SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - With reigning PSAC East Athlete of the Week Collin Shank sidelined with an injury, Millersville was unable to replicate its offensive performance from a week prior Saturday at Shippensburg. The homestanding Raiders used a ball-control running game led by Luke Durkin for a 27-0 win over the Marauders.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Durkin rushed for 213 yards on 31 carries and scored twice as Shippensburg finished with 236 yards on the ground and 459 total. With freshman quarterback Miles Miller filling in for Shank, the Raiders loaded up against Millersville's run game and limited the Marauders to 22 true rushing yards. Millersville's leading rusher was K.J. Cartwright, who rushed seven times for eight yards. Shippensburg also ate up more than 35 minutes of clock.
• Millersville kept the game scoreless through the first quarter, stopping Shippensburg on each of its first three drives. The Marauders made a goal line on the opening drive, stopping Shippensburg on four consecutive rushes inside the seven. Steve Sweeney turned away Durkin on third-and-goal from the 1, and A.J. McCloud made the stop on fourth down. Shippensburg started its next two drives at the Millersville 39 and its own 43, but both times, Millersville forced punts. Eventually, however, field position and Durkin's sledgehammer running wore down the Marauder defense.
• Shippensburg broke through with a 38-yard touchdown run from Durkin with just under 14 minutes left in the second. All six of Millersville's first-half possessions ended in punts, totaling six yards on 25 plays. Shippensburg's first six drives started no deeper than their own 39.
• The Marauders put together a trio of double-digit play drives in the third quarter, pushing to the Shippensburg 27, 21 and 33 on the three possessions. All three, however, ended on downs.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Miller completed 18-of-41 passes for 204 yards, throwing one interception. Shippensburg's Brycen Mussina went 18-for-26 for 223 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Both TD passes went to Kyle Haines.
• Evan Morrill led Millersville's receiving efforts with four catches for 60 yards.
• Isaiah Onuschak led the Marauders' defense with 14 tackles and a half-tackle for loss. Zac Button added 10 stops, a sack and two TFL. Freshman Kaleem Corbin recorded his first career interception.

COACH J.C. MORGAN'S THOUGHTS
• On dealing with untimely injuries: "Snake-bitten, bad luck, I don't know what it is. It is part of the process and they happen. Bear gets hurt in practice in a non-contact injury--a fluke thing that happens. That's where we were this week. We do the best we can with a true freshman on the road in his place. He had some early miscues early but he did bounce back in the second half and was able to move the ball at times."
• On building a game plan for a true freshman quarterback: "You want to make sure it is something he can handle. You want to have your basics in and your base concepts. Sometimes there are things you would like to add but you have to be cautious--do things he can handle both physically and mentally. Part of the issue is that we have to play better around him. We needed receivers, the line and the running backs to play up."
• On the defense keeping the game close early: "They fought hard today. They came out early on and held their ground on some possessions early. At the end of the day, Ship's run game was able to control the clock. They ran the ball pretty well. But other than a few big plays here and there, I thought our defense battled and made some stops."

NOTES
• Miller's 41 pass attempts were the most by a Marauder QB since Shank threw it 52 times against Seton Hill on Sept. 9, 2017.
• Onuschak has double-digit tackles in six of seven games and has recorded a tackle for loss in six of seven and in four in a row. Button's sack was his first of the season. He has produced double-digit tackles in two consecutive games (21 total).
• Morrill has led the team in receiving in three consecutive games and has caught a pass in 25 consecutive games.

UP NEXT
• Millersville returns to Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 26 for its annual Homecoming game. Kickoff against Shepherd is set for 2 p.m.