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COMPLETE GAME NOTESGAME OVERVIEW• Millersville opens its second season of the
Greg Breitbach Era against first-time opponent Livingstone Thursday night under the lights. The Marauders are looking for improvement after a 1-10 record in 2013. Livingstone is coming off of a 3-7 season. Both Breitbach and Livingstone coach Daryl Williams are entering their second seasons.
• Millersville opens its season at home for the fourth time in the last five years. It has managed a 1-2 record in those games with a 2012 win over W.Va. Wesleyan. Millersville is 50-58-9 all-time in season openers but 15-6-2 in season openers at Biemesderfer Stadium. The Marauders also have a strong history under the lights, boasting a 36-18 record since 1985.
• Millersville returns only four starters on offense and four starters on defense. The offensive line is the most veteran unit as
Kevin Bohl,
Lenny Sanelli and
Austin Neider combine for 64 career starters. On defense, safeties
P.J. Santos and
Rasheed Johnson have 16 career starts and corner
Joey Pham has 10, making the secondary an experienced group. The team's top two tacklers in
Rasheed Johnson (89) and
Reggie Slaton (82) ranked 12th and 20th respectively among PSAC players in 2013.
ABOUT THE SERIES• Millersville and Livingstone are playing for the first time. It is also the first time Millersville has played an opponent from the CIAA. The previous eight season openers have come against teams from the now-disbanded WVIAC and the Northeast-10. Millersville posted a 2-6 record in those games.
SCOUTING THE BEARS• Livingstone is entering its second season under the direction of Daryl Williams. The Bears' record has improved in each of the last three seasons and it went 3-7 a season ago. All three of their wins came on the road, however. A total of 14 starters are expected to return in addition to a number of transfers from Division I schools.
• Like Millersville, Livingstone has waited some time for a winning season. For Livingstone, it has been 16 years and seven head coaches since it's last winning season in 1998.
• Williams, who also serves as the offensive coordinator, directed the CIAA's ninth-ranked offense in 2013. Junior quarterback Drew Powell was the 2012 CIAA Rookie of the Year and is a true dual threat. He threw for over 2,000 yards a season ago, ranking second in the league in passing touchdowns and third in yards. His favorite target is Jalen Hendricks, who caught 47 passses for 544 yards and six touchdowns in 2013.
• Kenneth White is the rock in the middle of a defense that finished seventh in the CIAA last season. White was an All-CIAA First Team selection after recording 100 tackles and five sacks. He totaled 46 more tackles than any other player on his team.
THE LAST TIME OUT• The Millersville offensive line gouged the California (Pa.) front, and
Ian Sadon ran for a career-high 187 yards to become the first Millersville back in eight seasons to hit 1,000 yards in a season. The Marauders' rushing attack kept the game within reach until costly turnovers allowed Cal to pull away for a 48-14 win in the season finale.
Millersville rushed for 224 yards on 47 carries for an average of 4.8 yards per tote and totaled its most rushing yards since the season opener of the 2012 season--a span of 21 games. Millersville trailed just 27-14 with 1:45 left in the third quarter, but two turnovers returned for touchdown in a little more than one minute ended the Marauders' hopes.
DAVID RETURNS FOR HISTORY•
David Coates has already set Millersville career records for return yards and return attempts in a season and a career. Coates finished 2013 ranked fourth among all NCAA players regardless of Division in career returns, fifth in kickoff returns per game (3.4) and third in career kickoff return yards (2,477). He enters the season needing just 23 returns and 789 yards to set career Division II records.
• In 2012, 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.
INTO THE FIRE• Coach Breitbach signed his first recruiting class in February and several players are expected to make an immediate impact. When the first depth chart of the season was released, four true freshmen found themselves in starting roles. Wide recievers
Malont'a Patterson and Kevin Wiggins and linebackers
Sene Polamalu and
Logan Kinser will be in the starting lineup but won't be the only freshmen on the field. A total of 11 true freshmen are listed on the two deep. A total of 17 true or redshirt freshmen are listed on the two deep. Millersville will field 12 first-time starters on Thursday.
NEW LEADERSHIP, NEW LOOK• Millersville's defense has a new leader in defensive coordinator
Ralph Clark and a new look with a 3-4 scheme. The Marauders' defense has finished no higher than 13th in the 16-team PSAC in total defense and no higher than 14th in scoring defense since 2007. Only once in the last six seasons did Millersville allow fewer than 400 yards per game. While Clark coached Millersville's wide receivers last season, he is a defensive coach by trade. He served as the defensive coordinator at Division I FCS Saint Francis and at Division III Rose-Hulman.
TEAM PICKS CAPTAINS• The Millersville football players voted for their team captains following the 2014 training camp. The players chose senior linebacker
Reggie Slaton, senior tight end
Trenton Petrovich and graduate quarterback
Matt Misley. Slaton is now a rare two-time team captain, becoming only the 10th two-time captain since 1956.
• Of those two-time captains, three were linebackers (Slaton, Joe Hollister (2003-04), and Tim Naylor (1991-92)). Quarterback had the most with four (Dan Csencsitz (2005-06), Drew Folmar (1999-00), Chris Fagan (1991-92) and Bret Stover (1987-88)).
• The good news for Slaton is that eight of the nine previous two-time captains were named All-PSAC East during their careers. Hollister was the 2004 PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year.
• Additionally, the coaches will select a fourth captain each week based on the performance in practice and games. The opening week choice is running back
Myron Myles. As part of Millersville's new "Hoist The Colors" tradition, The weekly coaches' pick will lead the team out of the tunnel carrying the "colors." The day after the game, coaches will choose a new captain for the week and the new captain will take over the "colors" for the week.
SANELLI'S STREAK• Center
Lenny Sanelli is becoming Millersville's Iron Man. He has started all 22 games since stepping on campus as a freshman in 2011. He started at tackle during his first season and moved to center as a sophomore.
WELCOME "BACK"• Millersville faces the challenge of replacing 1,000-yard rusher
Ian Sadon. Fortunately,
Myron Myles, who started nine games for the Marauders in 2012 returns after a season away from the program. The redshirt junior figures to receive the bulk of the leg work after he averaged 4.0 yards per carry two seasons ago. Myles transferred to Millersville from Division I Temple prior to the 2012 season. He had four carries of 20-plus yards and averaged 4.8 yards per carry in his final three games.
FAMILY CONNECTIONS• A pair of Marauder football players have family ties to the NFL. Senior wide receiver
Mike Reichenbach's father, Mike, played eight years as a linebacker with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Miami Dolphins. The younger Mike played quarterback for his father at Calvary Christian Academy.
• Freshman linebacker
Sene Polamalu shares the same last name as his first cousin Troy Polamalu, who is an All-Pro safety and future Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu. Sene's father, Ao, played defensive line for Penn State. Sene's older brother, Maika, is a senior linebacker at Navy.
PETRO SHOWS GOOD HANDS•
Trenton Petrovich enters his third season at the team's starter with 29 games played at the position. Petrovich caught a career-high 14 passes in 2013, which was the most by a Marauder tight end since Greg Frantz caught 14 in 2009. Petrovich also blocked four kicks to help Millersville lead the nation in the category.
• Petrovich not only shows good hands on the field, he was also nominated for the AFCA/Allstate Farm Good Works Team for his efforts off the field. Petrovich was one of 182 nominees across all divisions of football. There will be 11 individuals selected from the ranks of Division I FCS, Division II, Division III and NAIA to be recognized at the Allstate Sugar Bowl in January 2015. Petrovich contributed 70 hours of community service while the team was in season in 2013 and individually raised over $1,000 and shaved his head for the St. Baldrick's Foundation.
MISLEY TAKES OVER• Millersville used four quarterbacks in 2013 and three of them are no longer with the program. The four combined to throw 17 interceptions and just seven touchdown passes with a combined completion percentage of 50.5. The lone QB from that group to return is
Curtis Frye, who posted far-and-away the best numbers. He was 34-of-52 (63.0) for 323 yards in six reserve appearances. His season, however, was cut short because of a knee injury.
• Since three-year starter Bill Shirk completed his career in 2010, Millersville has used an eight different quarterbacks in the three following seasons. Seven different quarterbacks have started games in that span. Shirk threw for 19 touchdowns and 13 interceptions with 2,507 yards in 2010. Since then, Millersville's eight quarterbacks have combined to throw for 22 touchdowns and 45 interceptions with an average of 1,405 yards per season and a completion percentage of 50.2.
• While
Matt Misley--a graduate student--will only be Millersville's starter for one year, he will look to solidify the position. Misley played in 21 games at Division I FCS Wagner.
BOUNCE BACK• Millersville posted a 1-10 record in
Greg Breitbach's first season. The first season for Millersville coaches have rarely been successful. Before Breitbach, Greg Colby went 1-10 in his opening season. The last 10 Millersville coaches all posted records under .500. John Pucillo, who went 4-2 in 1933, was the last first-year coach to post a winning record.
• The good news for the Marauders is that year two almost always shows an improvement. George Katchmer (1954), Gene Carpenter (1970) and Colby (2008) all improved records in year two. Kevin Kiesel (2001) and Joe Trainer (2005) posted identical records in year two.
A CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE• In addition to the promotion of
Ralph Clark,
Greg Breitbach also added
Mike Wood as the team's wide receivers coach. A 2001 graduate of McDaniel and native of Delaware, Wood is returning home. In the previous two seasons, Wood built a championship resume as the offensive coordinator at American International. His Yellowjacket offense led the NE-10 in rushing in 2013 and paved the way to a NE-10 Championship and NCAA playoff appearance.
SCOUTING THE SCHEDULE• Based on 2013 results, Millersville's schedule may be more favorable than it was in 2013 when it played three nationally-ranked teams and seven of the 11 opponents finished with at least seven wins. The PSAC schedule rotation flipped PSAC powers IUP, California and Mercyhurst for Clarion and Edinboro, which finished seventh and sixth in the division last season. The Marauders do, however, draw defending Western Division champ Slippery Rock in game three.
• The two teams that finished around Millersville in the PSAC East last season--Cheyney and Lock Haven--both have the Marauders at home. Millersville plays four of its first five games at home. Kutztown hired former Delaware Valley head coach Jim Clements in the offseason. He is the second new head coach in as many seasons. Cheyney is also welcoming a new head coach.
• West Chester (10th) and Bloomsburg (24th) are the only two teams on the schedule ranked in the preseason top 25. Bloomsburg is replacing three All-PSAC East offensive linemen and Harlon Hill winner Franklyn Quiteh.
