Complete Game Notes
GAME INFORMATION
Assumption vs. Millersville
Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010 - 12 p.m.
Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium - Millersville, Pa.
SERIES INFORMATION
Series vs. AC: MU, 1-0
Series Streak: MU, 1
First Meeting: 2009 (MU 31, AC 28)
Last Meeting: Same
MEDIA INFORMATION
Watch Live
Audio Broadcast (MSBN)
Live Stats
TICKET INFORMATION
Reserved Seat: $8
General Admission: $6
Senior Citizen: $3
Visiting Students with ID: $3
Children under 6: FREE
Marauder Kids Club Member: FREE
MU Students, Faculty and Staff: FREE with one guest with valid ID
ABOUT THE GAME
• The Millersville Marauders open the 2010 season Saturday, Sept. 4 at Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium against Assumption College. Game time is scheduled for 12 p.m. It is the first time since 2006 that the Marauders have opened the season at home. Audio can be heard on the home of Millersville Athletics, the Marauder Sports Broadcasting Network (MSBN). The broadcast, featuring play-by-play announcer Domenic Panza, can be accessed at www.millersvilleathletics.com.
• Saturday’s game is a rematch of the 2009 season opener and is the second meeting in the series between Millersville and Assumption. It is not only Assumption’s first trip to Millersville, it will be the first time in the program’s 22-year history that it has played a game in the state of Pennsylvania. Millersville won the first and only meeting between the clubs by a 31-28 score.
• Millersville is entering its third season under the guidance of Greg Colby. Colby’s team took a step forward in 2009 with a 3-8 record that included wins over Assumption, Cheyney and Kutztown. The Marauders are looking to take another step in 2010 as they return 15 starters and seven of them have started for at least two years. The program boasts 14 seniors—the most of Greg Colby’s three seasons. There are also 14 juniors and 12 sophomores with significant playing experience. The Marauders were picked seventh out of eight teams in the PSAC Eastern Division Preseason Poll.
• Saturday’s game marks the first time that a Greg Colby team has opened its season at Millersville. Colby’s teams are 1-1 in season openers, but the program has won just two of the last seven openers dating back to 2004. Since 2000, the Marauders are just 3-7 in season openers. Since 2003, the Marauders have opened the season at home only two times. The 2003 opener against Glenville State resulted in a 27-25 win for the Marauders, but the 2006 opener saw Millersville fall to Shepherd by a 28-7 score.
• Despite boasting a .526 all-time winning percentage, Millersville is just 49-56-9 in season openers.
• Opening with a win can set the tone for the season. Of the 56 seasons that have started with a loss, only 15 of those seasons ended with an above .500 record. Three of those seasons were in 1889, 1895 and 1896 when Millersville went 2-1. Millersville also went 2-1-3 in 1921 after opening the year with a loss. Producing an above .500 season after opening the year with a loss has happened only twice since 1990. The 1990 team went 7-3 and the 2000 squad went 6-4.
• Under Colby, the Marauders have averaged 26.5 points per game in season openers. The team has rushed for more than 100 yards in both games including 181 yards against Assumption last year. Returning quarterback Bill Shirk is 23-for-42 passing with three touchdowns against one interception in his two season-opening appearances. Jamal Smith has also performed well in his three previous openers. Smith scored two touchdowns with four catches for 48 yards against Assumption last year. In 2008, he rushed for 35 yards and completed 6-of-14 passes with a touchdown. As a rookie in 2007, Smith totaled 31 yards rushing as a quarterback.
• Millersville has suffered nine-straight non-winning seasons and has not won more than five games in a season since 2000. The last .500 season came with 5-5 record in 2004. This nine-season stretch has come on the heels of a run in which Millersville recorded nine-straight winning seasons from 1992-2000 and in 28 of 30 seasons from 1970-2000.
ABOUT THE SERIES
• Saturday’s game is the second-ever meeting between Millersville and Assumption. It is 12th time the Marauders have faced a team from the Northeast-10. The first meeting came in 1987 against Southern Connecticut State. Millersville played Southern Connecticut State four times from 1987-90, going 3-1. The Marauders also posted a perfect 4-0 record against American International from 1992-95, and went 0-2 against Bentley in recent years.
SERIES VS. NE-10 AT A GLANCE
All-Time Meetings: 11
Record: 8-3
Road Record: 5-2
Home Record: 3-1
Points Per Game: 29.9
Points Allowed Per Game: 15.6
2009 - at Assumption - W, 31-28
2008 - at Bentley - L, 22-35
2007 - Bentley - L, 10-17
1995 - at American International - W, 39-0
1994 - American International - W, 32-0
1993 - at American International - W, 30-10
1992 - American International - W, 31-6
1990 - at So. Connecticut State - W, 35-14
1989 - at So. Connecticut State - L, 41-43
1988 - So. Connecticut State - W, 31-3
1987 - at So. Connecticut State - W, 27-16
THE HEAD COACHES
• Millersville’s Greg Colby is in his third season as head coach. He inherited a youthful roster and a program that hadn’t posted a winning season since 2000. He is 4-18 in his first two seasons as the coach. He spent most of his career as an assistant at the Division I level, though. 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.
• Cory Bailey has rejuvenated the Assumption program in his short tenure. He went 13-28 during his first five seasons, and after taking off the 2008 season, he returned in 2009 and led the Greyhounds to a 6-4 record. It was the team’s best record since 1995.
• The 34-year-old Bailey arrived at Assumption after a stint as the defensive coordinator at King Philip Regional. He was a standout performer for Coach Nick Quataro at Fordham University from 1994-97. He earned first team all-Patriot League honors at center in both 1996 and 1997 and was a pre-season All-America selection in several publications prior to the 1997 season. He captained the team in 1997 and was named its Most Valuable Player.
SCOUTING THE GREYHOUNDS
• The Assumption team that arrives in Millersville on Saturday is hardly the same team that faced the Marauders in the 2009 opener. After falling to Millersville, the Greyhounds closed the year by winning six of their last nine games and developed into one of the best offensive clubs in the Northeast-10. The Greyhounds averaged 30.9 points per game and held opponents to 22.9. It was a 14-point per game improvement over the previous season’s average.
• Herbert Woodard, the league’s player of the year, rushed for 1,175 yards, averaged 5.0 yards per carry and scored 17 rushing touchdowns. He also caught one receiving touchdown. Woodard is back in 2010 and enters the season with 2,691 yards and 33 TD’s. He already holds Assumption career records in rushing yards and attempts.
• The Greyhounds have an interesting situation at the quarterback position. Senior Josh Ratacik completed 163-of-277 passes for 1,621 yards and nine touchdowns as a sophomore in 2008 before being hurt against Millersville last season. He was off to a brilliant start, completing 14-of-17 passes for 178 yards and two scores before exiting the game. But senior Andy Kupec stepped in and performed at a high level, leading the conference in accuracy (162-259) and passing for 1,828 yards. It is expected that Ratacik will resume the starting role, however.
• No matter who is the quarterback, the No. 1 target will be David Canney. He totaled 62 catches two years ago and 59 for 778 yards and nine scores last year. He is just 34 yards shy of eclipsing 2,000 yards receiving in his career.
• Defensively, the Greyhounds will miss standout linebacker Dustin Zitzmann, who was the NE-10 Defensive Player of the Year in 2009. Assumption, however, has six seniors and four juniors starting on the defensive side.
THE LAST TIME OUT
• Brad Lantz and the Millersville football team nearly gave its seniors a Senior Day to remember. But Edinboro’s defense ended those hopes with a final defense stand in the final minutes, preserving a 28-25 win and keeping its NCAA Playoffs hopes alive.
• Lantz totaled 104 yards on 22 carries, leaving him just six lugs shy of the school record. Despite his record-setting attempt coming up short, his physical running, along with a pair of big plays by Jamal Smith sparked an offense that had an opportunity to win the game with its final possession.
• Millersville trailed by 10 with 5:42 left in the fourth, but a 42-yard punt return by Smith put the offense in business at the Edinboro 22-yard line. On the first play of the drive, Smith took the snap from the shotgun and sprinted 22 yards to the end zone. John Banzhof added the extra point to cut Edinboro’s lead to 28-25.
• Then, Millersville’s defense did just what it needed to do. Trying to burn the clock, Edinboro picked up one first down but a stop on third-and-six by Dan McClellan and Matt Marcinek forced an Edinboro punt that was downed at the Millersville 16.
• The Marauders had 1:49 left and two timeouts, but Edinboro’s defensive line put relentless pressure on Bill Shirk, forcing three incomplete passes, a rush for no gain and a pair of sacks including one on fourth-and-11 that ended Millersville’s upset bid. Millersville’s only positive play on the final drive was a 15-yard personal foul penalty on Edinboro that momentarily kept the drive alive.
CONFERENCE VS. CONFERENCE
• The PSAC and Northeast-10 square off six times in 2010. Four of the games will be played at PSAC stadiums. In the last four years, the two conferences have met 16 times with the PSAC holding an 11-5 edge. Last year, the PSAC was 3-1 with the NE-10’s lone win coming from American International against C.W. Post. During that span, three of the NE-10’s five wins have come from Bentley. The PSAC is also a perfect 3-0 in NCAA playoff games.
O CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN
• The Millersville football team voted a trio of players as the captains for the 2010 season. Seniors Bill Shirk, Jamal Smith and Chad Miller will assume the roles. Chad Miller was also voted a captain in 2009, making him a rare two-time team selection. Both Smith and Miller were named All-PSAC East Second Team last year. All three players have plenty of experience. Miller and Smith are entering their fourth seasons as starters, and Shirk has piloted the team as the quarterback for two seasons.
BACK FOR MORE
• Four Millersville players were named All-PSAC East in 2009 but just two return. Defensive tackle Chad Miller was named All-PSAC East Second team and wide receiver Jamal Smith was also named All-PSAC East Second Team. In addition to his postseason mention, Smith was selected as the PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 25 for his four-touchdown, 255-all-purpose-yard performance against Kutztown. Smith was also the 2007 PSAC East Rookie of the Year as a quarterback. That season he threw for 807 yards and rushed for 633.
• Miller has an opportunity to enter select company as a Millersville defensive tackle. The last Marauder defensive tackle to earn back-to-back All-PSAC East mention was Jamar Gordon in 1995-96.
IN SEARCH OF SACKS
• Millersville upped its sack total by from seven in 2008 to 18 in 2009, but that total ranked in a tie for 14th in the PSAC. The sack leader, California (Pa.), totaled 37.
• Millersville’s team leader in sacks in 2009 was junior Antwain Brown-Barnes with 4.5. Shane Gross totaled 4.0, and Chad Miller added 3.0. Eight different players tallied at least one sack, but only three players had more than 2.0.
• While 18 sacks ranked near the bottom of the league, it was the most sacks in a season by a Millersville team since totaling 26 in 2005. Brown-Barnes’ 4.5 sacks in 2009 was the most by any Marauder since Tim Schultz and Chuck Koch each recorded 5.0 in 2004. The last Marauder to record double-digit sacks in a season was Lee Rizzotto (11) in 1999.
STARTING ANEW
• Millersville returns 16 starters overall— eight on offense and eight on defense. But on the preseason depth chart, six players with no starting experience were listed with the first team offense.
• When the offense takes the field Saturday, only one running back on the roster—Steven Roberts—has a career carry with the Marauders. The top two backs listed on the depth chart, sophomore Mike Jones and sophomore Fateen Brown, are both newcomers. Roberts is listed as the first team fullback and has just 30 yards on seven carries in his career.
• The offensive line has seen the most change, with starters from last year Chris Gailey and Don Houck being replaced by redshirt freshman Jeff Brewer and sophomore transfer Josh Hunter. The Marauders also have a new starting center. After two seasons with the steady Nick Kyper, sophomore Doug Henninger made the switch from defensive end to center during preseason practice. If the depth chart stays true for Saturday, the offensive line will have combined for just 19 career starts. Mike DeHaven at right tackle accounts for 14 of those starts. The entire left side of the line, including center, has never played a snap at offensive line in a Division II game.
• Millersville boasts plenty of experience at other positions, though. Quarterback Bill Shirk has 20 career starts to his credit. Greg Frantz has 21 career starts at tight end. Jamal Smith has started has started 32 games including 19 games at wide receiver. The entire defensive line combines for 158 career games and 79 career starts. The linebackers combine for 37 starts.
A GRAND MILESTONE
• In Millersville’s 120 years of football, only a handful of players have totaled 1,000 yards rushing or 1,000 yards receiving in a season. 1,000 yards rushing has been accomplished 14 times since 1970 and only Ricke Stonewall eclipsed that mark twice. Totaling 1,000 yards receiving is even more rare as only Mike McFetridge (1,131) and Sean Scott (1,030) accomplished the feat. They hit the milestone back-to-back in 1998 and 1999.
MOVING ON UP
• Entering this season, Bill Shirk has passed for 3,619 yards and 27 touchdowns in 20 career starts. With just 97 passing yards this Saturday, Shirk will move past Mike Burke (1971-74) in the record books for seventh all-time in passing yards. Additionally, Shirk needs 372 yards to pass Gregg Caplan (1982-85) for sixth.
• Last season Shirk’s 1,734 yards ranked him eighth in the PSAC. Among returning quarterbacks this season, only California’s Josh Portis passed for more yards than Shirk a season ago. He is also the active leader of all PSAC quarterbacks in career passing yards entering this season. Shirk’s 50.7 pass completion percentage marked the second consecutive season in which he was over the 50 percent mark.
• With another 1,700-plus yard season, Shirk will become the first Millersville quarterback to turn in three career seasons of 1,700 or more passing yards since Drew Folmar (1997-2000). He was also just the fourth QB all-time to achieve that feat.
• Shirk also ranks ninth in career total offense. With 3,721 yards in 29 games, his 128.3 yards per game average is eighth all-time. He has totaled 3,596 of those yards in his last 21 games, which is an average of 171.2 yards per game. Shirk trails Ricke Stonewall for eighth place by just 504 yards, and if he maintains his current average, he could finish the season fifth all-time ahead of Millersville Hall of Fame QB Carmen Lex (1974-77).
DO-IT-ALL JAMAL
• In his first full season at wide receiver in 2009, senior Jamal Smith displayed the ability to be a game changer. Smith averaged 123.4 all-purpose yards per game last season, placing him second in the PSAC. Smith averaged 6.5 points a game a season ago, ranking him fourth in the conference and also ranked fifth in catches per game (4.55) and 10th in receiving yards (66.3).
• In ’09 Smith joined California’s A.J. Jackson and Shippensburg’s Mike Harris as the only three receivers with 10 or more touchdowns during the season. Smith’s 10 receiving touchdowns marked only the third time in school history that a receiver hauled in at least 10 touchdowns through the air. The last time a receiver hit the 10 touchdown mark was Sean Scott in 2000, and no Marauder has ever had two seasons of 10 receiving touchdowns.
• With at least 700 receiving yards this season, Smith would become the first Marauder with back-to-back 700 yard receiving seasons since Sean Scott accomplished that feat during the 1999 and 2000 seasons. Additionally, another 1,300-plus all-purpose yard season would mark the first time a Marauder has turned in back-to-back 1,300 yard efforts since Kevin Cannon turned in 1,600-plus yard campaigns in 1994 and 1995.
SMITH’S SUCCESS
• Jamal Smith has become one of the top touchdown threats in the PSAC, and he can score from anywhere on the field. He has totaled 25 career touchdowns including 12 receiving, seven rushing and six passing. Nine of the 12 receiving touchdowns in his career have gone for more than 20 yards.
• Smith’s four touchdown outing against Kutztown in 2009 tied Kevin Cannon’s school record for receiving touchdowns in a game.
• With 133 yards against Kutztown last season, Smith eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the fourth time in his career.
• Smith’s 80-yard grab against West Chester in 2008 was the team’s longest completion since Drew Folmar’s 91-yard TD pass to Sean Scott in 1999.
RETURNING TACKLES
• Over the last two years, senior safety Matt Sutjak been emerged as a prolific tackler. He has led the Marauders in tackles each of the last two years, and has totaled 165 during that span. Last year, Sutjak ranked sixth in the PSAC in tackles with 92. He was the first Marauder to total more than 90 tackles in a season since Joe Hollister, the 2004 PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year. Sutjak was also the first Marauder to lead the team in tackles in back-to-back seasons since Lee Rizzotto (1997-1999). Since tackle stats started being tracked in 1973, only John Petrus (1986-88) and Rizzotto have led the Marauders in tackles for three-straight seasons. Sutjak has an opportunity to join that club this year
• Millersville has 15 of its top 20 and eight of its top 10 tacklers returning from a year ago. Julius Carter, who totaled 87 stops, is the most significant loss. Still, of Millersville’s 810 tackles, 76.8 of the team’s tackles were made by players on the 2010 roster.
HOME SWEET HOME
• The 2010 schedule sets up well for the Marauders early with the first five games all coming at home. A season after playing three non-conference games on the road, the Marauders play all three non-conference games at home, and open PSAC East play with two more home games.
• Millersville is 128-68-3 all-time at Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium but has posted 1-4 home records in each of the last three seasons. Millersville has not won more than two home games in a season since 2004.