Complete Game Notes

GAME INFORMATION
Millersville (0-4) at No. 7 Indiana (Pa.) (4-0)
Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013 - 2 p.m.
George P. Miller Stadium - Indiana, Pa.

SERIES INFORMATION
Series vs. IUP: 5-12
Series Streak: IUP, 4
First Meeting: 1988 (Ville 27, IUP 24)
Last Meeting: 2012 (IUP  41, Ville 7)

MEDIA INFORMATION
Audio Broadcast (MSBN)
Live Video
Live Stats

GAME OVERVIEW
• Millersville travels to Indiana, Pa., for the first time since 2009 on Saturday to take on the nation's seventh-ranked team. IUP is 4-0 and has allowed only seven points in its last three games. The No. 1 defense in Division II is only allowing 221.8 yards of total offense per game and has pitched two shutouts already. IUP ranks first in scoring defense, and that's a tough match-up for a Millersville offense that has managed two touchdowns in the last three games and ranks 158th nationally in total offense and 160th in scoring offense.
• IUP has won 10 consecutive regular season games since a 26-24 loss at California in 2012. IUP has only two losses in its last 22 regular season games and both have come against California. Millersville has lost its last 17 games against nationally-ranked opponents, but the last win came in 2001 when a 2-8 Marauder team upset No. 2-ranked IUP, 30-26.
• In looking for a spark on offense, the coaches may opt to play Curtis Frye more at quarterback. Since a solid opener against LIU Post, Casey has struggled, completing just 33 percent of his passes with four interceptions and no touchdowns. Frye has been accurate in minimal snaps, completing 14-of-21 passes against Mercyhurst and Shippensburg. He also threw his first career touchdown pass last week.
• The Marauders are also looking for some consistency with its playmakers. After totaling 18 grabs in the first two weeks, Brent Collins has just three catches in the last two. Similarly, Dante Barkley totaled eight catches in the opener but has just two since.
• Millersville's offensive front will have its hands full with a defense that allows only 2.3 yards per carry. The Marauders have surrendered 18 sacks in four games, and the lineup will likely undergo a shuffle this week because of injuries.
• Opponents have also started taking dangerous kick returner David Coates out of the equation. After 13 returns in the first two weeks, he has had a chance to return only three of 16 kicks in the last two. One of those, however, he returned for 40 yards--the sixth return of at least 40 yards in his career.

ABOUT THE SERIES
• Despite being longtime members of the PSAC, IUP and Millersville did not meet until 1988 in the NCAA playoffs. Millersville won that meeting 27-24, but IUP has a 12-5 lead in the series including 7-1 record at home. The teams also met in the NCAA playoffs in 2000 with IUP winning, 21-10. Millersville's only win at IUP came in the 2005 season opener by a 28-9 score. Millersville also won the 2006 game, but IUP has won four in a row in the series and has outscored the Marauers 166-13 in that stretch. Millersville has scored only one touchdown in the last four meetings.

SCOUTING THE CRIMSON HAWKS
• After a 12-2 record, PSAC Championship and run to the Super Region 1 championship game in 2012, IUP has been considered a contender at both the conference and national level in 2013. The Crimson Hawks hang their hat on a physical rushing attack and outstanding defense. Lead the offensive charge is De'Antwan Williams, a former Rutgers player, who was granted an additional year of eligibility by the NCAA just prior to the start of the 2013 season. Williams rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown in the NCAA playoffs against eventual runner-up Winston-Salem State.  He currently ranks seventh in the PSAC in rushing at 95.8 yards per game.
• IUP ranks fifth in the league in rushing offense, ninth in passing offense and seventh in scoring. Quarterback Mike Box took over as the starter last year against Millersville and threw 13 TD's to four interceptions.  He isn't asked to carry the offensive load. He's attempted more than 22 passes only once this season. He has not been as mistake-free this season, throwing five picks in four games, including three against Seton Hill. Terrill Barnes is his top target with 22 catches for 387 yards and two TDs.
• 2012 PSAC Championship game MVP Carl Fleming is the leader of a stout defense. His 36 tackles are 15 more than any one else on the team. The pass rush also gets after the quarterback, totaling eight sacks in four games. Shane Meisner and Ali Muhammad each have two. The defense is also full of ballhawks, as it has picked off 12 passes already. Marco Pecora and reigning PSAC West Defensive Player of the Week Terrell Holloway have three INTs.

THE LAST TIME OUT
• Behind five touchdown passes from Zach Zulli, Shippensburg downed homestanding Millersville by a 48-10 score Saturday afternoon.
• Millersville was within striking distance until Zulli found Trevor Harman on a 59-yard touchdown pass with 14 seconds left in the first half. That score put the Raiders up 20-3 at the half and killed all positive momentum for the Marauders. Shippensburg added a score on its opening drive of the second period and used big special teams returns to pull away.
• Millersville received a season-high 80 yards and a touchdown on four catches from senior wide receiver Dominic Sanders and a career-high four catches for 79 yards from tight end Trenton Petrovich. Connor Casey completed 10-of-25 passes for 141 yards, and Curtis Frye completed 8-of-12 passes for 86 yards and threw for his first career touchdown.

A BIG BOOT
• Freshman Evan Stahl made his collegiate debut at punter in week two and has quickly made a difference in the Marauders' kicking game. Against West Chester, he had a long of 69 yards, three punts inside the 20 and three longer than 50 yards. He now ranks second in the PSAC in punting average at 40.4, and his 69-yarder is the third-best mark in the PSAC this season. Stahl has placed six of his 20 kicks inside the 20 and five have been fair caught.
• He added placekicking to his duties in week four and hit his first career field goal (24 yards).

MAKING A MARK
• David Coates has already set Millersville career records for return yards and return attempts in a season and a career. Now he is trying to zero in on NCAA records. The junior is  Division II's active career leader in kickoff returns (94) and return yards (2,176). Gannon's Justin Caliste is a distance second with 74 career returns and Catawba's L.J. McCray trails Coates in return yards by 323.
• Coates leads all Divisions in kickoff return yards per game with an average of 80.6. FBS member North Texas' Brelan Chancellor is in second at 80.5.
• Last season, Coates was the lone Marauder to earn All-PSAC East honors, being named to the second team. He was Millersville's first return specialist to be named all-conference since Bakari Brown in 2004. He led all of Division II in return yards and his 1,156 kickoff returns set a new school record and was the second-most in PSAC history. His 25.7 yards per return ranked 33rd nationally and was the highest by a Marauder since Dondre Gilliam in 1999. He had at least one 25-yard return in nine of 11 games.

EMERGING THREAT
• Greg Breitbach predicted that junior tight end Trenton Petrovich would become a significant part of the offense, and he is making strides as a top pass-catching tight end. Petrovich set career highs in catches (4) and yards (79) against Shippensburg. It was the most catches by a Marauder tight end since Greg Frantz's four against IUP in 2009. His 79 yards were the most by a Millersville tight end in more than 10 years.

BY LAND AND BY AIR
• Brent Collins totaled 123 yards receiving and Ian Sadon totaled 106 yards rushing in week two at Mercyhurst. It is only the third time since the start of the 2009 season that Millersville has produced a 100-yard receiver and 100-yard rusher in the same game. Millersville performed the feat only against Cal in 2012 and Lock Haven in 2010.

COLLINS CATCHING ON
• Brent Collins is quickly becoming one of the most productive pass catchers in the PSAC. He made his mark in 2011, catching 25 passes for the most receptions by a Marauder rookie since 2002. He made only five catches in 2012, though. He eclipsed that total in week one with a career-high seven catches. He set a new career-high in week two with 11 catches. His 123 yards receiving also set a new career high and marked his first 100-yard game. Game-by-game box scores have been filed since 2002 and no Marauder since then has caught more than 18 passes in the first two weeks of the season.
• Collins ranks 15th in the PSAC in receptions (21) and 15th in yards (254). He made a 42-yard catch against West Chester, which stands as Millersville's longest play from scrimmage this season. He also had a 38-yard catch at Mercyhurst.

SHARE THE LOAD
• Quarterback Connor Casey has used a variety of options in the passing game through two weeks. 13 different players have caught at least one pass and 11 different players have caught three or more. Seven different players have a reception of at least 20 yards.

SADON STRONG
• After finishing the 2012 season with  412 yards over the final five games, Ian Sadon eclipsed the 100-yard mark (108) at Mercyhurst, giving him three, 100-yard games in a six game stretch.
• Last season, he produced 100-yard games against LIU Post and California (Pa.), and scored five touchdowns including three against Cal. His 108 yards at Mercyhurst came on 21 carries--the second-highest total of his career. Since Oct. 13, 2012, Sadon is averaging 5.4 yards per carry.
• Sadon has carried the ball more than 20 times just twice in his career and both times he has recorded at least 100 yards and a touchdown.
• The last Marauder running back to record three 100-yard games in a six game stretch was Cardoza Jacks in 2008 when he posted four in a row.

SANDERS IS BACK
• After Dominic Sanders' nagging ankle injury snapped a streak of 33 consecutive starts and a streak of 23 consecutive games with a catch in week one and kept him basically sidelined for three weeks, he became a weapon in the Marauder passing game again in week four against Shippensburg. Sanders caught four passes for a team-high 80 yards. He also caught a 30-yard touchdown pass.
• He has improved both his reception and yardage totals each season despite playing with six different starting quarterbacks in his career. Sanders has totaled 117 catches for 1,215 yards. 90 of those catches and six touchdowns came from 2011-12. Sanders currently ranks eighth in career catches and trails Alpha Jackson and Shawn Foxworth by just one for sixth place. He trails Don Humphrey's 10th place yardage totals by 397.

WHAT A DEBUT
•  Dante Barkley made eight catches for 84 yards against LIU Post in week one. The eight grabs were the most by a Marauder freshman since Omar Sanders caught nine against Bloomsburg in 2003.

NEW NAMES, NEW FACES
• Coach Greg Breitbach made some changes to his coaching staff in the offseason, first bringing in Jeff Richter and George Love, who he coached with at North Dakota. Richter was the tight ends coach in 2012 and was also a player at UND while Breitbach coached. Love coached linebackers with Breitbach for one season before moving on to his alma mater, Eastern Illinois. Love will also oversee the special teams.
• During the summer, Breitbach added wide receivers coach Ralph Clark and outside linebackers coach Matt Sutjak. Clark is a 16-year coaching veteran, having served as a defensive coordinator at Division I FSC Northeastern and St. Francis. Sutjak is a familiar name for Marauder fans. He was a standout safety for Millersville from 2008-2010. He led the team in tackles twice and led the PSAC in interceptions as a senior. Sutjak will also assist with the special teams.

YEAR ONE A CHALLENGE
• Breitbach is one of four new head coaches in the PSAC, and the 12 returning coaches went just 52-72-2 in their first seasons. Only half of that number posted records above .500. No first-year Millersville coach has posted a winning first season since 1923.
• The four new PSAC coaches have a combined 4-12 record through four weeks, and Bloomsburg's Paul Darragh has all four wins. However, he inherited a team that was 10-2 in 2012.

NO FAVORS WITH THE SCHEDULE
• Three of Millersville's opponents were ranked in the preseason top-25 and two others received votes. Three teams (Shippensburg, Bloomsburg and IUP) reached the NCAA Playoffs last year. Millersville's PSAC West opponents finished 1-2-3 in the standings in 2012 and went a combined 29-7.
• After four weeks, three opponents (IUP, Bloomsburg and West Chester) are ranked in the top 20.