 63-24 win over the homestanding Marauders Saturday evening.
•    The Red Raiders (4-1, 2-0 PSAC East) were as consistent and steady as the rain pouring on Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium. Roshaan McCain totaled 188 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, Kevin Herod totaled 87 yards and Mike Frenette added 65 to pave the way to a 354-yard rushing performance.
•    The Red Raiders averaged 7.9 yards per carry, and quarterback Chase DiFebbo provided plenty of air support, completing 12-of-16 passes for 186 yards and five touchdowns.
•    Millersville's (1-4, 0-2 PSAC East) 24 points was its best offensive showing since the season opener, but it was the second straight week the defense surrendered 63 points at home. Still, Millersville looked to be in line for an upset in the second quarter, but Shippensburg scored 35 unanswered points that put the game out of reach.

TURN OF THE CENTURY
•    Senior running back Brad Lantz totaled 107 yards against Shippensburg on Sept. 26, giving Millersville its first individual 100-yard rushing performance of the season, snapping a streak of five games without a player reaching that mark. Millersville had not rushed for 100 yards as a team in three straight games but totaled 175 against Shippensburg. It was Millersville's best team effort since totaling 201 yards against Kutztown on Oct. 25, 2008.
•    For Lantz, who missed most of last season with a knee injury, it was his first 100-yard game going for 152 against Kutztown on Nov. 10, 2007.

CATCHES FOR MATT
•    Sophomore Matt Egenrieder has become one of Bill Shirk's top targets. Egenrieder ranks second on the team in catches with 23 and ranks ninth in the PSAC. He has led the team in receptions in four of the last six games dating back to last year. He has totaled at least four catches in his last six games and has caught five passes three times this season. He has 29 catches in his last six games dating back to the 2008 season finale at Edinboro. He has also recorded at least one reception in eight straight games dating back to last year.

TURNING IT OVER
•    The Millersville defense has shown the ability to create turnovers this season. It has six interceptions and six fumble recoveries, helping the team rank first in the PSAC in turnover margin at plus six.
•    The Marauders picked off at least one pass in four of five games this season and intercepted two against Slippery Rock and West Chester. The defense has totaled 11 picks in the last eight games dating back to 2008. During that stretch, Millersville picked off East Stroudsburg three times, which marked the most interceptions in a 10 game stretch.
•    Against West Chester, Brian Knell recorded the first interception of his career and Dan McClellan tallied his second of the season and second in as many games. McClellan, a junior, now has four career interceptions, but this is the first time he has had two interceptions a season.
•    Along with McClellan, the only player with more than one interception during the current streak is defensive lineman Chad Miller who picked off one pass against East Stroudsburg in 2008 and one against Assumption in the 2009 season opener.
•    Senior Julius Carter has shown a knack for making plays. He has one interception, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He is also the only player that managed to pick up yards after his interception (25).

MOVING ON UP
•    Senior running back Brad Lantz is back from injury and has an opportunity to leave his mark on the Millersville record books. The running back entered the 2009 season ranked 12th all-time in rushing yards with 1,951 yards. After 301 yards in the first five weeks, he has moved past John Flamish, Juan Jones, Troy Smith, Gerald Mack and Ron Porter and into sixth place. His 2,252 yards puts him within striking distance of Bob Coyne (1980-83), who finished with 2,322 yards. With his 107 yard effort against Shippensburg on Sept. 26, Lantz moved three spots up the list.
 •    In his two healthy seasons at running back, Lantz averaged nearly 880 yards rushing per season. If he can match that total in 2009, he will have 2,831 yards and rank fourth all-time behind Marc DeBellis (1991-94). 
•    Also, Lantz already ranks third all-time in career carries with 529. He averaged 213 carries during his first two seasons, and totaled 74 carries in the first five weeks of this season. Another season with 213 carries would put him at 685 carries and in first place all-time ahead of the legendary Ricke Stonewall, who totaled 648 while racking up 4,169 yards from 1981-84.

DOUBLE THE PRODUCTION
•    With Brad Lantz injured last season, Cardoza Jacks emerged as the team's workhorse running back. Jacks totaled a team-best 765 yards in just five starts and rattled off four 100-yard performances in the final five games. With Jacks and Lantz both healthy in 2009, the Marauders have two backs with over 1,000 career yards. While Lantz boasts 2,252 yards, Jacks, a junior, has 1,132 yards and a career average of 4.7 yards per carry.
•    The two running backs combined for 151 yards rushing in the season opener. Jacks totaled 88 yards on just three rushes, and Lantz added 63 on 17 carries.
•    Lantz has eight 100-yard rushing performances to his credit, and his career best is 152 (Nov. 10, 2007 vs. Kutztown). All four of Jacks' 100-yard rushing games came in 2008, and his high is 274 yards. He also set a school record for carries with 44 against Cheyney on Oct. 11.
•    Jacks has averaged just over 500 yards per season in his first two years. Staying on that pace would put him over 2,000 yards and into the top 10 on Millersville's career rushing list. Of the top 10 rushers in school history, there are three sets of teammates. Ricke Stonewall (1st), Bob Coyne (5th) and Troy Smith (8th) all played together from 1982-83. Scott Highley (2nd) and Ron Porter (6th) were teammates from 1988-89, and Marc DeBellis (3rd) and Gerald Mack (7th) played on the same team in 1993-94.

AIR STRIKE
•    Bill Shirk has emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the PSAC since he took over in the fourth game of the 2008 season. In 2009, he has completed 88 of 164 passes for 869 yards and five touchdowns. He has also had three passes go for more than 37 yards.
•    Shirk currently ranks ninth in the PSAC in passing yards and 10th in total offense.
•    In just 12 starts, Shirk has seven 200-yard passing efforts. He recorded his first of the 2009 season against Slippery Rock when he totaled 214 yards and followed it with 204 yards against Indiana (Pa.). Shirk finished 2008 with five 200-yard games.  On Oct. 18 against C.W. Post, he became the first Millersville quarterback to throw for 300 yards in a game since Dan Csencsitz threw for 301 against Bloomsburg in 2004. Millersville played 40 games without a 300-yard passer.
•    Prior to Shirk taking over at quarterback, no Millersville quarterback had attempted 40 passes in a game since 2004, but Shirk has accomplished the feat twice in his 12 starts.
•    Before Shirk stepped into the lineup, no Millersville quarterback had completed 20 passes in a game since 2004. Shirk, however, has eclipsed that number three times in 12 starts. Only twice has he completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes in a game. 
•    Shirk has thrown a touchdown pass in 12 of his 13 career starts. His two touchdown passes against Shippensburg on Sept. 26 was a season high. He set a career high of three against Cheyney and C.W. Post in October of 2008.

SMITH EMERGING
•    Jamal Smith has become the team's top wide receiver this season as he leads the team with 24 catches and has a team-best 324 yards and five touchdowns. Two  of his four touchdown receptions have been for more than 20 yards.  Four of the six receiving touchdowns in his career have gone for more than 20 yards. He also scored a rushing touchdown against Assumption. In addition to six receiving scores, he has six rushing and six passing touchdowns for 18 overall in his career.
•    Twice this season, Smith has matched his career high of seven catches (vs. Slippery Rock and vs. Shippensburg) He has caught at least one pass in each of his 12 starts at the position.
•    Smith currently ranks seventh in the PSAC in receptions per game, receiving yards per game. He is also fourth in all-purpose yards, and fifth in scoring.
•     His 112-yard performance against Slippery Rock was the third 100-yard receiving game of his career and the first of the 2009 season. He also went over 100 yards on Sept. 20, 2008 against West Chester (131) and on Oct. 18 at C.W. Post (139). All three of his 100-yard games have come on the road.
•    Smith's 80-yard grab against West Chester in 2008 was the team's longest completion of the season and was the longest since Drew Folmar's 91-yard TD pass to Sean Scott in 1999.
•    Only two receivers in school history have totaled 1,000 yards in a season. Sean Scott did it twice (1998 and 1999), and Mike McFetridge set the school record with 1,131 yards in 1998.

TOTALING TACKLES
•    Millersville's returning safety duo of Matt Sutjak and Julius Carter have been racking up the tackle totals in 2009 and are on pace to finish as the team leaders in tackles for the second year in a row. Carter led the team in tackles in the first four games and Sutjak has been first or second in four of the five games. Twice they have tied for the team high. The duo has combined for 88 stops this season. Carter has made at least eight tackles in all four games, and Sutjak has had eight tackles in four of five games. Both set career highs against Slippery Rock. Carter totaled 14 tackles and Sutjak tallied 10. Sutjak eclipsed that mark with 15 stops against Shippensburg.
•    Through five weeks, Sutjak is seventh in the PSAC with 9.0 tackles per game. Carter is 10th with 8.6 tackles per game.
•    The pair totaled 73 and 70 tackles respectively in 2008. Both players ranked in the PSAC's top 25 in tackles per game. Carter, a three-year letterwinner, has totaled 175 career tackles.
•    Carter totaled eight or more tackles in a game 10 times in the last two years. Sutjak has tallied eight or more tackles eight times.

RETURN TO SENDER
•    Millersville's special teams have been a key asset to the team so far this season and several players rank among the tops in the PSAC.
•    Millersville ranks fifth in kickoff returns, averaging 21.9 per return. Individually, Lou Brown ranks fifth with a 23.2 average. His league-high 13 returns have gone for 302 yards. He is also one of just five players with a kickoff return of more than 40 yards. His 42-yard return against Slippery Rock was the longest by a Marauder since Derrick Bass went for 45 yards on Sept. 13, 2008.
•    Brown also ranks second in the PSAC in punt return average at 8.0 yards on eight returns but does not have enough returns to qualify for the PSAC leaders.
•    Jamal Smith ranks seventh in the league with a 21.4 yard-per-return average.

PUNTING FOR POSITION
•    John Banzhof has displayed one of the biggest and most accurate legs in the conference this year. In the first five weeks, he has punted the ball a league-high 36 times and is sixth in the league with a 39.2 average. He has also drilled five 50-yard punts, including three in week two against Slippery Rock. His best of the season was a 56-yard against Slippery Rock. He has also landed eight punts inside the 20 with only one touchdback.
•    Banzhof has landed 31 punts inside the 20 while totaling just six touchdbacks in the last two seasons. He has drilled eight punts longer than 50 yards and has a career long of 67.
•    Banzhof is also perfect on 10 PAT's this season. He is one of only seven kickers in the league to be perfect on the season.

DISTANCE RUNNER
•    Cardoza Jacks' 78-yard touchdown run against Assumption on Aug. 28 was the longest run by a Marauder since Brad Myers' 80-yard TD scamper against Shippensburg in 1996.
•    Including the 78-yard run at Assumption, Jacks has recorded two runs of more than 50 yards in the last two seasons. He had a 54-yard run against Cheyney in 2008. He has three runs of more than 30 yards.

THE SACK IS BACK
•    Millersville totaled four sacks against Assumption and now has nine on the season after totaling at least one in each of the five games this season.
•    Millersville's five game sack streak is its longest since 2005 when the defense went seven straight games with at least one sack.
•    At Assumption, the Marauders recorded their first four-sack game since Nov. 3, 2007 against Bentley. Millersville has totaled four or more sacks in a game just three times since the start of the 2006 season. All four sacks came from different players. Jeff Longley, Zack Riley and Chad Miller each recorded their first career sacks. Owen King tallied a half-sack last year, giving him 1.5 for his career. Against IUP, Shane Gross and Ryan Christian both registered their first career sack, and against West Chester, Antwain Brown-Barnes recorded the first of his career.
•    Miller currently leads the team with two sacks. He entered the 2009 season without a sack in 22 career games but has had one in each of the first two games this year. So far this season, eight different players have recorded a sack. 

DIFFICULT TO NAVIGATE
•    Not only did Millersville's 2009 schedule start with three road games, it is dotted with outstanding teams. Three teams (West Chester, Bloomsburg and Edinboro) started the season ranked in the top 25 of the AFCA Division II Coaches Poll, and IUP made an appearance in the rankings. Bloomsburg is currently ranked No. 4 in Division II. 
•    Of Millersville's 11 opponents, four started 3-0 and after week five, four teams are 4-1. Eight of the 11 teams on the schedule are .500 or better after five games.

WELCOME ABOARD
•    Greg Colby added four new coaches to his 2009 staff.  Roland Weeden takes over as running backs coach after two years at Cheyney and three at Fairleigh Dickinson. Terry Owens will assist with the defensive backs after an outstanding career at Kutztown, and former Marauders Adam Cobb and Eric Updegrove will also work as assistants.