ABOUT THE GAME

• Millersville is off to its best start in 20 years and is 1-0 in PSAC East play for the first time since 2007. The Marauders now look to start 3-0 at home and 2-0 in the PSAC East for the first time since 2000. Dating back to week five of the 2022 season, Millersville has won eight of its last 11 games, and that run all started with a 42-14 at Lock Haven. One year later, Lock Haven comes to Biemesderfer Stadium with a 2-2 record. 
• It was in the 2022 game against Lock Haven when Millersville's run game took off. The Marauders rushed 52 times for 257 yards and four touchdowns in that game, and in the last 11 games, Millersville has since totaled 1,945 yards and averaged 4.2 yards per carry. Last week against West Chester, Millersville rushed for 270 yards in beating the Golden Rams for the first time since 2002. It was the fourth time in the last 11 games that Millersville has rushed for more than 250 yards, and it improved Millersville to 8-1 when rushing for at least 100 yards and 6-0 when producing a 100-yard rusher. 
• Saturday's game is a fascinating match-up of team strengths. Lock Haven boasts the PSAC's third-ranked scoring offense (32.3) while Millersville is allowing just 21.0 points per game, ranking sixth in the conference in scoring defense. Lock Haven has scored eight times in nine red zone trips to rank third in the PSAC in red zone offense while Millersville ranks fifth in red zone defense, allowing scores on eight of 11 trips. The game very well may be decided on third down. Lock Haven ranks 14th in opponent first downs, 12th in opponent third down conversions and 14th in offensive time of possession. Millersville's defense has been outstanding on third and fourth downs, holding opponents to a 33.3% conversion rate on third down and to 5-of-13 (.385) on fourth down--the best in the PSAC among teams with at least three fourth down stands. 

SCOUTING THE MARAUDERS

• Against West Chester, Jaheim Morris became the first Marauder since 2013 to record 30 carries in a game, and his 177 yards were the most by a Marauder since Tyrone Gibson’s 183-yard game against East Stroudsburg in 2017. Morris’ performance earned him the PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week award for the second time in his career. Morris had totaled just 55 yards on 16 carries in the first three games. Millersville has now had two different rushers gain over 100 yards in a game this season. The Marauders boast the No. 2 rushing attack in the PSAC at 182.8 yards per game. Sharing the load, Millersville has three players ranked in the PSAC’s top 16 in yards per game. Slippery Rock is the only team that shares that feat. 
• On the other side of the ball, the Marauders have been stellar in stopping the run. They rank fourth in the league, allowing 98.3 yards per game. Last week, West Chester finished with 144 yards rushing, but 80 of those yards came on one run. Aside from that big play, Millersville held West Chester to fewer than 2.0 yards per carry. 
• Millersville generated six sacks last week--its most since the 2015 season opener. The Marauders now lead the PSAC with 14 QB sacks. Seven different players have at least a half-sack. Jabriel Rhodes-Nelson recorded two in last week's game, and Garrett Cox tallied 2 1/2. 
• Cox has been a wrecking ball on defense, recording 10 or more tackles in three of four games and recording at least two TFL in all four. In the two games in which he did not record a sack, he forced fumbles. He ranks second in the PSAC in tackles (10.3 per game), first in TFL (2.38) and fourth in sacks. Cox ranks 10th nationally in tackles for loss. Cox has 16 more tackles than any other player on the team. 
• Former three-time All-PSAC East linebacker Isaiah Onuschak played minimal snaps in the first three weeks as he continued recovery from his 2022 knee injury, but he returned in a big way against West Chester, recording 1 1/2 sacks.  
• Two interceptions against West Chester extended Millersville's streak of a turnover forced to seven consecutive games. Four different Marauders have recovered a fumble. Alex Pelegrin recorded his first career interception last week. KeShaun Jones picked off a pass adding to his returned fumble recovery for an 84-yard touchdown in week one. That was the longest by a Marauder since 1998. Since week four of the 2022 season (12 games), Millersville has 12 interceptions and 23 turnovers created.
• On offense, Millersville has protected the ball with just one interception thrown in 102 attempts. The Marauders have fumbled the ball just once time in 258 combined rushes and receptions. 
• In addition to not turning over the ball, Millersville has played clean football, committing the second-fewest penalties in the league with 20 total. The Marauders were flagged just twice last week.
• Special teams have given the Marauders a boost in recent games. Punter Zach Banta was named PSAC East Special Teams Athlete of the Week Monday after averaging 47.2 yards per punt and setting a school record with an 83-yard boot. The previous record of 81 yards was set by Jeff Lawson in 2012. Banta set Millersville's single season record for punting average in 2022. One week prior, Hakim Melvin opened the Slippery Rock game with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. It was Millersville's first touchdown on a kickoff return since 2014 and one yard shy of tying the longest in school history. In 1980, Brent Thomas returned a kickoff 100 yards vs. Mansfield, and Kevin Cannon did the same in 1995 against Shepherd. Melvin also had a touchdown return nullified by a penalty in the fourth quarter of the week two game against Gannon. Melvin ranks seventh in the PSAC in average (26.1), and his 99-yard return is the second longest in the PSAC this season. He is one of four players with a return touchdown.
   

SCOUTING LOCK HAVEN

• Head coach Dan Mulrooney is in his second season at Lock Haven after leading Division III Anna Maria for five seasons. He guided a quick turnaround at Anna Maria and has Lock Haven off to a fast start in 2023. The Bald Eagles opened the season with a 58-7 win over Post and also earned a 21-20 come-from-behind win at Mercyhurst in week three. In that win, quarterback Danny Sanchez completed a 31-yard touchdown pass with just seven seconds to play. Sanchez is a graduate transfer from Division I FCS Stony Brook and has tossed 10 touchdown passes to just two interceptions through four games. He attempted 39 and 38 passes in weeks two and three, and has tossed at least two TD passes in each game. He is tied for second in the PSAC in TD passes. 
• Lock Haven ranks third in the PSAC in scoring offense at 32.3 points per game, ninth in total offense, ninth in rushing offense and ninth in passing. Lock Haven’s 20.3 first downs per game rank third. The engine behind the offense is running back Chris Collier, who leads the PSAC with 99.8 rushing yards per game and is tied for the league lead with four rushing touchdowns. Collier averages 6.0 yards per carry. He was named the PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the Week in week three. 
• Defensively, Lock Haven has surrendered 35 or more points in two of the last three weeks. After holding Post to 59 yards rushing in the opener, the last three opponents have averaged 142.7 yards per game. Opponents have also combined for 10 TD passes to one interception in the last three weeks.

SERIES HISTORY

• Millersville has won the last five games against Lock Haven including three in a row at Biemesderfer Stadium. While Lock Haven holds the all-time series advantage at 20-14-1, it went 16-3-1 against the Marauders from 1928-1959. The two teams did not play for 37 years, but since the series restarted in 1996, Millersville holds an 11-4 lead. Since 2007, five of the 12 have been decided by 10 points or fewer. Millersville has averaged 35.8 points per game in the recent five-game winning streak over Lock Haven. J.C. Morgan is 4-0 against the Bald Eagles. The last meeting at Biemesderfer Stadium was a 31-29 win for Millersville in 2021, but the Marauders faced a 23-14 deficit at halftime and needed a defensive touchdown and safety to close the gap. Jaheim Morris scored the game-winning touchdown with 3:58 remaining. 
• Jaheim Morris has enjoyed success in his two games against Lock Haven. He's received 17 carries in both games, rushing for 95 yards and a touchdown in 2021 and 94 yards and a touchdown in 2022. 
• THE LAST MEETING (Millersville 42, Lock Haven 12 (Oct. 1, 2022): In need of a spark, Millersville looked to true freshman quarterback Robert Footman Jr. Footman's running and ability to hit big in the passing game helped the Marauders score touchdowns on six of their final eight possessions and roll to a 42-12 win at Lock Haven. Footman finished 5-for-8 for 149 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while also rushing nine times for 46 yards. It was a game of milestones and first for the Marauders.

THE LAST TIME OUT

• Millersville: Millersville 23, West Chester 14 (Sept. 23, 2023) - Running back Jaheim Morris sledge-hammered his way to 177 yards on 30 carries, and the 'Ville defense, led by linebacker Garrett Cox's 11 tackles and 2 1/2 sacks, overpowered visiting West Chester, breaking a 19-game skid against the Golden Rams.  Rob Footman Jr. tallied 76 yards on 17 carries while also tossing two touchdown passes. 
• Lock Haven: ESU 35, Lock Haven 21 (Sept. 23, 2023) - Lock Haven led 14-7 at the half and held a 21-14 lead early in the third quarter before East Stroudsburg rallied with 21 unanswered points. ESU scored 21 points in the third quarter. Danny Sanchez went 8-for-21 for 178 yards and two touchdowns. Chris Collier rushed 18 times for 68 yards. Lock Haven completed three passes for 31 yards or more. T'iar Young led Lock Haven with four catches for 77 yards.