Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Millersville

.

In midst of change, Marauders travel to Shippensburg seeking first win

10/9/2025 8:50:00 AM

By: Ethan Hulsey, Director of Athletic Communications

COVERAGE LINKS

  • Series: 24-50
  • Series Streak: Ship, 1
  • First Meeting: W, 13-6 (1938)
  • Last Meeting: L, 0-16 (1916)
  • Largest Margin of Victory: 29 (1973)
  • Largest Margin of Defeat: 71 (1924)
  • Record at Ship: 9-10 (since 1968)
  • Most Millersville Points: 56 (1973)
  • Most Ship Points: 71 (1924)

ABOUT THE GAME

  • Millersville travels to Shippensburg on Saturday under new leadership and is in search of its first win of the 2025 campaign. Shippensburg is 1-1 at home, and two of its four losses have come to nationally-ranked opponents.
  • Brian Ferguson was made Millersville's interim head coach on Monday after the team's 0-5 start. Ferguson was in his first season as the offensive coordinator, but he has head coaching experience, having served in that role at Concord in 2023 and 2024. Ferguson has quickly improved Millersville's offensive production, and now he looks to steady a team that was within striking distance of wins in three of the first five games. On the other side of the field is Mark Maciejewski, who is in his 15th season and is the longest-tenured head coach in the PSAC. His 86 wins are tied for 20th among active Division II coaches. Ferguson is the 23rd head coach in Millersville history. This is the first time there has been an in-season coaching change. 

GAME STORYLINES

  • Something has got to give. While Millersville's defense has struggled to slow teams, Shippensburg's offense has had a hard time getting going. Millersville is 15th out of 15 teams in the PSAC in both scoring and total defense, while Shippensburg's offense has managed more than 10 points in a game just once, and ranks last in scoring and 14th in total offense. The Raiders have scored touchdowns on just five of 15 visits to the red zone. Protecting the quarterback has been an issue for the Raiders as they have allowed 18 sacks--the second most in the PSAC. Consequently, they are averaging 2.2 yards per carry and rank 14th in the PSAC in rushing offense. Shippensburg is also converting third downs at a PSAC-low rate of 29.6%. Millersville is allowing teams to convert at a 44.6% rate. 
  • Millersville has had no issues moving the ball on offense. Averaging 386.4 yards per game, the Marauders rank sixth in the PSAC in total offense. They've scored at least 24 points in four of the first five games--a feat not accomplished by a Millersville team since 2000. Millersville's 22.2 first downs per game lead the PSAC, and it is one of just three teams in the PSAC with 20 trips into the red zone. Millersville's major offensive issue has been turnovers. The offense has committed 14 turnovers, at least one in each game, and has yet to win the turnover battle in a game. Four turnovers have come in the red zone. Millersville is -7 in turnover ratio. 
  • Despite missing nearly two full games, Ryan Zeltt is averaging 20.8 completions per game and is on pace to become just the third QB in Millersville history with 200 completions in a season. The last Marauder to hit that mark was Dan Csencitz in 2004. Zeltt has thrown at least two TD passes and for at least 261 yards in all three games that he has finished. Zeltt ranks third in the conference in yards per game (251.5). He is well on his way to throwing for over 2,000 yards, and that is something that has been done just eight times in program history. Bill Shirk was the last to do it in 2010. 
  • Shippensburg's Riley Gunnels leads the PSAC in pass attempts (182), but the Raiders haven't been particularly explosive in the passing game. He's averaging 5.6 yards per attempt compared to Zeltt's 6.5. The PSAC leader is IUP's Matthew Rueve, who is averaging Division II-best 11.7 yards per attempt. 
  • Millersville has spread the ball around to a variety of targets. Kam Taylor leads the team and ranks 14th in the PSAC in receptions, while Colin Hastings leads the team and ranks eighth in the PSAC in yards. Isaac Sines, who led the team in both categories before missing the last two games, is expected to play Saturday. Six different Marauders have caught at least one touchdown pass. Against Shepherd, Thadd Shaw recorded his first two career catches, both of which went for touchdowns--one from 29 yards and one from 38. 
  • Because of significant injuries, Millersville's defense has had to rely on a number of inexperienced players. A total of 12 true and redshirt freshmen have already made tackles for Millersville. Last week, three true freshmen recorded four or more tackles. Cornerback Terry Amos Jr. made his first career interception. 
  • Shippensburg's defense is led by the active Nate Myers, whose 49 tackles are tied for second in the PSAC. Myers has at least a half-tackle for loss in each game, has recorded double-digit stops three times and recorded a team-high 2 1/2 sacks. DJ Jackson has broken up five passes. 

SERIES HISTORY

  • Shippensburg is one of Millersville's oldest rivals, having first met in 1916. The teams played once in all but five seasons between the first meeting and 1956. But Shippensburg spent a number of years in the PSAC West but the teams still played 22 times from 1968-2001--a stretch that Millersville dominated with 16 wins. Shippensburg has controlled the series since 2001, however, winning of the last 20 meetings. Millersville broke Shippensburg's 17-game winning streak with a 17-14 home win in 2022, but Shippensburg has won the last two. The last three games have all been decided by eight points or fewer. The 27 points Millersville scored in last season's game were the most scored against Shippensburg since 2004. Millersville's last win at Shippensburg was by a 34-29 score in 1996. 
  • Last season, Millersville jumped out to a 14-0 lead with an 80-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Zeltt to Hakim Melvin and a 78-yard pass from Kam Taylor to Isaac Sines. The Marauders led 24-14 at halftime, but Shippensburg rallied, outscoring Millersville 21-3 in the second half for a come-from-behind victory. Millersville out-gained Shippensburg 495-433, and Zeltt passed for 327 yards. 
Loading...

Upcoming Schedule

{{ moment(game.date).format('MMM D, YYYY') }} {{ game.time ? 'at ' + game.time : '' }}
{{ game.sport.title }} {{ game.location_indicator === 'A' ? 'at' : 'vs' }}
{{ game.opponent.title }}

Related Videos

Now Playing: