MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - The five-man sled and a whistle.

On a blow of that whistle from offensive line coach Matt Kelleher, a blended quintet of offensive linemen, running backs, tight ends, and wide receivers start from a three-point stance, slam into the blocking sled, and with legs churning, drive it 10 yards. Immediately, a second group fires into the sled. Then another. Then another. From the back of the end zone to midfield, a turn, and back through the end zone again, this relentless wave of physicality and aggression repeats. It sets the tone. Everyone blocks. Everyone finishes the block, and it is done as a unit--as a team.

This drill marks the official start to every practice for the Millersville offense. Moving a half-ton of steel across the hot, August turf can only be accomplished in synchronicity. It can only be muscled the requisite 120 yards with a non-stop assault of unified power and speed. This is what Millersville head coach J.C. Morgan and offensive coordinator Jeff Tomasetti envisioned back in 2018—an offense hammering opponents with the running game and hitting big plays through the air off play-action all while operating at a break-neck speed.

"Since day one, we said we want to establish a physical presence," said Morgan. "A physical run game and we want to play great defense. Yes, throwing the ball downfield is nice, and that's something that we will continue to get to, but no doubt that if you can control the line of scrimmage, and you can be effective in the run game on both sides of the ball, you have a foundation for winning football."

For Morgan's first four seasons, at least on Saturdays, it felt like the Millersville offense couldn't budge the sled. That all started to change on Oct. 1, 2022, at Lock Haven. Freshman quarterback Rob Footman Jr. came off the bench and led touchdown drives on six of the team's final eight possessions. The Marauders ran for 257 yards—the most in eight years. Footman also completed five passes for 149 yards, including an 88-yard catch and run by Mekhi Alexander.

The next week, Millersville won again, this time rushing for 269 yards. The Marauders went on to win five of their final seven games, rushing for at least 250 yards three times and 1,048 yards in the five victories. Millersville totaled just 1,142 yards in the two previous seasons combined. Millersville's five wins were its most in a season since 2006 and its four PSAC East wins were its most since 2000. The Marauders beat Shippensburg for the first time since 2000 and Bloomsburg for the first time since 1999. For the first time in the generation, the sled was moving for Millersville.

"I think that when you have that foundation, that's what started to build momentum," said Morgan. "We started to run the ball better. On defense, we played very well against the run and a lot of things with football start and end with that. I just believe that the confidence came on. I truly believe that we have a group of young men that feel they can play with anybody on the schedule."
 
With a veteran offensive line returning intact along with the team's three leading receivers, an All-PSAC East running back, a fifth-year tight end and Footman at QB, there is reason to believe that Millersville will be more dynamic on offense in 2023. Despite the significant progress made in 2022, the offense was still not fully formed. Millersville scored more than 20 points just three times and out-gained opponents five time in 11 games. Being forced to start four different quarterbacks undoubtedly impacted consistency and production, but it also speaks to the unit that they could do enough to scratch out five wins despite the quarterbacks combining for nine touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 51% of pass attempts.
 
Footman's time as the No. 1 quarterback was fleeting but a glimpse into a special future. He went 3-2 as the primary QB, losing only to NCAA Semifinalist Shepherd and PSAC East runner-up Kutztown. Against Kutztown, he had Millersville 29 yards from a game-tying touchdown but a shoulder injury suffered on a sack prematurely ended his season. Footman exhibited rare qualities in those five games, though. He averaged better than four yards per rush and ripped off a 75-yarder against Shippensburg. He led the team with five passing touchdowns and completed a team-high 54.2% of his attempts. His speed and elusiveness paired with a big arm were evident to all, but the intangibles are what most excited Morgan. His abilities were on display as he converted three third downs and accounted for 81 yards in game-winning drive against Shippensburg.  

Seemingly from the moment he stepped on the field at Lock Haven, the now-sophomore quarterback galvanized his team. He has the talent that make teammates believe anything is possible as well as a gravitational personality. Footman has the "it-factor."

"He's really growing as the quarterback and as one of the leaders in this program," said Morgan. "He has great charisma. He has great leadership ability, and the type of guy that people love to be around--coaches, teammates, people in the athletic building. He has it. He had it when he was in high school driving around Columbia. People rally behind Rob Footman."
 

Footman gives Millersville a true dual threat quarterback. While his legs are weapons, it was his skill in the passing game that drew Millersville coaches to Columbia High School. The running game will continue to be a hallmark of the offense, but Morgan and Tomasetti know the unit needs more balance in 2023. Footman's offseason in the playbook will help.

"We want to move the ball. If it's through the air, it's through the air. If it's on the ground, then on the ground," Morgan said. "I know a lot of people have been looking at him as an athletic running quarterback, but we fell in love with him during the recruiting process because he was a good passer, and he had a good arm. He's a good athlete, but we were attracted to his arm and his mental makeup more than we were attracted to his legs. As a young quarterback, your athleticism can take over and that gave him a chance to be successful. But he's developing that mental makeup. He's starting to get a better feel for the passing game, which to me, is a strength of his."

A perfect fit for Tomasetti's scheme, Footman has now taken command of the offense, and he's also now the most veteran QB in the room. Graduation left the Marauders young at the position with only the inexperienced but talented freshmen Brett Nye and Ryan Zeltt on the depth chart. Morgan's tenure has seen an unfortunate run of inconsistency at the position with 12 different starting quarterbacks used in just four seasons. Millersville hasn't seen a QB start 11 games since Bill Shirk in 2010. That makes keeping 13 protected and healthy the No. 1 priority.

That task falls to an offensive line that returns three-year starter Michael Bennett at center, two-year starter Tyler Lacey at right tackle, two-year starter Logan Fleegal at right guard, and returning starters Lex Rivera and Zac Shelley at left tackle and left guard respectively. These five were workhorses in 2022, accounting for 55 starts. It is a group that took its lumps as young players, but those trail-by-fire experiences have forged an offensive line that paved the way for 132.8 yards per game last season. Sacks also plummeted from 46 in 2019 to 43 in 2021 to 31 in 2022.  

Under the direction of Kelleher, this is a position group that has in many ways set the course for Millersville's program turnaround. The offensive line room's collective GPA sits well above a 3.0 with Bennett and Fleegal earning CSC Academic All-District honors. The group has stuck together and improved by leaps and bounds.
 

"We love the way they play, and other people are starting to love the way they play as well," said Morgan. "I love their approach—the way they approach the weight room, the meetings, practice and the games. Going into last season, I felt like this was the strongest performing group in our program, and that was before we saw what we saw on the field. A lot of people said it came out of nowhere. It hasn't. It's been hard work and development. A lot of credit goes to the offensive coaching staff. It's a group that I'm excited about what they can do this year. They'll be the first to tell you they can still get better."

The center of the line, both literally and figuratively, is Bennett. A pre-med major with a 3.68 GPA, Bennett's smarts help him recognize and communicate assignments. Morgan calls him the quarterback and mouthpiece of the group. Bennett is also quick on his feet, which is a key to the running game.

Morgan calls Lacey "the strongest guy around," and he plays to that strength at tackle. Like Lacey, Fleegal enters his third season as a starter, and is what Morgan calls "a complete offensive lineman."

"Down the stretch last year he played as well as anyone in the conference," said Morgan.

Shelley won a starting role as a redshirt freshman and quickly improved as he gained experience. He's only gotten stronger and more technically sound, and Morgan says that Shelley made significant progress in his play during the offseason.  

Rivera worked his way into the lineup as a true freshman in 2021, and his sophomore season saw him seize a starting job. His toughness and grit gives an added edge to the Marauders' line.

"Lex is a lineman's lineman," said Morgan. "He's the nicest young man around, but he is a classic O lineman. He comes ready to work. He's a guy you won't hear from, but you know he's around."

Building up the offensive line has been a priority since Morgan's very first recruiting cycle. The fruits of those labors are now being seen as there are 18 linemen on the roster--only two of which are true freshmen.

"It's exciting to go into a season with a lot of experience and the depth that we have," said Morgan. "We've taken a couple of years to develop that depth. The goal is to have eight to 10 guys ready to play at the start of the season."

Among the players ready to back-up the starting five are Ben Stewart and Sam Storll.

"Ben Stewart as a freshman last year really developed," said Morgan. "When you can see a freshman come in and hold his own in preseason camp, that's nice to see. In the spring, it really clicked for him. Sam Storll got hurt but he has a lot of experience in the offense. We expect him to contribute as well."

Mason Sowers, Vance Metzger, Nick Groft and Josh Denis are all third-year sophomores capable of providing depth.

The beneficiary of the improved offensive line was running back Jaheim Morris, who became Millersville's first All-PSAC East runner since 2013. A sledgehammer at 5-10, 195 pounds, Morris finished with 822 yards but totaled 679 yards and 5.0 yards per carry over the final seven weeks when the offense started to roll. Morris also scored 10 touchdowns, three of which were on receptions, and his ability to be a threat in the passing game is another weapon for Footman's arsenal.

"The next step for him is seeing the bigger picture within the offense, and that started to click for him," said Morgan. "Last season, he started seeing more than just the offensive line and what was happening right in front of him. He's seeing the passing game as a whole and seeing the defenses, picking up blitzes, knowing what to look for in the defense and how they fit the run. There are opportunities for him moving forward because of his eagerness to learn more about the game of football."
 

In addition to his duties as the head coach, Morgan coaches the running backs. Behind Morris are big backs Jaiden Abrams and Matt Frauen. Trey Gretzinger offers a change of pace, and Jaquan Howard is a hard running but quick redshirt freshman.

"The beautiful part about preseason camp is you can start to see how the pieces fit," said Morgan. "They all have a different skill set that they can bring to the table, yet they work hard to be complete running backs as well. We feel confident that we have many guys that we can put in and they can perform. It is a very deep room, and I'm a little biased because I get the chance the privilege to work with them every day. They're great young men."

The only starter that Millersville has to replace is tight end Eli Workinger, but returner Brian Richardson been tight end 1B for three seasons. He arrived as part of Morgan's first recruiting class and has since played in 32 of the team's 33 games. He a capable pass catcher and a vital part of blocking for the run game and pass protecting.

"I've always said that you have to have good tight end play to be successful on offense and having Brian's experience is critical. Brian hasn't rested on his experience. He continues to go out and play and put in the same effort that he did as a freshman trying to figure it out. He's grown and gotten better."

The Marauders are thin at the tight end spot, but Brady Russell and Isaiah Armand both highly regarded redshirt freshmen ready to contribute.

"You can see it as a passing of the torch from Workinger and Richardson to Russell and Armand," said Morgan. "I think those two are going to complement Brian very well."

On the outside, Footman can distribute the ball to a trio of proven playmakers. Grad student Mekhi Alexander has boosted his statistics each season and finished just shy of 500 yards while averaging 14.5 yards per catch in 2022. He gives Millersville not just a consistent pass catcher who can lineup in the slot and on the outside, but he has shown that he can make explosive plays.

"I love that young man," said Morgan. "One of the best experiences about coaching is seeing young men develop from day one to the time they leave, and he's a primary example of that. He's changed his body from the time he got here. The first couple of seasons, you could see him thinking on the field. Now, everything is natural for him. One area where he has really developed is how he goes up and attacks the ball. He competes for the ball as well as anyone in the conference. We expect him to make big plays this year. He does whatever it takes. He'll block, he'll run the ball, he'll catch the ball. He's the ultimate team player."

Hakim Melvin already has two years of starting under his belt entering his redshirt junior season. He's a speedster who the Marauders can utilize in a variety of ways. He's totaled 753 yards over 21 career games, but with his explosiveness, Morgan believes his best football is just ahead.
 

"In the spring, we really worked on the nuances of the position," said Morgan. "Hakim takes it personal to play perfect football. That's what you want to see from an experienced player who has made some plays. He is a young man who is looking to put it all together. With his skill set and speed and what he can do after the catch, we hope to get him some opportunities."

At 6-3, 200 pounds, Kam Taylor is the wide receiver prototype. A high school quarterback, Taylor redshirted as a freshman to learn the new position. Last season, he caught 15 passes for 136 yards. Expect a big leap in production for Taylor in 2023.

"His confidence is at an all-time high," said Morgan. "He is a big-bodied receiving. He runs well, has a frame. He's another young man who will do whatever he can to help the team. When you see long runs happening, Kam Taylor is chasing the ball downfield to make that block. Kam leads the way in that area. He's somebody who has taken ownership of that transition from quarterback to receive. He's confident that when the ball is thrown his way that he's going to make the catch."

When the Marauders spread the field with four and five wide receivers, expect redshirt sophomore Jalen Carter, redshirt freshmen Titus Kruah and Owen Sensenig, and fourth-year juniors Tyler Tinson and Rob Tatum to be in the mix.

Millersville's 2023 season begins under the lights at home on Thursday, Aug. 31 against Saint Anselm. Part two of the season outlook will feature the defense and special teams.