Homecoming Weekend: It will be a busy weekend on campus in the Poconos for Homecoming. Along with the football contest, the Warriors will host games for women’s soccer against West Chester (11:30 a.m.), field hockey against Slippery Rock (noon), men’s soccer against West Chester (2:00 p.m.) and volleyball against Shepherd (4:00 p.m.). Additionally, there are many events throughout campus this weekend. For the full schedule, visit esu.edu/homecoming.
Last Time Out: After trailing 20-7 at halftime, ESU registered 20 unanswered points to grab a 27-20 lead, but Kutztown rallied for the final 14 points in the fourth quarter to squeak out a 34-27 win over ESU. Sean McTaggart completed 18-31 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns, while Sergei Felizor and Malachi Bowman each tallied an interception in the loss.
The Series: Saturday’s meeting will be the 74th meeting between programs, with the Warriors leading by a margin of 44-28-1. Since 2001, the Warriors hold a 16-5 record against the Marauders.
Last Matchup with the Marauders: Last season at Biemesderfer Stadium, Millersville built a 20-0 lead in the third quarter, before back-to-back touchdowns from Aaron Tobias cut the deficit to 20-14 in the fourth quarter. Tobias tossed a 24-yd touchdown to Jonathan Post and a 97-yd touchdown pass to fellow tight end Beau Heyser, but the Marauders forced an interception late and ran out the clock in the 20-14 win for ‘Ville. ESU limited MU to just 95 yards of passing, but the Marauders were able to get its ground-game going with 269 yards on 52 attempts.
A Look at the Warriors: ESU looks to get back to its winning ways after falling just short at Andre Reed Stadium last week. With its starting right tackle, Guy Gilyard out with an injury, ESU struggled to run the ball for the first time this season, being held to under 100 yards for the first time in five weeks. The Warriors will look to control the line of scrimmage on both the offensive and defensive line, as ESU leads the conference in both rushing offense and rushing defense. QB Sean McTaggart has thrown seven touchdowns to just two interceptions the past two weeks, as the Lancaster native looks to lead ESU to a win against his hometown team.
A Look at Millersville: The Marauders (3-2) started the season 2-0 and led nationally-ranked Slippery Rock 21-7, but The Rock registered 35 consecutive points in the 42-21 victory. Ville defeated West Chester, 23-14 but suffered a 38-31 loss to Lock Haven last week at home. The Marauders prefer the run game, logging at least 160 yards on the ground (with exception to last week’s 69-yd output), including a 270-yd performance against West Chester. Millersville reversed course, with 329 yards passing and three touchdowns through the air last week. Rob Footman Jr. can throw and run, recording a season best 76 yards on the ground against WCU and threw for over 300 yards against the Bald Eagles. Defensively, the Marauders are led by linebacker Garrett Cox, who has 51 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks through five weeks.
Accurate Arms: Despite playing three quarterbacks this season and 15 different Warriors catching a pass this season, ESU ranks among the best in NCAA Division II in completion percentage (69.97%), completing 85 of 122 passes for 16 touchdowns and just three interceptions.
The Road to the State Game: With ESU’s loss to KU, the Golden Bears control their destiny to the PSAC Championship game as the lone 2-0 team in the PSAC East. The Warriors will need Kutztown to fall twice over the final five weeks (and ESU go uindefeated), with the Golden Bears holding the head-to-head tiebreaker. Remaining PSAC East teams on the Golden Bears schedule include: Bloomsburg, Shippensburg, Lock Haven, Millersville and West Chester.
Pacing the PSAC: Through five weeks of play, the Warriors lead the following categories in the 16-team PSAC: completion percentage (69.7%), defensive touchdowns (3), fumbles lost, rushing defense (77.0), rushing offense (177.2), team passing efficiency (181.50) and turnover margin (+1.40).
Up Next: After battling the Marauders, ESU heads south to face West Chester on Sat., Oct. 14 at Noon.
