| GAME COVERAGE |
Saturday, Sept. 30, 1 p.m.
Millersville, Pa. | Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium
Live Stats | Live Video
Twitter | Instagram |
| ABOUT THE SERIES |
Series vs. BU: 30-44-5
Series Streak: BU, 17
First Meeting: 1916 (L, 0-42)
Last Meeting: 2016 (L, 15-29)
Largest Margin of Victory: 72 (1981)
Largest Margin of Defeat: 43 (2003)
Record on the Road: 9-16-1 (since 1968)
Most Millersville Points: 72 (1981)
Most BU Points: 50 (2003) |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS |
RUSHING
Kobe Miranda (VILLE)
37-144, 2 TD, 3.9 YPC
Qmac Quiteh (BU)
84-367, 4 TD, 91.8 YPG
PASSING
Collin Shank (VILLE)
45-90, 4 TD, 3 INT, 681 yds
Chris Palubinsky (BU)
62-109, 6 TD, 2 INT, 796 yds
RECEIVING
Kevin Wiggins (VILLE)
26-319, 2 TD, 79.8 YPG
Jay Popson (BU)
19-340, 0 TD, 85.0 YPG
DEFENSE
Sean Dugan (VILLE)
48 tkls, 3.5 TFL, 1 sack
Eric Schwartz (BU)
22 tkls, 1.0 TFL, 1 sacks
|
| TEAM COMPARISON |
| VILLE |
STAT |
BU |
| 24.8 |
PPG |
33.0 |
| 97.8 |
Rush/GM |
152.2 |
| 231.5 |
Pass/GM |
199.0 |
| 329.3 |
Total Off |
351.2 |
| 34.0 |
Scoring D |
23.2 |
| 158.5 |
Rush D/GM |
121.5 |
| 191.8 |
Pass D/GM |
222.0 |
| 350.3 |
Total D |
343.5 |
THE MATCH-UP
• Millersville plays just its second home game of the 2017 season on Saturday, hosting a Bloomsburg team riding a three-game winning streak.
• Millersville outscored Kutztown 21-6 over a 51-minute stretch of last Saturday's game, but Kutztown scored 35 points in nine second quarter minutes to hand Millersville a 41-21 defeat on the road. The Marauders held Kutztown to just 52 yards in the second half and also limited running back Craig Reynolds to 3.7 yards per carry and 44 yards under his season rushing average.
• Running back
Tyrone Gibson received his first career start and responded with a career-high 16 carries and 62 yards. Gibson's previous career-high in carries was eight (vs. Gannon in 2016) and his previous career high in yards was 47 (at Cheyney in 2016).
Xavier Jenkins also got into the act of career firsts, catching his first career touchdown pass.
• According to Millersville's depth chart,
Tony Staffieri is set to return to the starting lineup this week. Staffieri was the team's week one starter but exited the opener in the second quarter, limited by an injury. Staffieri has not seen playing time since that game. In limited action, he went 4 for 5 for 33 yards and also rushed eight times for 31 yards. Staffieri's best weapon is his feet. He rushed for 250 yards and two touchdowns in limited action in 2016.
• Millersville has found success attacking Bloomsburg through the air in recent years. Last season, the Marauders threw for 298 yards. In 2015, the Marauders threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns
•
Tyler Zilen could be a key Saturday. Last season against Bloomsburg, the tight end caught a career-high seven passes. He hauled in his fifth career TD reception last week at Kutztown and totaled six catches. Zilen has 50 career receptions. Last season his 26 were the most by a Marauder tight end since 1998.
• Bloomsburg has won three games in a row, holding opponents to 20 points or fewer in all three. Linebackers Chris Gary and Eric Schwartz have won back-to-back PSAC East Defensive Player of the Week awards.
SCOUTING BY THE NUMBERS
• Outside of the 540 yards of offense against Seton Hill, Millersville has not eclipsed 300 yards of offense in any of its other three games. Three times the Marauders have rushed for over 100 yards, but three times it has failed to pass for 200. Millersville's season high in rushing yards came int he opener (120) against Pace. The Marauders rank 14th in the PSAC in rushing yards per game.
• The Marauders now rank sixth in the league in total defense and have held three of four opponents to no more than 166 yards passing. Millersville ranks third against the pass, but Bloomsburg does its damage on the ground. The Marauders have held their own against the run game, ranking in the middle of the league in rushing yards allowed.
• What can always be said about Bloomsburg is that it will have a strong running game and a salty defense. The Huskies are averaging 152.3 yards per game on the ground, which ranks sixth in the PSAC, but uncharacteristically, the run game is averaging just 3.9 yards per carry. Qmac Quiteh ranks fifth in the league with 91.8 yards per game and is second in carries with 84. Quiteh has two 100 yard games this season and has at least 15 carries in all four games.
• Quarterback Chris Palubinsky completes 56.9 percent of his passes and has thrown only two interceptions compared to five touchdowns. He has at least one TD toss in each game this season and since throwing the ball 37 times in the opener, his pass attempts have decreased each game. He threw the ball just 19 times against Cheyney.
• Bloomsburg ranks in the top seven in the PSAC against the run, pass, scoring defense and total defense. Its 13 sacks leads the PSAC, and that's bad news for Millersville, which has surrendered a league-high 13 sacks. The Huskies are holding opponents to a 29.1 percent conversion rate on third downs, which ranks second in the PSAC. Meanwhile, Millersville's offense converts at a 35.1 clip, which is 13th out of 16 teams. The defense has shown a knack for getting into the backfield, totaing 24 tackles for loss. Gary is the team leader with 5 1/2 to go with 4 sacks. Scott beltz has 5 TFL and 3 sacks.
THE LAST MEETING (Bloomsburg 29, Millersville 15, 10/1/16)
•
Millersville scored first and scored last, but the final eight minutes of the second quarter and the first eight minutes of the third were the difference for Bloomsburg in the 29-15 PSAC East win.
J.J. Paige threw for 298 yards--the most allowed by Bloomsburg to that point in the season. Tight end
Tyler Zilen caught a career-high seven passes--the most by a Marauder tight end in more than 15 years.
• The Huskies scored all 29 points in the second and third quarters, including 19 in the second. After Millersville's initial scoring drive, Millersville was forced to punt on its next two possessions, and with 1:03 left in the half, Paige threw the first of two interceptions. Dexter Jordan's 50-yard return set the Huskies up on the Millersville 6, and the Huskies needed just two plays to score a touchdown and take a 19-7 lead.
ABOUT THE SERIES
• Bloomsburg leads the all-time series 44-30-5 and is riding a 17-game winning streak. Millersville's last win over the Huskies came in 1999 by a 31-21 score at Bloomsburg. Bloomsburg's 17-game streak includes 12 games with at least 40 points scored. Millersville has scored just 8.5 points per game over the last seven games.
QB PRESSURE
•
Tommy Halloway has recorded three sacks in the last two games, registering two against California and one against Kutztown. Halloway owns three of the team's five sacks. He also had two sacks as a redshirt freshman last season. He ranked second on the team in TFL in 2016 and is tied for the team lead with 3 1/2 in 2017.
TAKE IT AWAY
• After not forcing a turnover at Pace, the Millersville defense has generated eight in the last thee weeks. Millersville picked off Seton Hill three times in week two, recorded two INTs and two fumbles forced and recovered against California, and forced and recovered a fumble against Kutztown. Millersville is seventh in the PSAC in interceptions.
•
Brendan Sherman's interception return for touchdown against Seton Hill was his first career INT and first career touchdown. All five of Millersville's interceptions have been made by different players.
MINIMIZE THE MISCUES
• Millersville has fumbled the ball eight times in three games, losing four while also throwing five interceptions. That's nine turnovers in four games. Millersville did not commit a TO against Kutztown, and in the team's win over Seton Hill, the Marauders committed just one turnover. Since 2013, Millersville is 6-11 when not throwing an interception. In that span, Millersville has won only one game in which it did not throw an interception.
BREAKING IT UP
• Millersville has broken up 17 passes in four games and has 22 passes defended. The team broke up seven passes against Kutztown.
Brendan Sherman recorded three of those break ups himself.
Jarrid Satterfield broke up eight passes in just six games in 2016 and has three break ups through four games this season.
Jhet Janis and
Colin Suhr has three passes defended with one INT. It has been a full team effort with 11 different players defending a pass.
NO LUCK AT QUARTERBACK
• It looks as if Millersville will return
Tony Staffieri to the starting lineup at quarterback in week five. Only four games into the season and already three players have taken snaps at quarterback for the Marauders. Millersville has had three different quarterbacks start and no player has played two full games in a row. Unfortunately for Millersville, the quarterback position has not been its most stable over the last six-plus seasons. Since Bill Shirk graduated in 2010 with 30 career starts, Millersville has seen 14 players play the position. Only Dan Miller (10), Matt Misley (10) and
J.J. Paige (10) have double-digit starts in that span. Each season since 2011, Millersville has had at least two players attempt at least 50 passes. And in 2010, three different players attempted at least 26 passes. So far in 2017, three three QB's have combined to complete 54.2 percent of passes with six interceptions and six touchdowns. Shank accounted for four TDs and three INTs and 681 of the 926 passing yards.
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. IIn his last 14 games, Dugan has recorded double-digit tackles eight times. Dugan has also recorded at least one TFL in seven of the last eight games, and he has 30 TFL in his last 29 games played.
• Dugan now ranks ninth in Division II in tackles with 48 and he has at least eight tackles in all four games this season.
• 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 36 consecutive games dating back to the start of his freshman season. Now with 159 career grabs in 36 games, Wiggins ranks fourth in career receptions, fifth in touchdowns (20) and sixth in career yards (2,002). He is one of just six Marauders to ever eclipse the 2,000-yard mark. He is seven yard shy of passing Mike Burke for fifth all-time. He is three touchdown catches shy of Kevin Gannon for fourth and eight shy of Sean Scott's school record.
• With 26 catches, Wiggins is tied for third in the PSAC in receptions. If he maintains his current pace of 6.5 catches per game, he will finish the season with 72 catches which would rank fifth all-time in a single season and make him just the third Millersville player ever to reach 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.
RELIABILITY
• Since making his debut in week one of the 2014 season,
Drew Seaburg has started 37 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 (40) career starts than Seaburg.
Kevin Wiggins, with 36 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 (37),
Drew Seaburg (37),
Tanner Dean (36),
Morgan Faughnan (26) and
Tommy Halloway (15) have combined for 151 games played.
