| GAME COVERAGE |
Saturday, Nov. 4, 1 p.m.
Millersville, Pa.
Live Stats | Live Video
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| ABOUT THE SERIES |
Series vs. WCU: 17-65-0
Series Streak: WCU, 14
First Meeting: 1921 (W, 38-7)
Last Meeting: 2016 (L, 0-52)
Largest Margin of Victory: 31 (1921)
Largest Margin of Defeat: 76 (1925)
Record at Home: 6-18 (since 1968)
Most Millersville Points: 41 (1981)
Most WCU Points: 76 (1925) |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS |
RUSHING
Tyrone Gibson (VILLE)
83-482, 5 TD, 5.9 YPC
Jarel Elder (WCU)
175-927, 14 TD, 103.0 YPG
PASSING
Tony Staffieri (VILLE)
69-121, 8 TD, 3 INT, 809 yds
Paul Dooley (WCU)
113-205, 17 TD, 10 INT, 1742 yds
RECEIVING
Kevin Wiggins (VILLE)
55-658, 5 TD, 73.1 YPG
Tyler Karpinski (WCU)
46-712, 6 TD, 79.1 YPG
DEFENSE
Sean Dugan (VILLE)
98 tkls, 8.0 TFL, 3 sacks
Tyler Morrissey (WCU)
85 tkls, 11.5 TFL, 6 sacks
|
| TEAM COMPARISON |
| VILLE |
STAT |
WCU |
| 26.6 |
PPG |
39.9 |
| 131.2 |
Rush/GM |
212.9 |
| 201.1 |
Pass/GM |
235.0 |
| 332.3 |
Total Off |
447.9 |
| 27.0 |
Scoring D |
22.2 |
| 166.8 |
Rush D/GM |
121.4 |
| 186.0 |
Pass D/GM |
211.7 |
| 352.8 |
Total D |
333.0 |
THE MATCH-UP
• Millersville has won three of its last four games, lifting its record to 4-5 and keeping its chances of a winning season alive. Last week, the Marauders scored 52 first-half points on its way to a 59-7 win over Cheyney. The 59 points were the most scored by Millersville since 2001, and they did it without attempting a pass in the entire second half. The four wins is the most for Millersville since 2006.
• Both teams have something to play for Saturday. For the Marauders, they are looking to an end a 14-game skid against West Chester and get to six wins in a season for the first time since 2000. West Chester, ranked sixth in the latest NCAA Super Region ranking, is fighting for a playoff spot and also trying to keep its positioning atop the PSAC East standings. Both WCU and Shippensburg are 5-1 in league play, and West Chester holds the head-to-head tiebreaker.
• Four of West Chester's last five games have been decided by 10 points or fewer, and the Golden Rams are 3-1 in those games. It scored a six-point win over Kutztown, a 10-point win over Shippensburg, a five-point win over East Stroudsburg while losing 20-19 to Bloomsburg.
• After seeing three starting quarterbacks in the first four games, a healthy
Tony Staffieri has stabilized the position with three consecutive starts. In those three games, Staffieri has completed 52 percent of his passes with 113 yards rushing, 608 yards passing, six touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown. Staffieri was named PSAC East Co-Offensive Player of the Week on Monday after accounting for five first-half touchdowns against Cheyney. He did not play a snap in the second half but still totaled 312 yards of total offense. His four TD passes were a career-high. Staffieri gives Millersville the rare distinction of having two different quarterbacks win the PSAC East weekly honor in the same season.
• Millersville has now produced a PSAC East player of the week on offense (
Collin Shank, week two and Staffieri, week nine), defense (
Sean Dugan, week two), and special teams (
Joey Farley, week seven).
•
Joey Farley has hit four consecutive field goals, including a career-best 44-yarder against Cheyney last week. Farley has two makes of at least 40 yards this season and is a perfect 28 for 28 on PATs. His 44-yard boot is the fifth-longest in the PSAC this season.
• In addition to Farley's placekicking, the Marauders have recovered three onside kicks this season including two against Cheyney.
SCOUTING BY THE NUMBERS
• Millersville's defense will be tested Saturday as West Chester boasts the highest-scoring offense in the PSAC at 39.9 points per game. The run game is where it is most dangerous, averaging 212.9, which ranks third in the PSAC. Jarel Elder is certainly a contender for the division's offensive player of the year as he averages a division-best 103.0 yards per game with 14 touchdowns. His 175 carries are third-most in the league. Elder had just one 100 yard game in the first five but has since averaged 130.3 yards per game with three 100-yard games in his last four outings. He has also scored eight touchdowns in the last four games. Elder averaged 8.1 yards per carry and scored three touchdowns against Millersville last season.
• West Chester quarterback Paul Dooley has tossed 17 touchdowns, but he has also thrown 10 interceptions.
• Millersville must protect the passer against West Chester. The Golden Rams lead the PSAC with 27 sacks. Three Golden Rams rank in the league's top eight in sacks. Tyler Morrissey leads the pack with six.
• Three times in the last four games, Millersville has totaled at least 155 yards rushing and twice, the ground game has totaled 249 yards. The Marauders have rushed for at least one touchdown in every game this season and have totaled eight rushing TDs in the last three weeks (four vs. Cheyney).
•
Tyrone Gibson totaled eight carries for 46 yards in his first three games but in Millersville's last three wins, Gibson has totaled 46 carries and 340 yards. He has scored all five of his touchdowns in the last four games including a career-high two against Cheyney. Gibson's 59-yard run against East Stroudsburg was the longest by a Marauder since 2014. Gibson's 5.8 yards per carry is the highest by a Millersville running back since Ian Sadon's 5.9 in 2012.
• Millersville's defense has climbed to seventh in the PSAC in scoring (27.0) and sixth in total defense (352.8). The last time Millersville gave up fewer than 30 points per game in a season was in 2007 (26.0), and has not averaged fewer than 350 yards allowed since 2005.
THE LAST MEETING (WCU 52, Millersville 0, 11/5/16)
• West Chester picked off four passes and used three rushing touchdowns from Jarel Elder to top Millersville. West Chester out-gained Millersville by 310 yards (577-267) on offense. Millersville had opportunities to score, driving into West Chester territory four times in the first half, and pushing inside the West Chester 5-yard line two times in the second half. But four interceptions and and 0-for-3 day on fourth down conversions was too much to overcome.
ABOUT THE SERIES
• Millersville won the first-ever meeting between the teams (38-7) in 1921 but West Chester went on to win 41 consecutive games in the series from 1922-1974. The 1975 Millersville team finally ended that streak with a 17-12 win on the road. Millersville held a 16-12 edge in the series from 1975-2002 with the teams playing 17 games decided by seven points or fewer in that stretch. But since 2003, it has been all West Chester. The Golden Rams have won 14 in a row. Millersville has not scored more than 14 points against West Chester since 2006. West Chester, however, has scored at least 41 points in 11 consecutive games against Millersville.
QB PRESSURE
• Millersville has 21 sacks on the season and 16 in the last five games. It is quite a jump for the defense after it totaled 11 in all of 2016. The Marauders have climbed to sixth in the PSAC in sacks, and the 140 lost yards is fifth-most.
•
Tommy Halloway in particular has been a menace of late. The redshirt sophomore has six sacks, tying for third-most in the PSAC. Halloway was shutout in the first two games but has all six sacks in the last seven games. He has generated all nine of his TFL in the last seven games and has at least two TFL in two of the last three.
TAKE IT AWAY
• After not forcing a turnover in the season opener, the Marauders have forced at least one turnover in six of the last seven games. The Marauders have recovered seven of the last eight fumbles committed by the opponents.
•
Brendan Sherman's interception return for touchdown against Seton Hill was his first career INT and first career touchdown. Six Marauders have made seven interceptions.
Jhet Janis' pick against Cheyney made him the first Marauder with two this season.
MINIMIZE THE MISCUES
• After committing nine turnovers in the first three games, Millersville's quarterbacks have not thrown a pick in four of the last five games. Millersville has averaged just one turnover per game since week four. Since 2013, Millersville is 10-11 when not throwing an interception. In that span, Millersville has won only one game in which it did not throw an interception. Millersville is -2 in turnover margin this season.
BREAKING IT UP
• Millersville has broken up 36 passes has 43 passes defended. The team broke up a season-high nine passes against Lock Haven with
Marcel Mingo totaling a career-high three. The Marauders also broke up seven passes against Kutztown.
Brendan Sherman recorded three of those break ups himself. The Marauders also defended seven passes against Cheyney with
Ray Lopez setting a career-high with three.
DUGAN ON DEFENSE
• In his last 19 games, Dugan has recorded double-digit tackles 11 times including five times this season. Dugan has also recorded at least a half TFL in 11 of the last 14 games, and he has 35 1/2 TFL in his last 34 games played.
• Dugan now ranks 11th in Division II and first in the PSAC in tackles with 98, and he has at least eight tackles in seven of nine games this season. Dugan has recorded 20 or more tackles two times this season.
• Dugan is just two tackles away from becoming the first Marauder since Tim Naylor in 1991-92 to record 100 tackles in back-to-back seasons.
• With 173 career solo tackles, Dugan ranks sixth in Millersville history.
• Dugan was named PSAC East Defensive Player of the Week following the Seton Hill game. It was the second time in his career he won the award. Both awards came after playing Seton Hill. In 2016, Dugan's 19 tackles against Seton Hill were the most tackles by a Marauder in the Statcrew Era dating back to 2002. He topped that mark with 21 in week two of 2017.
• Dugan's 111 tackles were the most by a Marauder since 1999 and his 69 solo tackles were the most since 1996.
WIGGINS WATCH
•
Kevin Wiggins has caught a pass in 41 consecutive games dating back to the start of his freshman season. Now with 188 career grabs in 41 games, Wiggins moved into third place in career receptions, fourth in touchdowns (23) and fourth in career yards (2,341). He is one of just six Marauders to ever eclipse the 2,000-yard mark and is just 20 yards shy of Jamal Smith for third place on the all-time list. His 23rd TD catch moved him into a tie with Kevin Cannon for fourth and he is now five shy of Sean Scott's school record.
• With 55 catches, Wiggins is tied for fourth in the PSAC in receptions. He is just 12 catches shy of becoming the third receiver in Millersville history with 200 career catches.
• Wiggins was named All-PSAC East Second Team in 2016, becoming Millersville's first all-conference wide receiver since Jamal Smith in 2010.
• Wiggins is the first Marauder since hall of famer Mike McFetridge (1996-98) to lead the team in receiving in three consecutive seasons and one of only two players ever to record 40-plus catches in each of his first three seasons.
• Wiggins has ranked in the top 25 in the PSAC in catches each of his three seasons.
