It’s safe to say it’s been a while since Lock Haven (2-2) had such a big win at home. On Saturday, the Bald Eagles defeated Millersville 24-23 to win their first PSAC home game in five years.
Here are five takeaways from Lock Haven’s homecoming classic.
Welcome to the lock-in era
There’s been a lot of talk this past year about how different this Lock Haven team is from years past, but it hasn’t been able to show it where it matters most, usually at Hubert Jack Stadium. Ta. During Dan Mulroney’s tenure as head coach, his team had an abysmal record of 0-12 coming into this game at Hubert Jack Stadium.
Saturday’s win was Lock Haven’s first PSAC home win since a 28-27 victory over Gannon in 2019 and its first PSAC East win since defeating Bloomsburg in 2016.
“A new era is here and things are changing.” Coach Mulroney said. “Nobody can blow us away anymore. There’s going to be a lot of close games. The fans come because they want to see a good result, and that’s great. I am proud of everyone who participated.”
Damir Green is probably the new RB1
They signed running back KJ Howard in the offseason, and after his 160-yard performance in Week 1, it seemed almost certain that Howard would be the lead tailback. However, Howard lost contact with fellow transfer Damir Green after struggling to run in PSAC play. Green carried the ball 11 times for 34 yards and a touchdown.
And on a crucial third-and-two, it was Green who had the ball, not Howard. Howard still appeared in the game, running eight times for 37 yards, but is no longer the first option at running back like he was earlier in the year.
“All I ever wanted to do was prove myself.” When asked about his performance, Green said: “(Saturday) I felt like I was able to prove myself. I was ready to throw the ball and was just waiting for my opportunity.”
Lue’s biggest offseason move? Ostrovsky
Before entering fall practice, there was some discussion about who Lock Haven would start at QB. They ended up playing with Mr. Ostrovsky, and needless to say, it seems like it was the right decision. Ostrovsky has been the PSAC passing yards leader through four games, and while Saturday wasn’t his best performance, he stepped up when the team needed him.
The Rhode Island transfer threw two beautiful touchdown passes and one or two more TDs that went through the hands of his receivers. Ostrovsky also has good legs and led Lock Haven with 52 rushing yards on Saturday, making a long run on fourth down late in the game to keep Lock Haven alive.
But it wasn’t his best fourth down play. Facing fourth-and-10 at the Millersville 20-yard line, Ostrovsky threw a pass to a wide-open Justin Popovich for the winning touchdown. It’s clear that both players and coaches trust him.
“Jackson is a kid who wants to create plays.” Mulroney was asked about his confidence in Ostrovsky after making two interceptions in the second half and said: “So he’s going to throw a pick there. But he’s also going to make some unbelievable plays on the run and plays that other guys wouldn’t be able to make.”
“It was very good.” Ostrovsky said this when talking about his bald eagle days. “The coaches were great, the players were great, everything was great. I think it’s not just me, a lot of new players coming in and finding ways to gel and really starting to show that.” Masu.”
Not a bad win, but Saturday’s win wasn’t great.
Lock Haven has been losing for most of the past two weeks, losing by a combined 10 points to California and Indiana, two teams that finish near the top of the PSAC West. That being said, this week’s performance was less than ideal against a Millersville team that had lost the previous game 101-27.
In the first half, Lock Haven looked like a team that wasn’t completely ready to play, and despite rushing for 175 yards in the first two quarters, it took a ton of plays from Millersville’s previously lackluster ground game. I forgave you. Lock Haven was fortunate to only trail 20-10 in the first half.
But in the second half, the Bald Eagles seemed to come back to life a bit, eventually filling running lanes and forcing turnovers for the first time in three games. Lock Haven will need to play like the team that went head-to-head against IUP over the next few weeks. That’s because they have a tough two-game road trip next week against Shepherd and defending PSAC champion Kutztown. Golden Bear the following Saturday.
The victory was the performance of the entire team.
Lock Haven added over 60 new players this offseason, and there was a lot of talk about how well this team would gel as a unit, especially after last year. Despite winning five games last year, nearly all six losses let the team down, including when the offense lost 10-7 to Kutztown and when the defense collapsed. It was one sided. They lost 36-30 against Edinboro.
But last Saturday it felt like the teams finally had a complete victory, with both teams defending each other with the ball when they needed it most. Following Rocco Daugherty’s interception, the Bald Eagles offense got a boost with Green’s 2-yard rushing TD. Ostrovsky was then picked off twice, but both times the defense held the Marauders scoreless.
While it wasn’t the overwhelming victory that was expected, it was a team-wide performance that made Mulroney proud.
“Everyone said I can’t gel this team.” Mulroney said. “I told the team, ‘We’re going to gel today.’ We talked about it all before the game. The first two weeks, I said, ‘The offense played well, the defense played bad.’ , or the offense played badly and the defense played well.” But today we did well and we really needed this win. ”
Lock Haven will have its toughest test of the young season next Saturday when it must face 3-1 Shepherd on the road.
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