ABOUT THE GAME

• Saturday night's game between Millersville and Slippery Rock pits two of just five PSAC teams still undefeated. Millersville is 2-0 for the first time since 2005 and is looking for its first 3-0 start since 2003. The Marauders' last win over a ranked opponent was a week one home win over IUP in 2005, and Slippery Rock rolls into Saturday ranked 13th in the AFCA Division II poll. Millersville has been garnering some support in the national polls as well, earning eight votes in the preseason poll, one after week one and then picking up eight votes this week. Millersville last appeared in the top 25 in week eight of the 2000 season. Slippery Rock has been a fixture in the national polls and the postseason in recent years, reaching the NCAA playoffs four years in a row and ranked in the top 25 each week since the start of the 2019 season. 
• Millersville has played Slippery Rock more than any other PSAC West opponent, and the programs have played 16 times since 2000. Saturday marks the sixth week three meeting between the teams since 2014. The Marauders have dropped 11 consecutive week three games and haven't won a week three road game since 2006. 
• Saturday marks Slippery Rock's third consecutive home game to start the season while Millersville has been on the road two times in the first three weeks. Slippery Rock's first four home games are night games, and The Rock has won 30 consecutive night games and are 46-6 at home since 2013. Millersville is 1-0 in night games this season, opening with a win over Saint Anselm. The Marauders are 40-31 all-time under the lights. 

SCOUTING THE MARAUDERS

• Millersville has won seven of its last nine games dating back to the 2022 season, and the key to that string of success has been running the football and stopping the run. Through two weeks, Millersville ranks third in the PSAC in rushing offense (164.0 yards per game) and first in run defense (84.5 yards per game allowed). Millersville's 4.6 yards per carry ranks fifth while Slippery Rock's 5.9 ypc and 218 yards per game tops the league. On the defensive side, Millersville has limited opponents to just one rushing touchdown and 3.1 yards per carry, which is the fifth-best mark in the PSAC. Millersville has held eight of its last nine opponents to 21 points or fewer.
• Even while successfully stopping the run, Millersville has managed to generate a significant pass rush in the first two games. The Marauders lead the PSAC with seven sacks for a loss of 62 yards. By comparison, Slippery Rock has recorded just one sack in two games. Randy Okungu has one sack each of the first two games, and he and Ryan Aument are tied for the PSAC lead. 
• Fourth down conversions on both sides of the ball have helped Millersville to a 2-0 record. The Marauders have converted 3-of-3 on offense while holding opponents to 2-of-6. That defensive conversion rate is the best in the PSAC among teams with at least two defensive attempts. 
• With three-time All-PSAC East linebacker Isaiah Onuschak working his way back from injury, Garrett Cox (All-PSAC East First Team in 2022) and Hez Faison have starred in the first two games. Cox was the PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week after the win over Saint Anselm, and Faison was recognized by the D.C. Touchdown Club after the week two victory. Faison set career highs in tackles (10), tackles for loss (4 1/2) and recorded a sack. Cox is tied for the PSAC lead in tackles for loss with 2 1/2 in each of the first two games. He's broken up a pass in both games and forced a fumble vs. Gannon. 
• The Marauders have become proficient at creating turnovers on defense. Three different Marauders have recovered a fumble in the first two games, and Gus Ross has an interception, giving the Marauders a plus-four turnover margin. In week one, KeShaun Jones returned a fumble recovery 84 yards for a touchdown--the longest by a Marauder since 1998. Ross has an interception and a forced fumble in two games. Since week four of the 2022 season (10 games), Millersville has 10 interceptions and 19 turnovers created. 
• Meanwhile, the offense has protected the ball with Rob Footman Jr. attempting 48 passes without throwing an interception. The Marauders have also not fumbled the ball in 72 rushing attempts. 
• Millersville rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns in week one and then totaled 162 yards and two touchdowns in week two at Gannon. Since the start of the 2022 season, Millersville is 7-1 when rushing for more than 100 yards and 4-0 when producing a 100-yard rusher. 
• Redshirt freshman Jaquan Howard picked up 110 rushing yards in his collegiate debut, becoming the first Marauder to rush for over 100 yards in a season opener since 2012 and the first freshman since 2011 to rush for 100 yards in his debut. With the return of 2022 All-PSAC East running back Jaheim Morris in week two, Howard received eight fewer carries in week two but still scored the first two touchdowns of his career. He averaged 5.1 yards per carry and caught two passes for 39 yards, scoring a touchdown on a 26-yard catch and run. Jaiden Abrams also received two carries, breaking one for 42 yards, and that was the longest run by a Millersville running back since week one of the 2019 season. 
   

SCOUTING THE ROCK

• Slippery Rock quarterback Brayden Long was named the PSAC West Offensive Player of the Week after week two, and defensive tackle Munchie Johnson was the week one defensive player of the week. Long leads a dynamic offense that ranks second in the PSAC in points per game and total offense and ranks first in rushing offense. Long has completed 71.4% of his passes, tossing six touchdowns without an interception. 
• The Rock's rushing attack totaled 209 yards and two scores in week one and 227 yards and three scores in week two. The team averages 5.9 yards per carry, led by Khalid Dorsey's 8.4 on 23 carries. 
• Slippery Rock's defense has been susceptible against the run game, giving up 223 yards and two touchdowns to Wayne State and 186 yards and three touchdowns to West Chester. West Chester also threw for 311 yards, but The Rock offset that by picking off three passes and forcing a pair of fumbles. Like Millersville, Slippery Rock is also plus-four in turnover margin. Josh Stokes has recorded three interceptions in the first two games. 

SERIES HISTORY

• Since the return of the PSAC Championship game and the PSAC East-West crossover schedule in 2008, Millersville has played Slippery Rock seven times. Slippery Rock has won the last 10 meetings dating back to 2005, and Millersville has not scored more than two touchdowns in any of the last six meetings. Slippery Rock, meanwhile, has totaled at least 45 points in each of the last five matchups. Millersville is 2-9 all-time at Slippery Rock with its last win coming in 1989. 
• THE LAST MEETING (Slippery Rock 45, Millersville 14 (Sept. 17, 2022): Millersville struck first with a 68-yard touchdown pass from Anthony Butler to Jaheim Morris, and Morris went on to score two touchdowns, but 11th-ranked Slippery Rock used a balanced offense to control possession and pull away with a 45-14 road victory. The Rock improved to 3-0 with the victory. Led by 116 rushing yards from reigning PSAC West Offensive Athlete of the Week Chris D'Or and 289 passing yards and four touchdowns from quarterback Noah Grover, The Rock out-gained Millersville 573-202 in yards and ran double-up the Marauders in offensive snaps, 84-42. 

THE LAST TIME OUT

• Millersville: Millersville 28, Gannon 21 (Sept. 9, 2023) - With the game tied, 28 yards from the end zone and 29 seconds remaining, none of Rob Footman Jr.'s previous 23 pass attempts mattered. Millersville needed one play, and making plays is what Footman does. Millersville's sophomore quarterback scrambled away from the rush and threw a dart to a sliding Kam Taylor for what would be the game-winning touchdown as the Marauders beat Gannon 28-21, improving to 2-0 for the first time in 18 years. 
• Slippery Rock: Slippery Rock 49, West Chester 24 (Sept. 9, 2023) - The 15th-ranked Slippery Rock University football team scored 28 points in the first quarter and rolled to a 49-24 win over West Chester. The Rock improve to 2-0 on the year and pick up their 30th consecutive victory in a night game, a streak that extends back to 2012. Brayden Long threw four touchdown passes, connecting on 19-of-24 attempts for 312 yards. Khalid Dorsey rushed for 118 yards and Kyle Sheets caught two passes for 123 yards. The defense picked off three passes in the first half.