It was a homecoming of sorts for Kutztown Golden Bear coaches Drew Folmar, Ross Pennypacker, Jim Ketner and Dan Csencsitz, all former Millersville Marauder football players. Them, along with their players, showcased a fantastic game plan resulting in a 45-9 victory over Millersville on Saturday.
Coming into the game, it was a battle of two 1-7 teams searching for that next win. Kutztown did not wait offensively, scoring early and often. On Kutztown's first drive, QB Josh Luckenbaugh and company trucked down the field, ending in a Darrell Scott goal line run that resulted in a touchdown. They scored points on their next two drives as well.
Curtis Wortham finished his day nicely with three rushing touchdowns. He had torched Millersville in the past as well.
Worse, Millersville turned the ball over with two interceptions and a fumble. Kutztown paid them back in kind by scoring 21 points in total off of those three turnovers. Turnovers kill. It's that simple.
It could be said that Kutztown was opportunistic on this day. They only gained 338 offensive yards on Saturday. That's a far cry from the 624 given up against West Chester, or 521 against IUP, or 515 against LIU Post. Defense on head coach Greg Breitbach's and defensive coordinator Ron Rankin's has been cleaned up significantly as the weeks go by.
I asked Breitbach about third downs on Saturday's pregame show after noticing a trend. They had been a significant point of contention in the early part of the season. Millersville's 3rd down conversion rate has increased from 25% to 34.35%, and the opposition has dropped from 75% to 48.25%. Breitbach put ones on ones in meaningful drills, and they are paying off tremendously.
The next step is 4th down conversion, which teams don't appear afraid to go for it (50%).
RB Ian Sadon wrecked the field unlike he has at any point this season. Sure, it happened to be his fourth 100+ yard rushing game this season (Millersville outgained Kutztown 184-97 on the ground), but Sadon rushed for 168 of those yards, a touchdown (his team-leading 5th), averaging 5.7 yards per carry. Kutztown did not have an answer for Sadon.
That being the case, freshman QB Corey Unger struggled against a significant pass rush in his first start. Unger (10-21-2) threw for just 82 yards, and was sacked five times. Time did not present itself to find anyone open, and it showed. Unger had to use his legs to avoid situations, and his most popular play was a play action rollout that failed to find anyone open more often than not.
I would imagine that now that Unger has burned his what-would-be redshirt, he will likely get the start next Saturday against East Stroudsburg (6-3, 3-3) as well as in the season finale against California (6-3, 4-2). Last week was likely his first set of practices as a starter, so next week should hold a better result for him.
East Stroudsburg has been stuck in the PSAC East's middle ground for what seems like a few years now. They are led by one heck of a young quarterback named Matt Soltes. Soltes has completed almost 61% of his passes, and has thrown for an insane 28 touchdowns. Runners have rushed for 10 fewer.
As a result of this insane offense, opposing offenses are being outgained by 1,400 yards throughout the year. Perhaps one of ESU's problems happened to be a problem of IUP's—discipline. Warriors have taken a staggering 86 penalties for 687 total yards against.
Let's take a look around.
It looks pretty set in stone now that now-nationally ranked Slippery Rock will be the West's representative in the PSAC title game. The East isn't so set just yet. West Chester (6-0) has the division lead, but they must win an absolutely crucial game against Bloomsburg (5-1) this Saturday at home.
Unfortunately for the Golden Rams, they may have swept their home schedule so far, but they battled in some close games to Kutztown (22-21), California (38-31) and East Stroudsburg (34-20). Anything can happen in this game. If Franklin Quiteh is healthy, he will match up against his largest competition, Rondell White.
That will be fun to look out for.
Next week's broadcast will be from Eller-Martin Stadium in East Stroudsburg. The Marauder Pride Pregame Show presented by Homewood Suites by Hilton Lancaster will start at 12:30 p.m. for a 1:05 p.m. kickoff. You can listen here: www.millersvilleathletics.com/msbn
Monday, November 4, 2013
Sunday, October 27, 2013
From the Booth: Week Eight Edition
First of all, I hope everyone had a very happy and safe Homecoming at Millersville University this year. It is always an honor to be a part of the festivities every season. I am always proud to be a Marauder, and the day becomes more special the farther away from my college graduation I get.
Anyway, to business.
Millersville dropped a PSAC East contest to the Lock Haven Bald Eagles on Saturday 26-14 on Homecoming Saturday. A ten point swing in just six seconds of game time proved to be an almost insurmountable hill for the Marauders to overcome. After this loss, Millersville is 1-4 in the PSAC East.
Starting with positives: once again, a sparkling Millersville defense held its opposition to under 300 yards once more. This number standing for three weeks will have been for the first time since 2006. Defense against running plays has improved greatly. After IUP gashed this defense for 303 rushing yards, Millersville held Bloomsburg to 208 yards, Cheyney to 109 yards, and Lock Haven to 77 yards.
Linebackers and defensive tackles have played leagues better in recent weeks due to better direction and increased instinctual play. Marvin Gaskill, after being moved to defensive line, has proved to be a stalwart wall, difficult to break through. Additionally, Reggie Slaton, Jordan Rigby and especially Rasheed Johnson, have played well lately.
Now, the negatives.
A six second stretch decided this game pretty handily. After Connor Casey's injury at the end of the first half, third string backup Jared Pierce took over. Pierce completed a quick shovel pass to David Coates (who played his best game by far this season), but then threw into double coverage for an interception.
Two plays later, with six seconds remaining, local product QB Caleb Walton (Manheim Central) completed an 18 yard bullet to David Cook to score.
One play later for Millersville, Pierce bobbled a snap which would have resulted in a knee ending the half. Lock Haven recovered that ill-fated football, and on one final play, Alex Boumerhi rocketed a 40 yard field goal to complete a ten point swing in six seconds. It turned what would have been a 3-0 halftime score to 13-0 in mere moments.
That series of mistakes led to an opportunity for true freshman QB Corey Unger. Unger finished Saturday throwing 8 of 20 with a pick, and a TD strike to TE Trenton Petrovich in beautiful fashion. Unger showed quick legs if on the run, but it appears he will have to work on his accuracy. It wasn't a Casey-caliber first game, but Unger played well in relief on Saturday.
What do we take from this game?
This offense continues to improve. Once again, after only gaining 180 yards against IUP, Millersville has accomplished gains of 232, 265 and 307 yards. This latest effort was the first 300+ yard game of the season, and the first under head coach Greg Breitbach.
Many critical offensive players this season, including Brent Collins, Ian Sadon and Kevin Porter, especially, did not play a gigantic role in past seasons. Offensive duties hinged on Dominic Sanders, Mike Jones, Matt Egenrieder, among others. Growing pains are understandable. Steady improvement is a great sign.
Millersville has a chance to put this steady improvement to the test against Kutztown, who comes to town with just one win this year as well. KU has played some good teams close, including losing a last-minute lead against nationally-ranked West Chester 22-21, and posting 30 points against Shippensburg, who used their offense to outslug the Golden Bears 55-30.
As an additional incentive, newly-inducted Millersville Hall of Fame QB Drew Folmar, Kutztown's head coach, will make his return to the Ville for the first time as a head coach. Not to mention, Millersville/Kutztown has always been a tremendous rivalry across all sports.
Let's take a look around the PSAC.
The biggest game of the week, West Chester vs. Shippensburg, did not disappoint. A last second West Chester field goal decided not only the game, but likely the playoff picture barring a miracle. What a game. It wasn't the offensive insanity that was predicted, but 32-29 is a pretty good score too.
Bloomsburg scored 35 first half points, including 4 Franklin Quiteh rushing TDs, to win 35-7 over Cheyney on Saturday. They hold serve going into week nine by remaining undefeated.
Bloomsburg vs. Shippensburg will be telecast on the CBS Sports Network and PCN this Thursday at 8 p.m. I know I will be watching this high-octane game for certain. Should be fun.
Millersville vs. Kutztown will be at Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium for the second to last home game this season. Broadcast will start at 11:30 a.m., and the game starts at noon. Broadcast can be heard here: www.millersvilleathletics.com/msbn
Sunday, October 20, 2013
From the Booth: Week Seven Edition
The first one may have taken a while, but the deed is done. Millersville defeated Cheyney 30-12 on Saturday for win number one on the year, win number one in conference, and win number one for head coach Greg Breitbach and much of his new staff.
This win truly was six weeks in the making, including an intense month of elite-caliber opponents. Defensively, the Marauders stopped the run (109 total yards against), held an opponent to under 300 yards for the second consecutive week (263 total yards), and scored a season-high 30 points.
In fact, this offensive explosion almost doubled the amount of touchdowns this team had previously scored. Five touchdowns became nine, as Ian Sadon stole the show early with two goal line vaults, Mike Reichenbach hauled in his second career TD catch, and David Coates pulled off a spin cycle off of a defender to go in for the score.
Connor Casey looked much more comfortable in this game than in previous contests. He completed eleven passes for 84 total yards. Nothing truly spectacular, but as this offense has shown, it needs to be methodical. Casey's longest pass of 20 yards was to Reichenbach.
Also, this defense forced more turnovers. Doug Henninger and Rasheed Johnson picked off passes, and Millersville also forced two official fumbles. However, Reggie Slaton perfectly created and picked up another fumble that did not happen due to a penalty after the fact.
Those interceptions now mark three straight weeks forcing at least one pick.
Those interceptions now mark three straight weeks forcing at least one pick.
Problem was, Millersville also fumbled the ball three times in this game as well, and gave two away to Cheyney. That will be costly against more talented teams in the future. The new coaching staff is preaching a new way to carry the ball, and perfecting said technique will take time. This ball security effort has gotten strides better after some shaky control in the first two weeks.
Coming into this game, Cheyney's passing attack had suffered for far too long. Adler Thony (14-27-2) threw two great passes to Khalif Dandy and Marquis Garcia-Palmer for scores. Those were the first two passing touchdowns for the Wolves all season. They both came in the fourth quarter when the game was pretty much out of reach.
Cheyney failed to accomplish anything after said touchdowns. Dean May, after a blocked kick, returned the ball 98 yards for a two point conversion. Admittedly, I did not know this rule, and I called it a touchdown. Forgive me! Always happy to have my listeners correct me, and especially tactfully. That helps.
Cheyney's head coach Ken Lockard decided to go for two with the game way out of reach on the second touchdown, and Thony's pass failed to keep Cheyney at 12 points. Lockard also called for two consecutive fourth down offensive plays, and both succeeded.
His first fourth down came towards the conclusion of the first half. On the two yard line, Millersville's defense stuffed a run by RB Marcus Jones, and turned it back over. That play signified how far this defense has come from week one until today. Playing nationally ranked opponents forces teams to play a great brand of football, according to Breitbach, so that's exactly what is continuing to happen on the gridiron.
All in all, great step forward for the Ville. First win done, and a chance to get it done against Lock Haven (2-5, 1-3 PSAC) on Homecoming. Lock Haven's offense sputtered early, but it came to life against Shippensburg, putting a scare into those Red Raiders. Lock Haven will ride a four-game losing streak into this upcoming game.
My only, honest request...get loud and stay loud!
Let's take a look around.
#6 Bloomsburg, #15 West Chester and Shippensburg all held serve atop the East standings after Saturday's games. All of them hold undefeated records. One of them will not be come Saturday, as Ship plays West Chester on Saturday.
Bloomsburg should pick up a win this weekend against Cheyney, but they will have a significant test on Halloween against Shippensburg. That game will be televised on CBS Sports Network. Pretty awesome.
In the West, it's a three-horse race for the playoff spots, unless IUP gets something going soon. After defeating Millersville, the Crimson Hawks have dropped two straight. Edinboro handed them their latest defeat.
Slippery Rock, Gannon and Cal all hold 3-1 conference records. That Western division proves to be extremely tough year in and year out. Should be a fun finish.
Four more games remain on the docket, including three home games. Come on out and see the Millersville Marauders continue the journey back to the top. If you can't make it to Homecoming, you'll feel right at home on MSBN. Broadcast starts at 12:30 on Saturday. www.millersvilleathletics.com/msbn
Additionally, congratulations to the entire men's golf team, including head coach Scott Vandegrift and individual champion Connor Gilbert for capturing the 2013 PSAC Championship! The first of many to come at Millersville. Should be a fun year.
His first fourth down came towards the conclusion of the first half. On the two yard line, Millersville's defense stuffed a run by RB Marcus Jones, and turned it back over. That play signified how far this defense has come from week one until today. Playing nationally ranked opponents forces teams to play a great brand of football, according to Breitbach, so that's exactly what is continuing to happen on the gridiron.
All in all, great step forward for the Ville. First win done, and a chance to get it done against Lock Haven (2-5, 1-3 PSAC) on Homecoming. Lock Haven's offense sputtered early, but it came to life against Shippensburg, putting a scare into those Red Raiders. Lock Haven will ride a four-game losing streak into this upcoming game.
My only, honest request...get loud and stay loud!
Let's take a look around.
#6 Bloomsburg, #15 West Chester and Shippensburg all held serve atop the East standings after Saturday's games. All of them hold undefeated records. One of them will not be come Saturday, as Ship plays West Chester on Saturday.
Bloomsburg should pick up a win this weekend against Cheyney, but they will have a significant test on Halloween against Shippensburg. That game will be televised on CBS Sports Network. Pretty awesome.
In the West, it's a three-horse race for the playoff spots, unless IUP gets something going soon. After defeating Millersville, the Crimson Hawks have dropped two straight. Edinboro handed them their latest defeat.
Slippery Rock, Gannon and Cal all hold 3-1 conference records. That Western division proves to be extremely tough year in and year out. Should be a fun finish.
Four more games remain on the docket, including three home games. Come on out and see the Millersville Marauders continue the journey back to the top. If you can't make it to Homecoming, you'll feel right at home on MSBN. Broadcast starts at 12:30 on Saturday. www.millersvilleathletics.com/msbn
Additionally, congratulations to the entire men's golf team, including head coach Scott Vandegrift and individual champion Connor Gilbert for capturing the 2013 PSAC Championship! The first of many to come at Millersville. Should be a fun year.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
From the Booth - Week Six Edition
The gamut of nationally ranked opponents is over. #9 Bloomsburg (6-0, 3-0 PSAC) used quick strikes and opportunistic offense to defeat Millersville (0-6, 0-3 PSAC) by a score of 45-7.
The good news is this, and this humongous progress in one statement: Millersville's defense kept a furious Bloomsburg offense to just 292 total yards. It kept the second-ranked rushing attack to 208 yards. Up until that point, Bloomsburg rushers averaged almost 368 yards per game in that respect. They also only passed for 84 yards and had a success of about 50%.
Credit to defensive coordinator Ron Rankin and his strategy against a high-powered offense. This is a huge step in the right direction. The coaching staff wanted more size up front, inserted more size into the lineup, and it paid instant dividends. I would be surprised to see that personnel change for next week's game.
Now where it gets fuzzy: offense was extremely hard to come by in this game. Redshirt Freshman QB Curtis Frye started his first game, and to his credit, was very accurate with his passes (16-24-1, 98 yds), but he could not break past what has been a dead zone at midfield while driving down the field.
Frye was knocked out with what looked like a knee injury. His status is still unknown to this point. In his stead, veteran Connor Casey (5-10-0, 56 yds, 1 TD) admirably stepped in and showed a ton of rejuvenated moxie in his return. During a 4th quarter drive, Casey unloaded a 56 yard bomb to Kevin Porter which set Millersville up perfectly for a score.
It was then, on a 4th and Goal, head coach Greg Breitbach pulled the trigger on a bold decision. Go for it. Why not?
Why not, indeed. Casey unloaded a bullet to Porter for the score. It was monumental for the offense's confidence. They perfectly executed a drive down the field with a big play. It was the longest play of the season. Casey's TD pass was also his first since week one against LIU Post.
It solved a lot of things. Credit Breitbach for a gutsy decision.
This result was the perfect time to not only give offensive players confidence, but defensive players too. The schedule gets incredibly easier against a winless Cheyney team, a 2-4 Lock Haven team, an East Stroudsburg team without its star quarterback Matt Soltes (at least for now) and a Kutztown team with just one victory against Cheyney.
This back half of the schedule looks more than perfect for the Millersville Marauders to take advantage of. They could sweep the rest of their eastern schedule and end 4-3 in the East, which is a remarkable improvement over past years' one victory. This is a huge opportunity to seize. It likely won't be enough for playoffs, as West Chester, Bloomsburg and Shippensburg lead the way with a 3-0 mark in the East.
Let's take a look around the PSAC.
In perhaps the most stunning upset ever, unranked (and quite dangerous) Slippery Rock crushed rival #7 IUP 42-16. That will likely set IUP's national ranking back quite a bit. The Rock should get instant consideration to get into that conversation.
West Chester, down 20-10 at the half, scored 24 second half points and shut out the Warriors in that half as well to win 34-20. ESU lost Matt Soltes to an undisclosed injury. If Soltes is out a long time, that's good news for the rest of the conference. He's dangerous.
Two teams certainly made it close this weekend. Shippensburg barely held off Lock Haven's furious push, winning 30-24, and Kutztown defeated winless Cheyney 35-19. That Kutztown victory is the first under their new head coach and Millersville Hall of Fame QB Drew Folmar. Well-deserved congratulations go his way.
Up next for the Ville, it's Cheyney, during its homecoming. Sound familiar? Millersville will have to deal with one more away homecoming before hosting their own the week after against Lock Haven. Four homecomings in a row. Too many people, not enough parking spaces...
Historically, Millersville has dominated Cheyney 56-5-1 since 1951. If memory serves, Millersville's last loss to Cheyney was in 2010, and it was the first loss against Cheyney since the mid-1980s. This is a chance to reassert that dominance and pick up the first win of the year, and the first for coach Breitbach.
Game starts at 1. Pregame show at 12:30. Tune in here. www.millersvilleathletics.com/msbn
The good news is this, and this humongous progress in one statement: Millersville's defense kept a furious Bloomsburg offense to just 292 total yards. It kept the second-ranked rushing attack to 208 yards. Up until that point, Bloomsburg rushers averaged almost 368 yards per game in that respect. They also only passed for 84 yards and had a success of about 50%.
Credit to defensive coordinator Ron Rankin and his strategy against a high-powered offense. This is a huge step in the right direction. The coaching staff wanted more size up front, inserted more size into the lineup, and it paid instant dividends. I would be surprised to see that personnel change for next week's game.
Now where it gets fuzzy: offense was extremely hard to come by in this game. Redshirt Freshman QB Curtis Frye started his first game, and to his credit, was very accurate with his passes (16-24-1, 98 yds), but he could not break past what has been a dead zone at midfield while driving down the field.
Frye was knocked out with what looked like a knee injury. His status is still unknown to this point. In his stead, veteran Connor Casey (5-10-0, 56 yds, 1 TD) admirably stepped in and showed a ton of rejuvenated moxie in his return. During a 4th quarter drive, Casey unloaded a 56 yard bomb to Kevin Porter which set Millersville up perfectly for a score.
It was then, on a 4th and Goal, head coach Greg Breitbach pulled the trigger on a bold decision. Go for it. Why not?
Why not, indeed. Casey unloaded a bullet to Porter for the score. It was monumental for the offense's confidence. They perfectly executed a drive down the field with a big play. It was the longest play of the season. Casey's TD pass was also his first since week one against LIU Post.
It solved a lot of things. Credit Breitbach for a gutsy decision.
This result was the perfect time to not only give offensive players confidence, but defensive players too. The schedule gets incredibly easier against a winless Cheyney team, a 2-4 Lock Haven team, an East Stroudsburg team without its star quarterback Matt Soltes (at least for now) and a Kutztown team with just one victory against Cheyney.
This back half of the schedule looks more than perfect for the Millersville Marauders to take advantage of. They could sweep the rest of their eastern schedule and end 4-3 in the East, which is a remarkable improvement over past years' one victory. This is a huge opportunity to seize. It likely won't be enough for playoffs, as West Chester, Bloomsburg and Shippensburg lead the way with a 3-0 mark in the East.
Let's take a look around the PSAC.
In perhaps the most stunning upset ever, unranked (and quite dangerous) Slippery Rock crushed rival #7 IUP 42-16. That will likely set IUP's national ranking back quite a bit. The Rock should get instant consideration to get into that conversation.
West Chester, down 20-10 at the half, scored 24 second half points and shut out the Warriors in that half as well to win 34-20. ESU lost Matt Soltes to an undisclosed injury. If Soltes is out a long time, that's good news for the rest of the conference. He's dangerous.
Two teams certainly made it close this weekend. Shippensburg barely held off Lock Haven's furious push, winning 30-24, and Kutztown defeated winless Cheyney 35-19. That Kutztown victory is the first under their new head coach and Millersville Hall of Fame QB Drew Folmar. Well-deserved congratulations go his way.
Up next for the Ville, it's Cheyney, during its homecoming. Sound familiar? Millersville will have to deal with one more away homecoming before hosting their own the week after against Lock Haven. Four homecomings in a row. Too many people, not enough parking spaces...
Historically, Millersville has dominated Cheyney 56-5-1 since 1951. If memory serves, Millersville's last loss to Cheyney was in 2010, and it was the first loss against Cheyney since the mid-1980s. This is a chance to reassert that dominance and pick up the first win of the year, and the first for coach Breitbach.
Game starts at 1. Pregame show at 12:30. Tune in here. www.millersvilleathletics.com/msbn
Sunday, October 6, 2013
From the Booth: Week Five Edition
#7 Indiana University of Pennsylvania (5-0) was the best opponent Millersville (0-5) would see all season. They showed it. A humbling 62-3 loss at the hands of the Crimson Hawks sends the Ville back to the drawing board. What will be the next move as #9 Bloomsburg looms next Saturday?
Before we get into that, time to dissect this last game.
As many points as the offense put up on the board, IUP's offense did not blow anyone away coming into this week. They accomplished very little in the creative sense. They played two creative reverse bootleg runs that caught the Marauder secondary off guard. Otherwise, RB De'Antwan Williams did not blow anyone away with just 98 yards on the day and a touchdown run.
In fact, backup Israel Green arguably played better by recording 103 yards on 16 carries. He showed more explosiveness than Williams, but both played pretty well, but not extremely well.
Millersville forced its first interception of the year, as Rasheed Johnson hauled down a Mike Box throw intended for the end zone, returning it 17 yards. In terms of breaking up passes and applying tackles directly after pass receptions, the Marauders were on point. In that sense, it's getting better.
After some down weeks, RB Ian Sadon burst back onto the scene with another sensational day. He did his best work in the first half, racking up a total of 124 yards on 20 carries. His longest run of 40 yards towards the beginning of the game charged up the sideline. Sadon stomped on IUP's parade Saturday, and he will look to continue that success.
As rushing was a success, passing was not. Connor Casey and Curtis Frye combined for 6 of 18 and 65 yards, along with two interceptions. That seriously hampered Millersville's offense and only allowed for Evan Stahl to boot his second career field goal. Coach Greg Breitbach spoke about needing improved quarterback play in the weeks to come during the pregame show on Saturday.
It looks like it will be a competition for that number one spot from here on out.
Saturday marked IUP's homecoming. They renamed their field after former coach Frank Cignetti, who was also inducted into the College Hall of Fame. Congratulations to him and his family, including incumbent coach, and Cignetti's son, Curt.
Up next for Millersville is Bloomsburg (5-0), who will also be celebrating its homecoming.
Bloomsburg employs the PSAC's best running back, by far. Millersville has seen Mercyhurst's Brandon Brown-Dukes and West Chester's Rondell White, but Franklin Quiteh will by far be the Marauder defense's most challenging adversary. Quiteh has already rushed for 1,055 yards on 110 carries along with 13 TDs. Simple division shows that Quiteh rushes for about a first down every single run.
He is currently the reigning PSAC Athlete of the Week. It will be an extreme challenge for Millersville to stop him.
It was the week of the blowout in the PSAC, it appeared. Shippensburg obliterated Seton Hill 73-27, Mercyhurst crushed Cheyney 63-14, Slippery Rock trashed Kutztown 58-10, ESU dispatched Clarion 48-28, Bloomsburg dealt with Gannon 35-14, and Edinboro took care of Lock Haven 31-6.
Next week, it's back to East vs. West. Millersville vs. Bloomsburg will take to the air at 3:00 p.m. on MSBN. www.millersvilleathletics.com/msbn
Before we get into that, time to dissect this last game.
As many points as the offense put up on the board, IUP's offense did not blow anyone away coming into this week. They accomplished very little in the creative sense. They played two creative reverse bootleg runs that caught the Marauder secondary off guard. Otherwise, RB De'Antwan Williams did not blow anyone away with just 98 yards on the day and a touchdown run.
In fact, backup Israel Green arguably played better by recording 103 yards on 16 carries. He showed more explosiveness than Williams, but both played pretty well, but not extremely well.
Millersville forced its first interception of the year, as Rasheed Johnson hauled down a Mike Box throw intended for the end zone, returning it 17 yards. In terms of breaking up passes and applying tackles directly after pass receptions, the Marauders were on point. In that sense, it's getting better.
After some down weeks, RB Ian Sadon burst back onto the scene with another sensational day. He did his best work in the first half, racking up a total of 124 yards on 20 carries. His longest run of 40 yards towards the beginning of the game charged up the sideline. Sadon stomped on IUP's parade Saturday, and he will look to continue that success.
As rushing was a success, passing was not. Connor Casey and Curtis Frye combined for 6 of 18 and 65 yards, along with two interceptions. That seriously hampered Millersville's offense and only allowed for Evan Stahl to boot his second career field goal. Coach Greg Breitbach spoke about needing improved quarterback play in the weeks to come during the pregame show on Saturday.
It looks like it will be a competition for that number one spot from here on out.
Saturday marked IUP's homecoming. They renamed their field after former coach Frank Cignetti, who was also inducted into the College Hall of Fame. Congratulations to him and his family, including incumbent coach, and Cignetti's son, Curt.
Up next for Millersville is Bloomsburg (5-0), who will also be celebrating its homecoming.
Bloomsburg employs the PSAC's best running back, by far. Millersville has seen Mercyhurst's Brandon Brown-Dukes and West Chester's Rondell White, but Franklin Quiteh will by far be the Marauder defense's most challenging adversary. Quiteh has already rushed for 1,055 yards on 110 carries along with 13 TDs. Simple division shows that Quiteh rushes for about a first down every single run.
He is currently the reigning PSAC Athlete of the Week. It will be an extreme challenge for Millersville to stop him.
It was the week of the blowout in the PSAC, it appeared. Shippensburg obliterated Seton Hill 73-27, Mercyhurst crushed Cheyney 63-14, Slippery Rock trashed Kutztown 58-10, ESU dispatched Clarion 48-28, Bloomsburg dealt with Gannon 35-14, and Edinboro took care of Lock Haven 31-6.
Next week, it's back to East vs. West. Millersville vs. Bloomsburg will take to the air at 3:00 p.m. on MSBN. www.millersvilleathletics.com/msbn
Monday, September 30, 2013
From the Booth: Week Four Edition
Millersville (0-4, 0-2 PSAC) fell to formerly ranked Shippensburg (2-2, 2-0 PSAC) 48-10 on Saturday. PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the Week and 11-time 2012 award winning QB Zach Zulli put on a clinic for the crowd, including firing his 100th touchdown pass of his career to his top receiver Trevor Harman.
What a way to do it, right?
Additionally, Souderton grad Jake Metz set a Ship record for most tackles for a loss with his 2.5 scored against Millersville.
Regardless, what could be considered a rout in the media, this game was not. The Marauder defense was forcing a lot of third and long situations, but thanks to Shippensburg's offensive acumen, head coach Mark Maciejewski decided to go for it on fourth down and converted one of three chances. That one proved to be very important.
There is improvement to be had. What was a 60-70% third down conversion rate for the opposition at the beginning of the year, Millersville held Shippensburg to 56%. On the season, that number now stands at 58.49%. That will be a point of focus against two of the finest teams in Division II, #7 IUP on Saturday, and #9 Bloomsburg next week.
After a solid start in the rushing department in weeks one and two, Millersville has been held to single digit rushing yards in consecutive weeks. This discrepancy could be explained with the tackles for loss due to sacks, but Ian Sadon has slowed a bit after his electric start. He rushed for 33 yards on 14 carries on Saturday, unable to break open the offense on a big play just yet.
For the fourth straight game, both quarterbacks saw time in the saddle. Connor Casey, after coming back from an undisclosed injury against West Chester, was felled by a face mask from the aforementioned Metz. He ended the day 10/25 for 141 yards. Curtis Frye finished the game going 8/12 for for 86 yards. He also threw his first collegiate career TD pass.
As a whole, we saw several players emerge. Redshirt senior co-captain Dominic Sanders made his mark on this game with four catches for 80 yards, and the Marauders' only touchdown. Sanders has been battling injuries throughout the year, but he looked extremely dangerous last week.
Tight End Trenton Petrovich showed he can be a legitimately dangerous offensive player as well as an astute blocker. He matched his week one totals of four catches for 79 yards. He could be considered a true X-Factor throughout the rest of the season. Petrovich continues to present himself as a difficult target to cover, or even tackle.
Defensively, Marvin Gaskill made a mark on the line. Zulli scrambled all day thanks to Gaskill breaking a green offensive line on the Red Raiders. This team loves the big man. Teammate Kevin Bohl described him as quick as a cat.
Shawn Fahey, Matt Brinser and Dean May also contributed with tackles for loss.
Slow and steady wins the race this season, especially against such a gauntlet of nationally ranked teams. Just looking at the players and the coaching staff after big plays, even when the game is pretty much all but sealed up, they continue to be excited for each other. This team hasn't, and won't, quit.
Perhaps the most encouraging thing about being 0-2 in the PSAC is that they aren't out of it. Kutztown and Cheyney join them at the 0-2 mark, and Lock Haven and ESU find themselves at the 1-1 mark. It will be fun to see how this season pans out for these teams.
Look out for Kutztown, especially. They were one point away from massively upsetting now #17 West Chester last week. I doubt they will be very happy about missing out on that opportunity, but that might have catapulted them into a good finish. They will draw difficult competition with Slippery Rock next Saturday.
Off to IUP next week. Check out the broadcast on millersvilleathletics.com/msbn starting at 1:30 p.m. for the Marauder Pride Pregame Show presented by Homewood Suites by Hilton Lancaster.
What a way to do it, right?
Additionally, Souderton grad Jake Metz set a Ship record for most tackles for a loss with his 2.5 scored against Millersville.
Regardless, what could be considered a rout in the media, this game was not. The Marauder defense was forcing a lot of third and long situations, but thanks to Shippensburg's offensive acumen, head coach Mark Maciejewski decided to go for it on fourth down and converted one of three chances. That one proved to be very important.
There is improvement to be had. What was a 60-70% third down conversion rate for the opposition at the beginning of the year, Millersville held Shippensburg to 56%. On the season, that number now stands at 58.49%. That will be a point of focus against two of the finest teams in Division II, #7 IUP on Saturday, and #9 Bloomsburg next week.
After a solid start in the rushing department in weeks one and two, Millersville has been held to single digit rushing yards in consecutive weeks. This discrepancy could be explained with the tackles for loss due to sacks, but Ian Sadon has slowed a bit after his electric start. He rushed for 33 yards on 14 carries on Saturday, unable to break open the offense on a big play just yet.
For the fourth straight game, both quarterbacks saw time in the saddle. Connor Casey, after coming back from an undisclosed injury against West Chester, was felled by a face mask from the aforementioned Metz. He ended the day 10/25 for 141 yards. Curtis Frye finished the game going 8/12 for for 86 yards. He also threw his first collegiate career TD pass.
As a whole, we saw several players emerge. Redshirt senior co-captain Dominic Sanders made his mark on this game with four catches for 80 yards, and the Marauders' only touchdown. Sanders has been battling injuries throughout the year, but he looked extremely dangerous last week.
Tight End Trenton Petrovich showed he can be a legitimately dangerous offensive player as well as an astute blocker. He matched his week one totals of four catches for 79 yards. He could be considered a true X-Factor throughout the rest of the season. Petrovich continues to present himself as a difficult target to cover, or even tackle.
Defensively, Marvin Gaskill made a mark on the line. Zulli scrambled all day thanks to Gaskill breaking a green offensive line on the Red Raiders. This team loves the big man. Teammate Kevin Bohl described him as quick as a cat.
Shawn Fahey, Matt Brinser and Dean May also contributed with tackles for loss.
Slow and steady wins the race this season, especially against such a gauntlet of nationally ranked teams. Just looking at the players and the coaching staff after big plays, even when the game is pretty much all but sealed up, they continue to be excited for each other. This team hasn't, and won't, quit.
Perhaps the most encouraging thing about being 0-2 in the PSAC is that they aren't out of it. Kutztown and Cheyney join them at the 0-2 mark, and Lock Haven and ESU find themselves at the 1-1 mark. It will be fun to see how this season pans out for these teams.
Look out for Kutztown, especially. They were one point away from massively upsetting now #17 West Chester last week. I doubt they will be very happy about missing out on that opportunity, but that might have catapulted them into a good finish. They will draw difficult competition with Slippery Rock next Saturday.
Off to IUP next week. Check out the broadcast on millersvilleathletics.com/msbn starting at 1:30 p.m. for the Marauder Pride Pregame Show presented by Homewood Suites by Hilton Lancaster.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
From the Booth: Week Three Edition
Millersville ran into a buzz-saw West Chester Golden Rams team that, coming into the week, hit the national rankings at #20. The final score, 48-3. The game was as sloppy as the weather. Torrential rain pounded Chryst Field, making turnovers abundant, and easy plays turn into adventures.
Nonetheless, Millersville mustered 121 total yards of offense. That number proved to be deceiving due to seven yards net rushing. 59 gained, 52 lost. Some sacks forced by the West Chester defense were quite costly in that regard. In fact, QB Connor Casey ended up with 41 yards for a loss.
Coming into the game, everyone knew star RB Rondell White would be an enormous factor not only due to his skill, but due to the weather as well. Rain kept the ball on the ground throughout so much so that WC attempted 63 running plays for a total of 456 yards. It ended up as a school record. Eight different players rushed the ball in Saturday's contest.
White ended the game with 34 carries, 227 yards, and three touchdowns.
The PSAC is chock full of immensely talented backs. West Chester's White, Mercyhurst's Brandon Brown-Dukes, Bloomsburg's Franklin Quiteh, and one player who graduated last year, Shippensburg's Mike Frenette, to name a few. All of them can break the game open, meaning defense against the run might as well be the largest point of emphasis to stay in games.
Truly the only disparity defensively is against the run. Other teams have not fared well defensively against Millersville's multivariate wide receiving core that will be good for time to come.
What continues to be positive is the body language and the exuberance that comes with this season. The game was all but over in the third quarter, but the response after big defensive stops and doing things the right way meant a ton towards turning this ship around.
There are good things happening this season, even in the shroud of being outscored 144-26. In talking with players and coaches, they aren't worried. In fact, their excitement and unwavering commitment is more than apparent. One quote from head coach Greg Breitbach said a lot after this loss.
"We're going to continue to find things that we can build on and then be man enough to look in the mirror and see what we didn't do right and fix it," he told Lancaster Online.
Last year's losses may have been ho-hum, but this year's losses have purpose. They are measuring stick games. In a sense, "this is where we are in comparison to a parity-ridden PSAC." It is not an easy conference by any stretch of the imagination. Three teams are in the top 20 in the entire nation, and Millersville will have played all three of them in the span of four weeks.
Millersville's next opponent, Shippensburg, was in the conversation at #7 before being wiped off the list due to two losses. Don't count them out of the national ranking conversation.
Punter Evan Stahl started full-time kicking duties last week against Mercyhurst and he had a sensational night booting the ball away in such horrific conditions on Saturday. Stahl averaged 46.2 yards per punt, and his longest was an absolute gem totaling 69 yards. It didn't challenge Jeff Lawson's inhuman 81 yard punt, but it was sure close.
Ville vs. Ship starts at noon on Saturday. Watch the journey continue from Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium, or listen along with yours truly at www.millersvilleathletics.com/msbn
Nonetheless, Millersville mustered 121 total yards of offense. That number proved to be deceiving due to seven yards net rushing. 59 gained, 52 lost. Some sacks forced by the West Chester defense were quite costly in that regard. In fact, QB Connor Casey ended up with 41 yards for a loss.
Coming into the game, everyone knew star RB Rondell White would be an enormous factor not only due to his skill, but due to the weather as well. Rain kept the ball on the ground throughout so much so that WC attempted 63 running plays for a total of 456 yards. It ended up as a school record. Eight different players rushed the ball in Saturday's contest.
White ended the game with 34 carries, 227 yards, and three touchdowns.
The PSAC is chock full of immensely talented backs. West Chester's White, Mercyhurst's Brandon Brown-Dukes, Bloomsburg's Franklin Quiteh, and one player who graduated last year, Shippensburg's Mike Frenette, to name a few. All of them can break the game open, meaning defense against the run might as well be the largest point of emphasis to stay in games.
Truly the only disparity defensively is against the run. Other teams have not fared well defensively against Millersville's multivariate wide receiving core that will be good for time to come.
What continues to be positive is the body language and the exuberance that comes with this season. The game was all but over in the third quarter, but the response after big defensive stops and doing things the right way meant a ton towards turning this ship around.
There are good things happening this season, even in the shroud of being outscored 144-26. In talking with players and coaches, they aren't worried. In fact, their excitement and unwavering commitment is more than apparent. One quote from head coach Greg Breitbach said a lot after this loss.
"We're going to continue to find things that we can build on and then be man enough to look in the mirror and see what we didn't do right and fix it," he told Lancaster Online.
Last year's losses may have been ho-hum, but this year's losses have purpose. They are measuring stick games. In a sense, "this is where we are in comparison to a parity-ridden PSAC." It is not an easy conference by any stretch of the imagination. Three teams are in the top 20 in the entire nation, and Millersville will have played all three of them in the span of four weeks.
Millersville's next opponent, Shippensburg, was in the conversation at #7 before being wiped off the list due to two losses. Don't count them out of the national ranking conversation.
Punter Evan Stahl started full-time kicking duties last week against Mercyhurst and he had a sensational night booting the ball away in such horrific conditions on Saturday. Stahl averaged 46.2 yards per punt, and his longest was an absolute gem totaling 69 yards. It didn't challenge Jeff Lawson's inhuman 81 yard punt, but it was sure close.
Ville vs. Ship starts at noon on Saturday. Watch the journey continue from Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium, or listen along with yours truly at www.millersvilleathletics.com/msbn
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