ABOUT THE GAME

• Millersville closes out the PSAC East schedule Saturday at Bloomsburg looking for its fourth PSAC East win of the season and fourth win in six games. Bloomsburg has lost two in a row and three of its last four. 
• Millersville currently sits at 3-3 in PSAC East play and with West Chester playing first-place Shepherd and East Stroudsburg playing second-place Kutztown, Millersville could jump into third place in the standings with a win. Millersville has not finished higher than fourth in the standings since a runner-up finish in 2000, and that was the last time Millersville won more than three PSAC East games in a season. Two weeks ago, the Marauders defeated Shippensburg for the first time since 2000, and now, they have a chance to end 21-game skid against the Huskies which dates back to 1999. 
• Millersville is coming off a 20-13 loss to Kutztown and it was the third loss this season in which Millersville was within one score in the fourth quarter. Bloomsburg has taken its share of close losses as well. The season started with a double-overtime loss at Stonehill, and the Huskies lost 23-20 in overtime against Edinboro in week three. Two weeks ago, East Stroudsburg held on to a 27-21 win over Bloomsburg. 
• The teams are evenly matched on paper with Bloomsburg averaging 19.9 points per game and Millersville averaging 17.4. Bloomsburg ranks 10th in the PSAC in scoring defense while Millersville is 11th. Millersville has an edge in both total offense and total defense as well as rushing defense, but Bloomsburg is 11th against the pass while Millersville is 14th. Bloomsburg rushes for 126.8 yards per game while Millersville averages 123.1. Both teams also have solid kickers. Millersville has converted 6-of-7 field goals while Bloomsburg has connected on 8-of-10. Millersville is 15th in first downs while Bloomsburg is 16th. Millersville is far better at stopping opponents, though, as it ranks eighth in opponent first downs (16.9) while Bloomsburg is last in the league, allowing 22.7 per game. Both defenses are strong in the red zone. Millersville ranks fourth in the league (19-of-27) and Bloomsburg is fifth (29-of-40). 

SCOUTING THE MARAUDERS

• Millersville's defense has been on fire the last six weeks, recording 16 sacks and generating 13 turnovers. Aside from No. 3 Shepherd's 257 yards in week seven, Millersville has held four of the last six opponents to no more than 70 yards rushing, and while Kutztown totaled 126 last week, it averaged just 2.9 yards per carry. 
• Millersville's outstanding trio of linebackers--Rafael Lozada (7.8), Isaiah Onuschak (7.1) and Garrett Cox (6.8) all rank in the PSAC's top 20 in tackles. Cox is tied for the team lead with defensive tackle Tyler Tate with five sacks and 11 tackles for loss. Cox has at least one TFL in eight of nine games. 
• After starting the season without a sack in the first three games, Tate has recorded five sacks in the last six games and has four TFL in the last two. 
• Freshman corner Gus Ross has also been a difference-maker since stepping on the field for the first time in week four. He's picked off two passes and broken up four in five starts. 
• Running back Jaheim Morris has totaled at least 13 rushes in each of the last seven games but after scoring a touchdown in five-straight games, he has not found the end zone in the last two. Morris' 571 rushing yards are already the most by a Marauder since Ian Sadan recorded 1,062 in 2013. Only four Marauder backs have rushed for over 500 yards since 2010. 
• Robert Footman Jr. attempted a season-high 28 passes against Kutztown and also had a season-high 17 rushes. Millersville is 3-0 when Footman runs for at least 45 yards. He has a knack for explosive plays with four passes of 50-plus yards and a 75-yard rush which is the longest on record by a Millersville QB and the longest by any Marauder since 2012. His 88-yard touchdown passes to Mekhi Alexander was the longest for Millersville since the school record was set at 91 in 1999. 
   

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES

• While Millersville has found success running the football, Bloomsburg ranks 13th in the PSAC in stopping the run, allowing 168 yards per game and 4.4 yards per carry. Seven of nine opponents have rushed for more than 100 yards and West Chester, Kutztown and Shepherd all topped 200 against the Huskies. Shepherd rushed for 255 yards in last week's game against Bloomsburg. While Millersville has allowed the most sacks in the PSAC, Bloomsburg's 16 sacks ranks 11th and the Huskies have just one sack in the last three weeks. Bloomsburg is also tied for last in the PSAC in interceptions with four. 
• On the other side of the ball, Bloomsburg ranks just ahead of Millersville in rushing offense, averaging 126.8 yards per game to Millersville's 123.1. Bloomsburg relies on its running game, topping more than 30 attempts in eight of nine games. Bloomsburg has passed for fewer than 100 yards five times and completed more than 10 passes three times. 
• Kaleb Monaco is the team's leading rusher with 387 yards (3.8 yards per carry). Millersville will need to account for quarterback K.J. Riley in the running game as he's totaled nearly 200 yards rushing. Riley attempts just 14.5 passes per game but he takes care of the ball. Other than a three INT game against Edinboro in week three, Riley has thrown just one interception. 

SERIES HISTORY

• Bloomsburg has won 21-straight games against Millersville, but the Marauders have been creeping ever closer in recent years. In 2017, Bloomsburg held on for a 28-21 win. In 2019, Bloomsburg won 26-21, getting a stop on Millersville's final drive, which had entered Bloomsburg territory. Last season, the Marauders rallied from a 38-7 deficit, but fell 38-35. Millersville has not played at Bloomsburg since 2018 (L, 14-38), but Millersville's last win over the Huskies was on the road in 1999 (31-21). Bloomsburg has scored at least 26 points in 16-straight meetings. The Huskies have been synonymous with a strong run game over the years, and they've recorded at least 171 rushing yards in all 21 games of their winning streak over the Marauders. Bloomsburg totaled more than 200 rushing yards in 19 of the 21 wins, topped 300 four times and even totaled 428 in 2008. The fewest rushing yards in that streak came last season. Millersville has had success in the passing game the last two meetings, throwing for 307 yards in 2019 and 304 yards in 2021. 
• THE LAST MEETING (Bloomsburg 38, Millersville 35 (Nov. 6, 2021): Millersville trailed 38-7 late in the second quarter, but a Jack Stagaard to Christan Drayton touchdown pass as the first half clock expired jump-started the Millersville offense. The Marauders scored 21 second-half points, but the slow start, along with a missed field goal on the opening drive of the third quarter, and an interception thrown in the end zone with just over six minutes remaining proved too costly to overcome. Millersville scored a season-high in points and gained a season-high 410 yards of offense behind Stagaard's 25-of-37 passing for 304 yards and three touchdowns. Stagaard also ran in a touchdown and led the team with 81 yards on the ground. 

THE LAST TIME OUT

• Millersville: Kutztown 20, Millersville 13 (Oct. 29, 2022) - Millersville drove to the Kutztown 29 on its final offensive drive by stalling with one minute remaining. Millersville held Kutztown to its fewest points since the season opener. Kutztown had rushed for more than 200 yards in the three previous games, but Millersville allowed just 126. Millersville was the first team in four weeks to hold Davis-McNeil to fewer than 100 yards rushing. Robert Footman Jr. went 14-of-28 for 160 yards passing and 24 yards rushing.
• Bloomsburg: Shepherd 55, Bloomsburg 10 (10/29/22) - Shepherd scored two touchdowns in each quarter while Bloomsburg's lone touchdown was scored by Kaleb Monaco, who totaled 37 yards on 11 carries. Freshman QB K.J. Riley went 6-for-17 for 78 yards.