Complete Game Notes
GAME INFORMATION
C.W. Post Pioneers (2-5, 2-2 PSAC East) vs. Millersville Marauders (2-5, 1-3 PSAC East)
Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009 - 1 p.m.
Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium
Millersville, Pa.
SERIES INFORMATION
Series vs. C.W. Post: CWP, 1-0
Series Streak: CWP, 1
First Meeting: 2009 (CWP 55, MU 38)
Last Meeting: 2008 (CWP 55, MU 38)
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Internet Broadcast:
MSBN
Announcers: Domenic Panza and Matt Majewski
Live Stats
TICKET INFORMATION
Reserved Seat: $8
General Admission: $6
Senior Citizen: $3
Visiting Students with ID: $3
Children under 6: FREE
MU Students, Faculty and Staff: FREE with one guest with valid ID
ABOUT THE GAME
• The Millersville Marauders enter Saturday’s PSAC Eastern Division clash with C.W. Post in search of back-to-back wins for the first time since the end of the 2006 season. The Marauders snapped a five-game losing streak last Saturday with a 47-36 win over Cheyney. It was the team’s highest point total of the season, and the offense racked up 400 yards of offense for the first time this season.
• The Marauders will have their hands full against C.W. Post, which is in its second season as a member of the PSAC. The Pioneers and the Marauders boast identical records 2-5 records, but both of C.W. Post’s victories have come in conference play. After a 0-3 start, the Pioneers have won two of the last four, and all five of their losses have been by no more than 15 points. Last week, the Pioneers nearly knocked off West Chester. The Pioneers held a 26-21 lead early in the fourth quarter, but West Chester rallied with 13 unanswered points late to steal a win away from the Pioneers, 34-26.
• The Pioneers are a difficult match-up for the Marauders. C.W. Post boasts the PSAC’s top rushing attack, averaging 211 yards per game, and the Marauders are surrendering 251.3 rushing yards per game and 40.4 points per game. Millersville’s best asset offensively is its passing attack. The Marauders currently rank eighth in the PSAC in passing offense. C.W. Post, however, is fourth in passing defense.
• Some of the PSAC’s top offensive players will be featured in Saturday’s game. For Millersville, junior wide receiver Jamal Smith ranks in the top 10 in the PSAC in receptions, receiving yards per game, total offense and scoring. Smith has totaled four touchdown catches in the last three games. At the forefront of the running game is impressive freshman Thomas Beverly. He ranks third in the league with 91.0 yards per game and has totaled 637 yards with a 5.4 yard-per-carry average. Quarterback Eric Anderwkavich is multi-talented, having thrown for over 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns at a 59.8 completion rate and run for 408 yards and two scores.
• Kickoff is scheduled for1 p.m., and audio can be heard on the home of Millersville Athletics, the Marauder Sports Broadcasting Network (MSBN). MSBN is a webcast that is accessed at millersvilleathletics.com. Domenic Panza and Matt Majewski will call the action.
ABOUT THE SERIES
• Saturday is just the second meeting between the two programs. C.W. Post joined the PSAC as an associate member prior to the 2008 season, and Millersville traveled to Brookville, N.Y., for the first-ever meeting. The two squads combined for 94 points, marking the highest scoring game in Millersville’s 120 years of football. C.W. Post won the game 55-38 behind 330 yards rushing. Millersville’s Bill Shirk threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns, and Jamal Smith caught five passes for a career-high 139 yards. Cardoza Jacks rushed for 139 yards and two scores.
• It is only the fifth time in Millersville’s history that it has faced a team from New York, and Saturday will be the second such game in the last 28 years. The Marauders are 2-1-1 all time against teams from New York, having defeated Brockport in 1965 and 1976, tied New York Institute of Technology in 1980 and lost to C.W. Post in 2008.
THE HEAD COACHES
• Millersville’s Greg Colby is in his second season as head coach. Colby spent most of his career as an assistant at the Division I level. From 1979-86, he was the head coach at Schlarman High School and Naperville High School in Illinois. While at Schlarman, Colby led the team to back-to-back Illinois High School 2-A State Championships (1981-82).
• Colby has an impressive resume. He came to Millersville after serving as the defensive coordinator at Northwestern from 2002-07 during which time the Wildcats posted three-straight six-win seasons for the first time in 70 years. He was also the defensive coordinator at Kent State for four seasons and served as a defensive assistant at Michigan State under Nick Saban and at Illinois under Lou Tepper.
• Bryan Collins has built a successful program during his 11 seasons at C.W. Post. His 86-31 record is among the leaders in active coaches in Division II. During his tenure, the Pioneers won or shared four NE-10 titles and earned three NCAA Division II berths. Collins is also the director of athletics at C.W. Post.
• Prior to being named head coach, Collins was an assistant for four seasons and also spent three seasons as an assistant St. Francis Prep and Kings Point. He graduated from St. John’s in 1987.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
• C.W. Post doesn’t have the appearance of a 2-5 football team on paper. The Pioneers have one of the most high-powered offensive units in the PSAC and some of the most dynamic athletes. It all starts with the ground game for the Pioneers. They are averaging 25 points per game, but rank first in the PSAC with 211 yards rushing per game. As a team, the Pioneers are averaging a conference best 5.0 yards per carry. C.W. post ranks second in the league with 149 first downs.
• Freshman Thomas Beverly has been outstanding so far, rushing for 637 yards and averaging 5.4 yards per carry. He also ranks seventh in the league in all-purpose yards (108.9 per game).
• C.W. Post can also execute in the passing game. Quarterback Eric Anderwkavich has completed 59.8 percent of his passes for 1,215 yards. He has 12 touchdowns compared to just five interceptions. His favorite target is senior Chris Harris, who ranks second in the PSAC in receptions per game (6.14).
• The Pioneers are among the most penalized teams in the PSAC, though. They have committed 47 penalties for an average of 71.6 yards per game. It is the second most penalized team in the PSAC.
• Red zone woes have plagued the Pioneers all season long. They have moved inside the opponent’s 20-yard line 27 times but have converted just 14 times. 13 of those conversions have been touchdowns, and the team is 1-3 on field goals in the zone. Twice, they have turned it over via interception, and seven times they have turned it over on downs.
• Additionally, the Pioneers have struggled in the kicking game. Jon Korn was 1-of-3 on field goals and 4-of-6 on PATs before handing the job over to Justin Bertone, who had missed five of his 17 PATs.
• Defensively, the Pioneers are led by Peter Manns. The senior ranks fifth in the PSAC with 61 tackles. Xavier Brown is also one of the league’s best pass rushers, as he is tied for second with six.
THE LAST TIME OUT
• The Millersville football team put together its best offensive showing of the season, and the defense rose to the occasion late to spoil Cheyney’s homecoming Saturday afternoon by a 47-36 score.
• The Marauders (2-5, 1-3 PSAC East) racked up a season-best 400 yards of offense, and the 47 points were the most scored by a Millersville team since hanging 48 against Cheyney on Oct. 11, 2008. The two-headed rushing attack of senior Brad Lantz and Cardoza Jacks combined for 158 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries, and Jamal Smith provided the air support, hauling in seven catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns.
• With the win, the Marauders snapped a five-game skid and extended its streak over Cheyney to 26 consecutive victories.
• The win didn’t come easily, though, as the Wolves (0-7, 0-4 PSAC East), led by quarterback Angel Rodriguez, matched Millersville’s offensive display with 492 yards of offense of their own including 289 on the ground. Rodriguez alone accumulated four touchdowns and 395 yards of total offense as he rushed for 207 and completed 11-of-15 passes for 188.
• But as the two offensive units traded punches, it was Cheyney that committed the untimely mistakes, losing four fumbles and turning the ball over three times on downs. The Marauders also registered a season-high four sacks, two of which came from Antwain Brown-Barnes.
TURN OF THE CENTURY
• After not rushing going three-straight games without registering 100 yards rushing, the Marauders are back to eclipsing the 100-yard rushing mark. In each of the last three games, the Marauders have totaled at least 108 yards on the ground. Twice, the Marauders have rushing for 175. Millersville has also had at least one rushing touchdown in each of the last three games (three against Cheyney). In the last three games, Millersville is averaging 4.32 yards per carry.
• Senior running back Brad Lantz totaled 107 yards against Shippensburg on Sept. 26, giving Millersville its first individual 100-yard rushing performance of the season, snapping a streak of five games without a player reaching that mark. With 108 yards against Bloomsburg, the Marauders have rushed for 100 yards in each of the last two games after not rushing for 100 yards as a team in the previous three games. Millersville’s 175 yards against Shippensburg in week five was the team’s best team effort since totaling 201 yards against Kutztown on Oct. 25, 2008.
• For Lantz, who missed most of last season with a knee injury, it was his first 100-yard game going for 152 against Kutztown on Nov. 10, 2007.
HAULING IT IN
• Jamal Smith leads the team with 35 catches and has had at least three catches in each of the seven games this season. Smith has had at least one catch in each of his 15 games at the wide receiver position dating back to 2008. Since behind held to just one catch against Cheyney on Oct. 11, 2008 (a span of 11 games), he has totaled 55 catches for 703 yards. He is averaging five catches per game in his last 11 games, and has eclipsed 80 yards four times.
• Matt Egenrieder ranks second on the team in catches with 25. He has led the team in receptions in four of the last eight games dating back to last year. He has caught five passes three times this season. He has 31 catches in his last seven games dating back to the 2008 season finale at Edinboro. He has also recorded at least one reception in 10 straight games dating back to last year.
GOING DEEP
• Redshirt freshman Lou Brown had a career game against Cheyney, making three catches for a career-high 83 yards. He has made at least three catches four times this year, but his 83-yard effort against Cheyney was 53 yards more than his previous best. His 42-yard touchdown catch was not only the first TD of his career, but it was the longest pass play by the Millersville offense this season.
SACK ATTACK
• Millersville recorded four sacks against Cheyney on Oct. 11, marking the second time this season that the defense totaled four sacks in a game.
• Millersville last had two four-sack games in 2007 and hasn’t had three four-sack games since 2005.
• Millersville’s 13 sacks have come from nine different players. Only Antwain Brown-Barnes (three), Chad Miller (two), Shane Gross (two) have more than one this year. Against Cheyney on Oct. 11, Brown-Barnes became the first Millersville player since Matt Buck in 2007 to record two sacks in a game.
TURNING IT OVER
• The Millersville defense has shown the ability to create turnovers this season. It has six interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries, helping the team rank second in the PSAC in turnover margin at plus six. Bloomsburg is first at plus seven.
• Against Cheyney, the Marauders forced seven fumbles and recovered four. Millersville has forced at least one fumble in six of the seven games this season. They have forced 10 total and have also recovered 10.
• The last time the Marauders forced four fumbles in one game was Sept. 29, 2007 against East Stroudsburg.
• The Marauders picked off at least one pass in four of seven games this season and intercepted two against Slippery Rock and West Chester. The defense has totaled 11 picks in the last nine games dating back to 2008. During that stretch, Millersville picked off East Stroudsburg three times, which marked the most interceptions in a 10 game stretch.
• Against West Chester, Brian Knell recorded the first interception of his career and Dan McClellan tallied his second of the season and second in as many games. McClellan, a junior, now has four career interceptions, but this is the first time he has had two interceptions a season.
• Along with McClellan, the only player with more than one interception during the current streak is defensive lineman Chad Miller who picked off one pass against East Stroudsburg in 2008 and one against Assumption in the 2009 season opener.
• Senior Julius Carter has shown a knack for making plays. He has one interception, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He is also the only player that managed to pick up yards after his interception (25).
MOVING ON UP
• Senior running back Brad Lantz is leaving his mark on the Millersville record books. The running back entered the 2009 season ranked 12th all-time in rushing yards with 1,951 yards. After 400 yards in the first seven weeks, he has moved past John Flamish, Juan Jones, Troy Smith, Gerald Mack, Ron Porter and Bob Coyne and into fifth place. His 2,351 yards puts him within striking distance of Steve Schaufert (1971-74), who finished with 2,515 yards.
• In his two healthy seasons at running back, Lantz averaged nearly 880 yards rushing per season. If he can match that total in 2009, he will have 2,831 yards and rank fourth all-time behind Marc DeBellis (1991-94).
• Also, Lantz already ranks third all-time in career carries with 564. He trails Marc DeBellis (1991-94), who is in second with 596. He averaged 213 carries during his first two seasons, and totaled 74 carries in the first five weeks of this season. Another season with 213 carries would put him at 685 carries and in first place all-time ahead of the legendary Ricke Stonewall, who totaled 648 while racking up 4,169 yards from 1981-84.
• Lantz is also closing in on the top 10 in scoring. Lantz has accumulated 19 touchdowns for 114 points. Lantz needs 162 points to tie Sean Scott and Mike McFetridge. Both totaled 27 touchdowns.
TWO-WAY THREAT
• Brad Lantz not only leads the Marauders in rushing, he is also third in receptions with 16 catches for 109 yards. He is four catches away from tying his career high of 20, which was set in seven games in 2008. Over the course of his career, Lantz has caught 69 passes for 611 yards and three touchdowns. He is one of only two running backs in Millersville history to rush for 1,500 and total 500 yards receiving. Mike Squires (1973-75) is the only other player to do so, and he totaled 1,696 yards rushing and 744 yards receiving in 27 games. He is the only running back to rush for 2,000 and total 500 receiving yards.
• Brad is just outside of the top 10 in career-purpose yards. He currently has 3,002 yards and trails Squires for 10th by just 18 yards. Mike McFetridge stands ninth all-time with 3,076 yards.
DOUBLE THE PRODUCTION
• With Brad Lantz injured last season, Cardoza Jacks emerged as the team’s workhorse running back. Jacks totaled a team-best 765 yards in just five starts and rattled off four 100-yard performances in the final five games. With Jacks and Lantz both healthy in 2009, the Marauders have two backs with over 1,000 career yards. While Lantz boasts 2,351 yards, Jacks, a junior, has 1,256 yards and a career average of 4.8 yards per carry. He has also led the team in rushing three times this season.
• The two running backs combined for over 100 yards three times this season including two games in a row.
• Lantz has eight 100-yard rushing performances to his credit, and his career best is 152 (Nov. 10, 2007 vs. Kutztown). All four of Jacks’ 100-yard rushing games came in 2008, and his high is 274 yards. He also set a school record for carries with 44 against Cheyney on Oct. 11.
• Jacks has averaged just over 500 yards per season in his first two years. Staying on that pace would put him over 2,000 yards and into the top 10 on Millersville’s career rushing list. Of the top 10 rushers in school history, there are three sets of teammates. Ricke Stonewall (1st), Bob Coyne (5th) and Troy Smith (8th) all played together from 1982-83. Scott Highley (2nd) and Ron Porter (6th) were teammates from 1988-89, and Marc DeBellis (3rd) and Gerald Mack (7th) played on the same team in 1993-94.
AIR STRIKE
• Bill Shirk has completed four passes of at least 37 yards this season.
• Shirk currently ranks eighth in the PSAC in passing average, 10th in passing efficiency, and eighth total offense.
• In just 15 starts, Shirk has eight 200-yard passing efforts including three in seven games this year. He recorded his first of the 2009 season against Slippery Rock when he totaled 214 yards and followed it with 204 yards against Indiana (Pa.). Shirk finished 2008 with five 200-yard games. On Oct. 18 against C.W. Post, he became the first Millersville quarterback to throw for 300 yards in a game since Dan Csencsitz threw for 301 against Bloomsburg in 2004. Millersville played 40 games without a 300-yard passer.
• Prior to Shirk taking over at quarterback, no Millersville quarterback had attempted 40 passes in a game since 2004, but Shirk has accomplished the feat twice in his 12 starts.
• Before Shirk stepped into the lineup, no Millersville quarterback had completed 20 passes in a game since 2004. Shirk, however, has eclipsed that number three times in 14 starts. Only twice has he completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes in a game.
• Shirk has thrown a touchdown pass in 13 of his 15 career starts. He set a season high and tied a career-high against Cheyney with three touchdown passes. He set has thrown three TD passes three times. In addition to the 2009 game against Cheyney, he did it against Cheyney and C.W. Post in October of 2008.
SMITH EMERGING
• Jamal Smith has become the team’s top wide receiver this season as he leads the team with 35 catches and has a team-best 448 yards and seven touchdowns. Three of his five touchdown receptions have been for more than 20 yards. Five of the eight receiving touchdowns in his career have gone for more than 20 yards. He also scored a rushing touchdown against Assumption. In addition to eight receiving scores, he has six rushing and six passing touchdowns for 20 overall in his career.
• Three times this season, Smith has matched his career high of seven catches (vs. Slippery Rock, Shippensburg and Cheyney).
• Smith is tied for fifth in the PSAC in receptions per game and seventh in receiving yards per game. He is also sixth in all-purpose yards, and tied for fourth in scoring.
• His 112-yard performance against Slippery Rock was the third 100-yard receiving game of his career and the first of the 2009 season. He also went over 100 yards on Sept. 20, 2008 against West Chester (131) and on Oct. 18 at C.W. Post (139). All three of his 100-yard games have come on the road.
• Smith’s 80-yard grab against West Chester in 2008 was the team’s longest completion of the season and was the longest since Drew Folmar’s 91-yard TD pass to Sean Scott in 1999.
• Only two receivers in school history have totaled 1,000 yards in a season. Sean Scott did it twice (1998 and 1999), and Mike McFetridge set the school record with 1,131 yards in 1998.
TOTALING TACKLES
• Millersville’s returning safety duo of Matt Sutjak and Julius Carter have been racking up the tackle totals in 2009 and are on pace to finish as the team leaders in tackles for the second year in a row. Carter led the team in tackles in five of the seven games and Sutjak has been first or second in five of the seven games. Twice they have tied for the team high. The duo has combined for 116 stops this season. Carter has made at least seven tackles in six of seven games, and Sutjak has had eight tackles in four of seven games. Both set career highs against Slippery Rock. Carter totaled 14 tackles and Sutjak tallied 10. Sutjak eclipsed that mark with 15 stops against Shippensburg.
• Both players have a chance to become the first Millersville players with 100 tackles in a season since Braden Steffy in 2003.
• Through seven weeks, Carter is seventh in the PSAC in tackles with 59 and 8.4 per game. Sutjak is 10th with 57 stops and an average of 8.1 per game. If both stay on pace and finish with more than 90 tackles, they will be the first Millersville teammates to total more than 90 tackles each since John Petrus and Jim Cassarella totaled 116 and 111 respectively in 1988.
• The pair totaled 73 and 70 tackles respectively in 2008. Both players ranked in the PSAC’s top 25 in tackles per game. Carter, a three-year letterwinner, has totaled 191 career tackles.
• Carter totaled eight or more tackles in a game 11 times in the last two years. Sutjak has tallied eight or more tackles eight times.
RETURN TO SENDER
• Millersville’s special teams have been a key asset to the team so far this season and several players rank among the tops in the PSAC.
• Millersville has had a 40-yard kickoff return in four games this season.
• Millersville ranks ninth in kickoff returns, averaging 21.2 per return. Individually, Lou Brown ranks fifth with a 20.5 average. His 20 returns have gone for 409 yards. He is also one of just five players with a kickoff return of more than 40 yards. His 42-yard return against Slippery Rock is a career high.
• Jamal Smith boasts a 23.0 yard average on 13 returns and has a long of 48. His 48-yard return against Cheyney on Oct. 10, 2009, was the longest by a Marauder since Jimmie Cotton recorded a 48-yard return against West Chester in 2007.
• Matt Egenrieder has six returns for 24.0 yards per return, and he also has a 45-yard return, giving the Marauders three players with a return of at least 40 yards.
PUNTING FOR POSITION
• John Banzhof has displayed one of the biggest and most accurate legs in the conference this year. In the first seven weeks, he has punted the ball a league-high 45 times and is fourth in the league with a 39.8 average. He has also drilled seven 50-yard punts, including three in week two against Slippery Rock. His best of the season was a 56-yard against Slippery Rock. He has also landed eight punts inside the 20 with only two touchdback.
• Banzhof has landed 31 punts inside the 20 while totaling just seven touchdbacks in the last two seasons. He has drilled 13 punts longer than 50 yards and has a career long of 67.
DISTANCE RUNNER
• Cardoza Jacks’ 78-yard touchdown run against Assumption on Aug. 28 was the longest run by a Marauder since Brad Myers’ 80-yard TD scamper against Shippensburg in 1996.
• Including the 78-yard run at Assumption, Jacks has recorded two runs of more than 50 yards in the last two seasons. He had a 54-yard run against Cheyney in 2008. He has three runs of more than 30 yards.
DIFFICULT TO NAVIGATE
• Not only did Millersville’s 2009 schedule start with three road games, it is dotted with outstanding teams. Three teams (West Chester, Bloomsburg and Edinboro) started the season ranked in the top 25 of the AFCA Division II Coaches Poll, and IUP made an appearance in the rankings. Bloomsburg is currently ranked No. 4 in Division II.
• Of Millersville’s 11 opponents, four started 3-0 and after week seven, six teams have at least five wins and Bloomsburg remains unbeaten. Seven of the 11 teams on the schedule are .500 or better after seven games.
WELCOME ABOARD
• Greg Colby added four new coaches to his 2009 staff. Roland Weeden takes over as running backs coach after two years at Cheyney and three at Fairleigh Dickinson. Terry Owens will assist with the defensive backs after an outstanding career at Kutztown, and former Marauders Adam Cobb and Eric Updegrove will also work as assistants.
