Erie, Pa. - Every time Millersville pulled within striking distance, Mercyhurst answered. Millersville rallied from a 14-0 halftime deficit and pulled within one score twice in the second half, but Mercyhurst did just enough in a 35-14 win on a snowy Tullio Field Saturday afternoon.

Mercyhurst out-gained the Marauders 381 to 257. The Marauders found running the ball tough sledding and instead attempted 51 passes. Justis Jacobs started and went 7 for 13 for 118 yards. Collin Shank came on in the second quarter and went 16 for 37 for 161 yards, a touchdown adn two picks. Mercyhurst's Doug Altavilla completed just 12 passes but three of them were touchdowns--two of which were caught by Clay Waldron.

"Give our guys credit because we answered back but they answered our answers," aid Millersville head coach J.C. Morgan. "We gave up a couple big plays. I was impressed how we battled back through the weather at a place that is tough to win. They got off to a good start but we stayed in it."

Colin Suhr ended Mercyhurst's first drive of the third quarter with an interception and 24-yard return to the Lakers' 45. Shank connected with Evan Morrill for 14 yards and Joey Farley for 12 more to reach the 19. On the next snap, Shank fired a strike to a sliding Taiyir Wilson in the end zone.

Millersville never got a chance to tie the game, though. On its next possession, Altavilla found Waldron on a 42-yard bomb to put the lead back to 13. 

With two minutes left in the third quarter, Millersville took over on its own 41 and drove 59 yards in 1:35, aided by three consecutive defensive pass interference penalties. Phil Overton took a direct snap and ran it in from the 10 on second-and-goal, making the score 20-14.

Mercyhurst again used the big play to push its lead back to two scores. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Altavilla found Waldron for 59 yards to the Ville 11. Altavilla's 11-yard toss on third-and-goal was the backbreaker for the Marauders.

Millersville could not piece together another scoring drive. Its final three drives ended on an interception, punt and downs..

"This was another example of us trying to find a way to play a complete ball game," said Morgan. "When you make mistakes it comes back to bite you and it has in games all year."

Mercyhurst scored on its opening possession, capping an 11-play, 65-yard drive with an Altavilla to Waldron touchdown. At the end of the first quarter, Millersville could not execute a punt from inside its own end zone. Mercyhurst took over on the 3 and Altavilla rushed in for a 14-0 lead.

Joey Farley caught six passes for 119 yards--his second 100-yard game of the season. His 63-yard catch was Millersville's longest of the season and his second catch of 50 or more yards. On the season, Farley caught a team-leading three touchdowns and also went 8 for 14 on field goals and went 17 for 17 in PATS. His 56 points scored were the most by a Marauder since 2010.

Zach Button led the Marauders with seven tackles. Button finished the season with 12 1/2 tackles for loss--the most by a Marauder since Chris Donati's 16 in 2005.

Millersville concluded its first season under Morgan with a 2-9 record, which is one more win than the first season totals of Millersville's previous two head coaches. Twenty seniors depart following Saturday's game. For Morgan and his staff, its first offseason in the program begins immediately.

"The rebuild really starts now," said Morgan, whose first day on the job was in May. "The plan is recruiting," said Morgan. "It starts immediately. We have been doing a lot but now it is in full gear tonight. There will be coaches on the bus looking at film, and we will be making visits and contacts. I could write a book on what I've learned in the first year. The biggest thing is that for us to be successful you need complete buy in from all levels from the coaching staff, players, administration and alumni. I really like what we have here at Millersville. We have some work to do but the people who will be apart of this moving forward will help us get to where we want to go."