Millersville kicks off the opening weekend when the Marauders travel for a 1 p.m. start against West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference preseason favorite Shepherd. 

The only other game slated for the opening weekend of play is East Stroudsburg at California.  That match-up is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kick Monday night and will be broadcast by Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh.

Action continues on Thursday as Slippery Rock plays host to Seton Hill while nine PSAC teams are scheduled to begin their season the following Saturday, Sept. 1.  Edinboro at West Chester (1 p.m.) headlines the lone head-to-head PSAC match-up that weekend.

On the national scene, three PSAC teams are ranked in the top 25 of both the AFCA and D2Football.com polls.

Following is a preview of this weekend's action:

Saturday, August 25

Millersville (0-0, 0-0 East) at
Shepherd (0-0, 0-0 WVIAC) - 1 p.m.

Series notes: Millersville leads the series 15-5-1.  The two teams faced each other in last season's opener, with Shepherd earning a 28-7 victory.

The bottom line: Shepherd is the WVIAC preseason favorite, having won 23 straight league games and 29 consecutive regular season contests.  The Rams posted an overall record of 11-1 last season, with the only blemish a 24-21 setback against Bloomsburg in the NCAA II playoffs.  Shepherd is led by running back Dervon Wallace.  The senior gained 1,300 yards on 236 attempts and scored 17 touchdowns in 2006.  With his career 306 points, Wallace needs 76 points to tie the WVIAC scoring record.  Wide receiver Mark Springirth (38-501) and linebacker Lewis Corum (90 TT) are also key threats for the Rams.  For Millersville, the Marauders welcome back 18 returning starters but will be without starting quarterback Dan Csencsitz, who has held the starting spot for the last four years.  Millersville will look to running back Brad Lantz and wide receiver Andrew Tischbein on offense while linebacker Matt Buck will anchor the defense.  A sophomore, Lantz finished sixth in the PSAC in rushing (4.4 ypc, 77.9 ypg) but also caught 18 passes for 207 yards.  Tischbein is the team's leading receiver (36-557)and must work with one of three red-shirt freshmen competing for the starting quarterback role.  Buck, along with defensive back Brandon Shelton, who was the only Marauder to earn All-PSAC East First Team honors, will guide an experienced group of 10 returning defensive starters.

Monday, August 27
East Stroudsburg (0-0, 0-0 East) at
California (0-0, 0-0 West) - 7 p.m.

Series notes: East Stroudsburg leads the series at 3-0-1, with a 28-28 deadlock in 1968 accounting for the tie.  Last year's meeting between the squads saw ESU outscore California 20-3 in the second-half, erasing a 10-point halftime deficit to secure a 41-34 victory.

The bottom line: East Stroudsburg must replace four-year starting quarterback and 2005 Harlon Hill Award winner Jim Terwilliger.  Four-fifths of the offensive line, led by tackle Mike Habel, returns to help ease the quarterback transition.  Habel enters his fourth year as a starter on the Warriors line that features two other seniors.  East Stroudsburg's defense has improved in recent years and are led by a talented linebacker duo of Jayson Frank and Dave Pacchioni.  Frank was an All-PSAC East First Team selection, leading the team in tackles (86) and tackles for loss (10).  Pacchioni, a second-team honoree, recorded 47 TT, including four sacks.  The Warriors defense will be put to the test by California's explosive offense led by quarterback Joe Ruggiero and running back Brandon Lombardy.  The two were key components of a Vulcans offense that ranked first in rushing (200.0 ypg) and third in the PSAC in scoring (31.0 ppg).  Ruggiero completed 178 of 272 attempts for 2,118 yards and 15 touchdowns while Lombardy gained 1,595 yards on 268 attempts and scored 19 touchdowns.  Lombardy finished the 2006 season ranked in the nation's top 10 in rushing yards, rushing yards per game (7th - 145.0) and scoring (8th - 10.4).  Defensively, linebackers Josh Zunic (79 TT, 10 TFL) and Brian Mohr (69 TT, 5 TFL) will anchor a unit that features all 11 starters returning from a squad that finished first in the PSAC in scoring (14.4 ppg) and rushing (73.6 ypg).