Millersville, Pa. - Just over three minutes into the second quarter, Millersville had built a 10-7 lead. But from there, Pace out-scored the Marauders 16-0 and pulled away, 23-10, in Thursday night's season-opener at Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium.

Millersville quarterback Collin Shank completed 24 of 37 passes for 250 yards and a touchdown, but an interception by Harrison Moran-Fernandez with 9:35 left in the game went 55 yards the other way for a touchdown and was a backbreaker for the Marauders. Shank was harassed all game. He was sacked seven times, and the Marauders finished with -24 yards rushing because of 66 lost yards to sacks and a high snap late in the fourth quarter while Millersville was knocking on the door of the Pace red zone.

"We are very disappointed, but I think we can learn a lot from this," said head coach J.C. Morgan, who coached his first game with the Marauders. "We have 10 weeks of football left; we're not going to call this a season. We have a lot of work to do, but that doesn't make our optimism fade."

Pace turned the game in the final eight minutes of the first half. With Millersville leading 10-7, Pace went on a seven-play, 57-yard drive that culminated in a Pat Davis 35-yard field goal. The Marauders took over, and with the help of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and a 23-yard completion to Tyrone Gibson, the Marauders pushed to the Pace 31 with one minute to play. Going for it on fourth-and-one, Shank lost the handle on the snap and Pace's Kadeem Langhorne pounced on the fumble. A pass interference penalty, two completions for 14 yards and a roughing the passer penalty on Millersville put Pace at the Millersville 13 with three seconds left in the half. Davis converted another field goal to take a 13-10 lead into the half.

Millersville did itself no favors in the third quarter, either. The Marauders started their first two drives at their own 40 and 42, and the third drive started at the Pace 30 after a Pace punt was deflected. Millersville came up empty in all three possessions, punting twice and turning it over on downs once.

"To give them 40 yards in penalties (at the end of the second quarter) is tough," said Morgan. "Our defense got a good stop to open up the second half and then another good stop. When we had great field position deep in their territory and came out with no points, I thought that was really the turning point."

Pat Davis kicked his third field goal of the game with 1:19 left in the third, and Moran-Fernandez's pick six extended Pace's lead to 23-10. The Marauders looked to answer, driving to the Pace 23 after Shank found Phil Overton for 25 yards. But on first-and-10, the snap flew 20 yards past Shank. Overton scooped it up to give Millersville a second chance. But on second down, Shank was sacked, knocking Millersville well out of the field goal range.

Millersville totaled just 66 yards of offense in the second half.

"When we failed to convert, the air came out of our balloons," said Morgan. "We had a chance to get the crowd back in the game, and we didn't't. That's tough to overcome. But then we had another good drive in the fourth quarter, then the snap went over (Shank's) head. We still had chances."

Overton finished with three catches for 55 yards and recorded his sixth career touchdown catch. Joey Farley led the team with six catches for 62 yards. Trejon Dinkins paced the defense with 12 stops, a tackle for loss and a pass break-up.

It is the second season in a row that Pace topped Millersville in the season opener, winning the 2017 meeting, 28-20. Millersville dropped to 16-9-2 since 1968 in season openers at home.

"I don't care what has happened in the past here," said Morgan. "If we're going to let one loss define us, then turn your stuff in. One loss is not going to define us. I know they're disappointed, I'm disappointed. But they have shown me that they are a resilient group. I think there's a lot of senior leadership in this locker room."

Millersville now embarks on a rough three-week stretch that includes games at No. 4 IUP, a home game against Slippery Rock, and a road game at reigning PSAC champion West Chester.