WEST CHESTER, Pa. - A touchdown scramble from quarterback Luke Thomas and a TD pass to Jaheim Morris, and the Millersville Marauders were in full control early Saturday against West Chester. But a disastrous second half that included three lost fumbles, a pick six and a safety led to 24 unanswered points and a 26-14 come-from-behind win for the Golden Rams. 

Millersville's miscues made all the difference. The Marauders' defense stymied West Chester all game, holding the Golden Rams to six first downs, 16 rushing yards on 42 attempts and just five complete passes which resulted in 111 passing yards. West Chester converted just 2-of-18 first downs. The Marauders sacked West Chester quarterbacks four times, and Steve Sweeney and Nick Freiwald both intercepted passes. West Chester mustered its fewest yards of offense since a 2010 loss to FCS member Delaware and its fewest rushing yards since Oct. 17, 2009. 

West Chester's 26 points were gifted. Twice, misplayed snaps resulted in safeties. A fourth-quarter interception by Oscar Uduma turned a two-point game into a two-score lead. Four of West Chester's offensive scoring drives started inside the Millersville 27, and two started inside the Millersville 10. Only five times in 18 drives did West Chester advance the ball more than 10 yards. The Rams also received 43- and 44-yard field goals from Sean Henry. 

Thomas, making his first career start under center for the Marauders, got the Marauders out to a 14-2 lead. Both scores were set up by long completions. The first was a 30-yard connection with Kameron Taylor, and on third-and-four from the West Chester 4, Thomas raced in to cap a 52-yard drive. Later, Thomas found Hakim Melvin for 41 yards, and six plays later, Morris hauled in a short pass and out-raced defenders for a five-yard score. 

But the Marauders soon began to unravel on offense and on special teams. Millersville went scoreless on its next nine drives, and five consecutive second-half drives ended in turnovers. Twice in the third quarter, an inability to pick up a first down and flip field position resulted in lengthy punt returns from Phil Poquie--the first a 37-yarder and second a 26-yarder. Both returns gave West Chester starting field position in Millersville territory, and both drives resulted in a scores. The 43-yard touchdown pass from Ethan Kohler to Thatcher Miller gave West Chester nearly half of its passing yards for the day and gave West Chester the lead (16-14) for the first time in the game. 

POSTGAME REACTION FROM COACH J.C. MORGAN
•  On the turnovers: "It was multiple guys doing it. You can't pinpoint it on one person or one unit. Everybody has taken turns with it. It's just unfortunate."
•  On what adjustments were made at halftime: "When we look at the film, I don't think we are going to see that it's something that West Chester did. It is that we didn't execute and didn't do the finer details to stay on the field. The defense played lights out. Special teams gave up some field position, and we didn't play great complimentary football in the second half. We have to compliment the units better."
•  On taking the next step: "We are at the stage of the program where we have to learn how to win ball games and close games out. In week two, we got the ball back in a one-score game and didn't get it done. In this game, we felt like we were in control for a good amount of the game. We had a couple of chances in the first half to stay on the field, and we let that slip away. We were up by nine and felt like we should have been up more."
•  On how to close out games: "That comes from experience. We are past the point of being competitive. It's now cleaning it up and getting over the hump to win games. That's what we have to coach up and get done." 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
•  Thomas--Millersville's third different starting quarterback in four games--completed 13-of-22 passes for 125 yards. Melvin led Millersville with four catches for 47 yards. Morris rushed for 41 yards and scored a touchdown for the second week in a row. 
•  Onuschak led Millersville with a season-high 13 tackles. Tyler Tate record a career-high 12 while Rafael Lozada and Garrett Cox both hit double-digits. Tate, Onuschak, Conner Snyder and Randy Okungu all recorded sacks. 
•  West Chester's 26 points scored were its fewest in a head-to-head meeting with Millersville since 2003. 

UP NEXT
• Millersville stays on the road with a trip to Lock Haven on Oct. 1.