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| GAME COVERAGE |
Saturday, Sept. 16, 1 p.m.
Millersville, Pa. | Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium
Live Stats | Live Video
Twitter | Instagram |
| ABOUT THE SERIES |
Series vs. CalU: 3-12
Series Streak: CalU, 5
First Meeting: 1930 (L, 6-12)
Last Meeting: 2016 (L, 0-61)
Largest Margin of Victory: 40 (1974)
Largest Margin of Defeat: 61 (2016)
Record at Home (1970): 2-1
Most Millersville Points: 40 (1974)
Most CalU Points: 61 (2016) |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS |
RUSHING
Kobe Miranda (VILLE)
21-94, 1 TD, 4.5 YPC
Nick Grissom (CALU)
20-96, 1 TD, 48.0 YPG
PASSING
Collin Shank (VILLE)
40-79, 4 TD, 1 INT, 569 yds
Michael Keir (CALU)
52-74, 7 TD, 1 INT, 619 yds
RECEIVING
Kevin Wiggins (VILLE)
10-135, 2 TD, 67.5 YPG
Luke Smorey (CALU)
15-174, 2 TD, 87.0 YPG
DEFENSE
Sean Dugan (VILLE)
31 tkls, 1.5 TFL, 1 sack
Luke Hrapchak (CALU)
14 tkls, 1.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks
|
| TEAM COMPARISON |
| VILLE |
STAT |
CALU |
| 32.5 |
PPG |
45.0 |
| 118.0 |
Rush/GM |
119.5 |
| 301.0 |
Pass/GM |
327.0 |
| 419.0 |
Total Off |
446.5 |
| 33.0 |
Scoring D |
24.0 |
| 149.5 |
Rush D/GM |
75.5 |
| 218.0 |
Pass D/GM |
304.0 |
| 368.0 |
Total D |
379.5 |
THE MATCH-UP
• Millersville used a last-minute touchdown drive and 33-yard TD hook up from
Collin Shank and
Kevin Wiggins to beat Seton Hill 45-38 on the road last week. After two weeks on the road, the Marauders make their home debut against California (Pa.), which comes in 2-0 and ranked No. 5 in Division II.
• The Vulcans ran unbeaten through the 2016 regular season, beat Kutztown 49-7 in the PSAC Championship game and reached the third round of the NCAA playoffs before falling to Shepherd. The Vulcans are 32-10 against PSAC East foes since 2004. All-America honorable mention selection Michael Keir is back at quarterback and leads an offense averaging 327 passing yards and 446 total yards per game.Â
• Millersville's own quarterback
Collin Shank had a memorable first career start against Seton Hill. After playing the second half against Pace and leading three scoring drives, Shank earned the week two start and accounted for six touchdowns--throwing for four and rushing for two. Shank completed 28 of 52 passes for 424 yards--the most by a Marauder QB since Drew Folmar set the school record in 1999. He led two scoring drives in the fourth quarter. In two games he has guided the Marauders to 27 fourth quarter points.
• Shank was recognized as the PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week--Millersville's first since wide receiver Jamal Smith in 2010. With four rushing touchdowns, Shank ranks fifth in the PSAC scoring and is first among quarterbacks. He also ranks fifth in passing yards.
• Millersville took two of the three player of the week awards with
Sean Dugan winning the other. Dugan matched the NCAA Division II high for tackles in a game this season with 21.
• Millersville is 3-3 in its last six home openers but are 5-21 against the PSAC West since 2008.
SCOUTING BY THE NUMBERS
• The improvement in Millersville's offense from week one to week two was impressive. The Marauders generated 540 yards of offense (its most in more than 15 years) against Seton Hill after totaling 298 against Pace. Millersville rushed for 120 yards in the opener and 116 in week two, but the big spike came through the air, jumping from 178 to 424. Shank, however, entered late in the second quarter against Pace and went 1 for 2 for 2 yards in his lone second quarter drive. He threw for 143 yards in the second half, giving him 567 yards on 39 completions over his last six quarters.
• Millersville leads the PSAC with 55 first downs.
• Millersville's defense surrendered 511 yards to Seton Hill after giving up just 225 against Pace. The defense enters week three ranked eighth in the PSAC in total defense, seventh against the pass and ninth against the rush. One area where the Marauders will look to improve is on third down where opponents have converted 14 of 28. That conversion ranks 15th out of 16 PSAC defenses.
• The Vulcans have scored 90 points in their first two games and have scored at least 30 points in 18 consecutive games. Keir is extremely efficient, leading the league in completion percentage (70.3) and has tossed seven touchdowns to just one interception. Three of his receivers rank in the league's top 15 in receptions and all three have two touchdown grabs. Even in a pass-heavy offense, California has allowed just one sack.
• While the passing defense ranks near the bottom of the league, allowing 304 yards per game, the run defense has allowed just 75.5 yards per game and 2.6 yards per carry.
THE LAST MEETING (California 61, Millersville 0, 9/17/16)
•
The Vulcans' defense and special teams certainly were special. The Vulcans scored three touchdowns on special teams and defense, and they limited the Marauders to just 40 yards of offense for a 61-0 final score.
•
California held a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter when Jawan Turner sacked
J.J. Paige, scooped up a fumble and raced 36 yards for a touchdown. Garry Brown returned the second half's opening kickoff 98 yards for one of the three touchdowns he scored in the game. 10 seconds later, on CalU's ensuing kickoff,
Nii Kotei Nikoi was stripped by Arnel Farmer, and Todd Coles Jr. scooped and scored from 25 yards out.
•
California scored 28 points in the third quarter. The Vulcans recovered two fumbles and picked off two passes with a total of 143 return yards in those plays.
J.J. Paige's streak of consecutive games without an interception came to an end at five after he went 5-for-13 for just 12 yards. He was sacked seven times resulting in 43 lost yards. Including the lost yardage, the Marauders totaled 26 yards on the ground.
ABOUT THE SERIES
• California is making its first appearance in Millersville since 2013 and just its second trip since 1986. The Marauders and Vulcans have met only four times since 2006, and California has won five consecutive. Two of California's last four wins have come via shutout. Millersville's last win came at home in 1986. The first meeting between the teams come in 1930. California won each of the first seven meetings, all coming between 1930 and 1949. The programs did not meet again until 1974. The Marauders won that game 40-0 (still Millersvile's widest margin of victory over California), and won a 21-6 game in 1975 and a 19-10 decision in 1986.
VERSATILITY IN THE BACK FIELD
• Millersville's running backs are doing much more than just running the ball. Tailbacks
Kobe Miranda (8),
Phil Overton (4) and
Tyrone Gibson (3) have combined for 15 of the team's 44 catches, and even fullbacks
Dylan Niedbalski and
Pearson Hinkle have gotten in on the action. Niedbalski caught his first career touchdown at Seton Hill. Hinkle has one catch as well.
• Overton made four catches, caught a touchdown and tied for the team lead with 92 receiving yards in week two. That came a week after Miranda led the Marauders with six catches and 55 yards in week one. Miranda ranks 15th in the PSAC in all-purpose yards, with 94 rushing yards and 92 receiving yards. Gibson totaled 76 yards from scrimmage against Seton Hill. He averaged nearly 8.0 yards per rush and 15.0 yards per reception.
RUN FOR IT
• In less than two full games as the team's quarterback Shank has not only made the Marauders productive through the air, he has also rushed for four touchdowns. He has rushed for two in each of his two appearances, and his four are twice as many as the team leader had in all of 2016.
DUGAN ON DEFENSE
• Dugan opened his 2017 season right where he left off in 2016, totaling 10 tackles against Pace and following that effort with a career-high 21 tackles against Seton Hill. It was the eighth time in his last 12 games he has recorded double-digit tackles. Dugan has also recorded at least one TFL in five of the last six games, and he has 28 TFL in his last 27 games played.
• Dugan now ranks fifth in Division II in tackles with 31. He leads the PSAC by an eight tackle margin. His 17 solo tackles are also the most in the PSAC.
• 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 34 consecutive games dating back to the start of his freshman season. Now with 143 career grabs in 34 games, Wiggins ranks sixth in career receptions, fifth in touchdowns (20) and sixth in career yards (1,818). Wiggins moved from 10th to sixth with his 92-yard performance in week two. Wiggins needs just five catches to move into fourth place all-time. He is three touchdown catches shy of Kevin Gannon for fourth and eight shy of Sean Scott's school record.
• Wiggins was named All-PSAC East Second Team in 2016, becoming Millersville's first all-conference wide receiver since Jamal Smith in 2010.
• Wiggins totaled over 100 yards against Pace (101) and East Stroudsburg (144). He has three career 100 yard games.
• 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.
GOOD WORKS TEAM
• Not only is Wiggins producing on the field, he's making a difference of the field. Wiggins was nominated for the 2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. Wiggins' extensive work with the Marauder Scholar program as well as his involvement with the 2017 Make-A-Wish reveal during the spring football game made him a strong candidate for the honor. The final roster, comprised of 22 total players including 11 from the FCS, Division II, Division II and NAIA ranks, will be released in September.
RELIABILITY
• Since making his debut in week one of the 2014 season,
Drew Seaburg has started 35 consecutive games on the defensive line. Only eight players in the PSAC entered 2017 with 30 career starts, and only Slippery Rock's Marcus Martin has more (39) career starts than Seaburg.
Kevin Wiggins, with 34 career starts, is tied for fourth with Lock Haven's Trent Fielding and West Chester's Vince Lostracco. Wiggins and IUP's Jay Watkins (CB) are the only non-lineman with 30 or more starts.
EXPERIENCE UP FRONT
• There is no shortage of game experience for the Marauders on the defensive line. Among returning players listed on the depth chart,
Logan Kinser (35),
Drew Seaburg (35),
Tanner Dean (34),
Morgan Faughnan (24) and
Tommy Halloway (13) have combined for 131 games played.
