MILLERSVILLE Marauders (1-9, 1-8 PSAC East) at EDINBORO Fighting Scots (2-8, 2-7 PSAC West)
 
Edinboro Game Notes
Millersville Game Notes    
PSAC Weekly Release

The Game Story
Edinboro snapped a three-game losing streak last Saturday with a 31-27 win over Seton Hill. That boosted the Fighting Scots to 2-8 overall and 2-7 in the PSAC West. Now they hope to finish with back-to-back wins to end the season for the first time since 2008. The 2-8 record ensures the Fighting Scots a third straight losing season. That marks the first time with three consecutive losing campaigns since a stretch of six straight losing seasons from 1997-2002. In addition, Edinboro needs a win over Millersville to avoid the first two-win season since 1968, when the Fighting Scots finished 2-7. Edinboro has had five three-win seasons since then.

Edinboro will bid farewell to ten seniors prior to the kickoff against Millersville. They include DT Greg Cunningham, DT Thomas Dover, WR?Ben Eisel, OLB Jimmy Grove, QB?Cody Harris, OLB Cory Hayes, OLB?Kyle Matula, SS?Veuntrae Robinson, and DE?Patrick Walker. The tenth senior is wide receiver-turned-assistant coach Kevin Sonnie. Sonnie was forced to the sideline after suffering his seventh concussion in preseason drills.  

Head coach Scott Browning knew that his 2014 schedule was very difficult, particularly the first five games, but it may have been even more arduous than he imagined. Along the way Edinboro faced the top two preseason favorites in the PSAC West, two of the top four teams in the Eastern Division, plus a nationally-ranked team in Carson-Newman. The combined record of the first five opponents is 31-18, and eight of Edinboro's first ten opponents have winning records. All told, Edinboro's first ten opponents own a combined record of 55-35.

Millersville snapped a 13-game losing streak last Saturday as the Marauders posted a 34-12 win at Cheyney. They are 1-9 overall and 1-8 in the PSAC?East under second-year head coach Greg Breitbach. Millersville ranks 14th in the PSAC?in scoring offense (16.4 ppg.) and 16th in scoring defense (42.8 ppg.). The Marauders have allowed 40-or-more points in seven games. The 34 points against Cheyney were the most points scored since a 44-point output in the season opener vs. Livingstone. They had scored 17 points or fewer in the last nine games.

A young Edinboro defense continues to exhibit a bend-but-don't-break attitude. Incredibly, they  faced 92 plays against Seton Hill after Slippery Rock ran off 93 plays the week before. Employing a makeshift lineup due to injuries, including missing top sacker Domenic Principale, the Fighting Scots forced four turnovers.

Like Millersville, the Edinboro offense had struggled to put points on the board in recent weeks. The 31 points scored against Seton Hill were the most since a 56-point explosion at Clarion. In the next three games and four of the five prior to last week the Fighting Scots scored just one touchdown. 

Edinboro will look to establish the ground game against a Millersville defense that ranks last in the PSAC?and 161st in Division II in rushing defense, allowing 259.6 ypg. The Fighting Scots are last in the conference in rushing offense and 160th in Division II at 71.7 ypg. despite the emergence of freshman tailback Anfreenee Williams. Williams and backup Keith Regis both left the Seton Hill game with injuries, leaving freshman Ryan Harkness as the lone available back. Edinboro has used six different combinations on the offensive line as the Fighting Scots have allowed 52 sacks. That figure is last in the PSAC and 166th out of 167 teams.

Freshmen have been forced to play a major role in 2014. All told, a total of 40 games have been started by true freshmen.  In addition, three redshirt freshmen have made starts. When Jake Sisson started at quarterback for the injured Cody Harris at Slippery Rock, he became the ninth true freshman to start a game this year.

Cody Harris returned against Seton Hill after missing the Slippery Rock game with an injury. He enjoyed his 11th career 300-yard game with 310 yards while completing 27 of 34 passes. Harris is expected to make his 43rd career start vs. Millersville.

Edinboro was picked to finish sixth in the PSAC?West in the coaches' preseason poll for the second straight year. Millersville was picked to finish in seventh place in the Eastern Division after ending the year 1-10 in 2013.
 
On TV/Radio
The Edinboro-Millersville game can be heard live on WFSE FM?88.9, with Ron Raymond providing the play-by-play and Mike Fenner the commentary. ETV, Edinboro's student television station, will also televise the contest. 
 
The All-Time Series
Tied at 5-5
This marks the first meeting between Edinboro and Millersville since 2009 when the Fighting Scots won 28-25 at Millersville. Edinboro has won the last two games against the Marauders.
 
The Last Meeting
Edinboro 28, Millersville 25
Edinboro clinched a spot in the NCAA?Playoffs with a 28-25 win at Millersville behind backup quarterback Joe Wanson. The senior filled in for injured starter Trevor Harris and had the game of his career. In his first career start he completed 17 of 33 passes for 231 yards with 3 TDs.  He threw a pair of touchdowns in a wild first quarter which saw Edinboro grab a 14-10 lead after 15 minutes. The first was a 22-yarder to Josh Brown and the second a 25-yarder to D'Mar Jeter that would give the Fighting Scots the lead for good. Alex Romanias added a 28-yard field with 22 seconds left in the second quarter for a 17-10 halftime lead. Millersville added a safety early in the third quarter but Romanias booted his second 3-pointer from 21 yards out for a 21-12 lead. That set the stage for an interesting fourth quarter.  Millersville would cap a 10-play, 68-yard drive with a one-yard plunge by Bill Shirk on the first play of the quarter.  The Maruaders failed on the two-point conversion run and still trailed 20-18. Edinboro answered with a nine-play, 68-yard march that saw Wanson throw a 19-yard TD pass to Brown. Wanson then ran in the two-point play for a 28-18 lead with 11:00 remaining. Millersville wasn't done yet, however.  Jamal Smith's 42-yard punt return gave the Marauders the ball at the EU 22.  One play later Smith went around right end for a 22-yard touchdown run, but the Marauders would get no closer. Edinboro ended the afternoon with 359 yards, while a banged-up Boro defense held the Marauders to 275 yards.  Brown enjoyed the best day of his career with 6 catches for 118 yards and 2 TDs.  David Bostic ran for 61 yards on 10 carries, and Michael Battles stepped in and picked up 55 hard yards on 22 carries.
              
Last Week
Edinboro 31, Seton Hill 27
Edinboro held off the Griffins behind some late heroics from linebacker Kyle Matula and three touchdowns from Cody Harris. With Harris throwing touchdown passes of seven yards to Connor Hollenbeck and five yards to Darren Massey, plus a three-yard touchdown run, Edinboro jumped out to a 31-14 lead early in the fourth quarter. The Fighting Scots would have to hold off a Seton Hill, and that's where Matula came in. The Griffins scored a pair of touchdowns in the final five minutes, and after each Matula recovered the onside kickoff. In addition, he broke up a pair of passes on Seton Hill's last two plays of the game with under a minute to play. Anfreenee Williams accounted for Edinboro's other touchdown on an eight-yard run. Edinboro had to withstand Seton Hill's record-setting aerial attack. The Griffins completed 43 of 69 passes, both opponent records.  Returning after missing a week with an injury, Harris completed 27 of 34 passes for 310 yards. Massey hauled in 8 passes for 73 yards and Hollenbeck added 6 catches for 73 yards, both career highs. Massey paced the defense, matching his career high with 12 tackles.    
    
Millersville 34, Cheyney 12
The Marauders picked up their first win of the season with the victory at Cheyney. Evan Stahl booted field goals of 26 and 24 yards to start the scoring. Millersville would take the lead for good when David Coates returned a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.  In the process, Coates set an NCAA career record with his 134th kick return and became the second player to eclipse 3,000 career return yards. Mike Reichenbach hauled in a seven-yard touchdown pass from Matt Misley three seconds before the end of the first half to give Millersville a 20-6 lead. Millersville pulled away in the fourth quarter using a 14-yard TD run from Myron Myles and a 17-yard fumble return from defensive lineman Neil Moloney. Misley completed 24 of 34 passes for 223 yards and added 71 yards rushing on 11 carries. Myles added 74 yards on 17 rushes.   
         
The Coaches
Scott Browning (Ohio State '81) took over as Edinboro's 13th head coach on January 5, 2006, and in his first six seasons he tied the record for most wins by a coach during that period.  Browning is wrapping up his ninth season with a 56-43 record, and is in his 29th season as a member of the Edinboro staff.  With last year's season-opening 35-34 win over Walsh, he became the third coach at Edinboro to reach 50 wins, joining Tom Hollman and Bill McDonald.   The win over Clarion was his 55th, moving him into sole possession of second place in career victories.  Browning was certainly no stranger to Fighting Scot football when he was hired as head coach, serving as an assistant coach for the previous twenty years. While at Edinboro he has coached the offensive linemen, defensive backs and running backs, along with serving as the offensive coordinator.  Browning became the first head coach at Edinboro to debut with a win since McDonald in 1969 when the Fighting Scots opened the 2006 season with a 28-14 win at West Chester.  He went on to lead Edinboro to a 6-5 finish, the most wins ever by a first-year coach.  That was followed by a 7-4 finish in 2007.  His next two Fighting Scot editions recorded a school-record tying nine wins.  In 2008 Edinboro ended the year at 9-2 and was ranked 20th in the final AFCA?Top 25.  The Fighting Scots had a 9-4 record in 2009, making the NCAA?playoffs for the first time in his tenure.  Edinboro would end the year 24th in the AFCA?poll.  The Boro posted back-to-back 7-4 finishes in 2010 and 2011.  The 4-6 finish in 2012 represented Browning's first losing season as head coach. 

Greg Breitbach (Montana-Western '94) was named the 21st head football coach at Millersville on April 3, 2013. He owns a 2-19 record as he wraps up his second season as the head coach of the Marauders. He came to Millersville after a successful five-season run as the offensive coordinator at the University of North Dakota, which competes at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. Breitbach helped North Dakota transition from a Division II powerhouse into a Division I conference champion. He was an integral part of a program that posted a 49-30 record, appeared in the NCAA Division II playoffs twice and was nationally-ranked in the AFCA Division I FCS Coaches Poll over a seven wek span in 2011.  Prior to joining the North Dakota State coaching staff Breitbach piloted a high-powered offense at Division III Wisconsin-Stevens Point. His offenses averaged over 415 yards and 30 points per game in three seasons. From 1999-2002, Breitbach was the special teams coordinator, receivers and running backs coach at Lewis & Clark College. He also served two stints as an assistant at his alma mater Montana-Western, serving as offensive coordinator and assistant head coach in addition to coaching quarterbacks, receivers, running backs and linebackers. Montana-Western was a NAIA National semifinalist in 1994 and won two conference championships.          
    
Browning Comments ... on the Fighting Scots
"Seton Hill was a good football team. They're a lot like us. Both teams are better than our records indicated. I thought our guys really came to play. We almost had a couple guys going both ways because of injuries. We did it without Domenic Principale. We had some guys step up."
 
Browning Comments ... on the Marauders
"They're struggling. They came up with their first victory last week. They will be a more confident team than they have been after getting a win. Traditionally it has always been a good football game."