West Chester, Pa. - Tony Staffieri entered in the second quarter and rallied the Marauders for three scoring drives, but it was not enough against the 13th-ranked West Chester Golden Rams on the road. West Chester raced to a 28-0 lead and held on to win the PSAC East opener, 42-16.

Staffieri debuted on Millersville's second drive of the second quarter, and following a Zac Button strip sack and recovery by Tykeem Dixon, Staffieri connected with Taiyir Wilson from 17-yards out for his first TD pass of the season and the first career touchdown for Wilson. Staffieri also threw a touchdown pass to Chris Dolan in the fourth quarter and finished 18 for 26 for 163 yards. He also led the team in rushing with 37 yards.

"The first thing is mobility," said Millersville head coach J.C. Morgan. "[Tony] is an athletic guy who can extend plays with his arm and his legs. When you need a spark, when you get down quick, he was able to come in and provide that spark."

Staffieri came in for Collin Shank, who went 3 for 7 with two interceptions and was sacked five times in the first quarter alone. Staffieri was also sacked five times, marking the second consecutive week that Millersville allowed 10 sacks.

A.J. Long went 8 of 18 for 135 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. He did more damage with his legs, however. West Chester entered the game as the PSAC's top-rushing offense, averaging 209 yards per game. Long totaled 54 yards, helping the Golden Rams stay right on its average, piling up 210 yards on 44 carries. Mark Dukes, who rushed for 120 yards, scored from 35 yards out on West Chester's first drive. West Chester's second drive was ended on Ray Lopez's first career interception, but the Golden Rams used a couple of their own interceptions late in the first to pull away.

With the score 14-0 and just over two minutes remaining in the first quarter, Shank was picked off by Jordan Burney at the West Chester 37. On West Chester's next offensive snap, Long connected with Ethan Price on a 63-yard strike for six. Ten seconds later, on Millersville's next snap, Shank was picked off again. This time it was Nydair Rouse, who took the ball 35 yards to paydirt. It was the fourth consecutive game that Shank threw a pick six.

In the first quarter alone, West Chester rushed for 113 yards and out-gained Millersville 209 to -11. West Chester did not score again until midway through the third quarter but the damage was done.

"Cutting down the mistakes," said Morgan. "We are making big mistakes that other teams, quality teams are taking advantage of. We just have to limit mistakes and that will cure a lot of things."

Millersville had not recorded a sack in the first three games, but Button tallied two and Tommy Halloway and Dixon both had one. Halloway and Button both forced fumbles as well. Button finished with four tackles for loss.

"The defense was a positive starting in the second quarter. But still, all three phases of the game have to get better. This is a team game. We still gave up over five yards per play today. All three phases have to be better and that's how you turn these games into victories."

On offense, Dolan led the Marauders with five catches for 40 yards while making his second TD grab of the season. Evan Morrill set his career high in catches against West Chester in 2017, and on Saturday he had four catches for a team-high 46 yards. Joey Farley made a 33-yard field goal in the second quarter. He has now made eight of his last nine attempts.

"We talk about playing hard no matter what," said Morgan. "We are starting to see evidence of that. When we were down 28-0 that could have turned ugly very quick but we were able to maintain some momentum int he second quarter and get that lead down. We come back Thursday and it's an opportunity to a win a game because we are playing a game. It's a Thursday night game at home, on TV. It's an opportunity."

Millersville faces a quick turnaround as it hosts East Stroudsburg on Thursday, Sept. 27 at Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium. It will be the Marauders third Thursday night game of the season. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 and on Xfinity and regionally Fox Sports Ohio (Cleveland, Columbus, Youngstown, Akron, Buffalo, Charleston, Erie, Mercer, Meadville and Sharon), Blue Ridge Cable Network (Poconos, Eastern and Northern PA), WHP My TV (Harrisburg), and WQMY (Wilkes Barre/Scranton).