MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - Leading 21-7 and on the verge of running away with its fourth win in five games, Millersville imploded with four turnovers, a lost onside kick and injurious 15-yard penalties that allowed Lock Haven to sneak back into the game and build a lead with 24 unanswered points. Even with those self-inflicted mistakes, Millersville had a first-and-goal from the Lock Haven four in the final minute but could not score the game-tying touchdown, giving Lock Haven a 38-31 victory. 

Millersville started the season 3-1 on the strength of an efficient run game that averaged better than 186 yards per game and a turnover margin of plus-six. Millersville had put the ball on the ground just once in the first four games of the season, but Saturday, they coughed it up seven times and lost four and could not run the ball effectively, especially after falling behind by two scores.

"We did it to ourselves," said Millersville head coach J.C. Morgan. "We did a great job protecting the ball coming into this game, and we gave the ball up too many times. We gave up a possession on special teams, and coming out in the second half, we got backtracked with self-inflicted wounds. In this division and this conference you can't do that. Seven fumbles, five turnovers, we gave up six possessions. It's tough to overcome that."

Another near-lost fumble took a fortuitous bounce into the end zone and was recovered by Jaquan Howard for a third quarter touchdown. But that was all the good fortune the Marauders had on Saturday. After Steve Sweeney's touchdown-saving interception at the Millersville 1 with 6:17 to play in the first half, the Marauders' next four drives resulted in eight snaps, 19 yards, three lost fumbles and an interception. Lock Haven capitalized on the short fields, needing seven yards to make the score 21-14 with 5:01 to play in the half, and a miscommunication on kickoff return resulted in a Lock Haven recovery on a pooched kick. That short field turned into a field goal and a 21-17 deficit for Lock Haven at the half. 

Millersville's unraveling continued on the opening kickoff of the second half as back-to-back unsportsmanlike conduct penalties--one called on Morgan--pushed the Marauders from the 43 to their own 13. After picking up a quick first down, a fumble put Lock Haven's offense in business at the Millersville 21. Four plays later, Lock Haven had its first lead. Millersville lost a fumble on the very next offensive snap, and Lock Haven traveled 30 yards for a 31-21 advantage. Lock Haven needed to drive further than 30 yards on just two of its five scoring drives. 

"It is not ideal," said Morgan. "There was a stretch of football where the game got away from us...We put the ball on the turf too many times. Give Lock Haven credit, they capitalized."

Millersville trailed 38-28 with just over seven minutes to play, but got a 38-yard field goal from Trent McDowell to make it a one-score deficit. Millersville forced a three-and-out, and an 18-yard punt by Lock Haven put the Marauders at the Lock Haven 47 with 1:46 to play and one timeout to work with. An 18-yard completion to Mekhi Alexander and a 19-yard hook-up with Hakim Melvin followed by a facemask penalty put the Marauders on the doorstep. Footman was hurried on threw an incomplete pass in the end zone on first down, was stuffed for a loss on a designed run on second down and could not connect with Kam Taylor on a jump ball on third. On fourth, Footman tossed a swing pass to Jaquan Howard who was closely guard. The pass was broken up at the 2, sealing the victory for Lock Haven. 

"Lock Haven is an improved team," said Morgan. "The let-down is that we gave the game away with a lot of mistakes...We got in our own way today."

Footman, who had committed just two turnovers in the first four games, opened the game with three touchdown passes in the games first 15:17, but threw a pick and uncharacteristically fumbled three times in the game, marring a game in which he threw for a career-high 329 yards. Without the services of injured running back Jaheim Morris, who rushed for 177 yards in last week's win over West Chester, Howard received 15 carries but was bottled up for 1.2 yards per carry and lost a pair of fumbles. Millersville managed a season-low 69 rushing yards on 39 attempts, and Footman was sacked a season-high six times while attempting a season-high 38 passes. 

"We've all got to get better," said Morgan. "69 rushing yards is not going to get it done. We've all got to get better. Because we didn't run the ball with efficiency and turned the ball over, we fell behind, losing that opportunity to have balance, which is something we thrive on."

Millersville recorded nine more first downs and out-gained Lock Haven 397-294. But a defense that entered the game ranked fifth in the PSAC in red zone defense allowed scores on all six of Lock Haven's trips inside the 20. 

With Kutztown beating East Stroudsburg, four teams in the East now have one loss in division play, a fact not lost on Morgan. 

"I think this is going to be a wild division this year," said Morgan. "One loss is definitely not going to get you out of the race. We can still get some things cleaned up. We did some good things today too...My job is provide some perspective; recognize why we lost the game and give a roadmap for how we can get better. My experience in this conference says that a lot can happen from here on out. We control our own destiny. The opportunity in front of us is to look at ourselves, come back next week and get back on track."

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Hakim Melvin made a season-high five catches for 99 yards. Freshman Isaac Sines also caught a career-high nine passes for 75 yards. Melvin, Brady Russell and Taylor caught TD passes. 
• Millersville led the PSAC in sacks coming into the game and added three more to the season total. Randy Okungu led the way with 1 1/2 sacks. KeShaun Jones recorded one, and Conner Snyder added a half-sack. 
• Sweeney's interception was the seventh of his career. 
• Footman is the first Marauder to pass for over 300 yards and throw three TD passes since Nov. 6, 2021. 
• Garrett Cox extended his streak of games with at least two tackles for loss to five. 

UP NEXT
• Millersville travels to East Stroudsburg for a 6:05 p.m. kickoff on Oct. 7.