NCAA TICKET PRICES:
Adults: $8
Students: $5

* No complimentary passes.

* The first 200 Shippensburg University students who arrive at the gates will receive free admission with the display of their student ID.


SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - Shippensburg University will host a semifinal football game for the NCAA Division II Super Regional One bracket on Saturday at noon from Seth Grove Stadium as the PSAC champion Shippensburg Red Raiders will renew acquaintances with the Vulcans of California (Pa.). The teams met two weeks ago in the conference championship game, with Shippensburg earning a 42-35 victory.

The game is being broadcast live on Shippensburg University's student television station SUTV (21-local, 75-campus) and an audio feed will be simulcast on the radio (WSYC 88.7 FM) and on the internet at http://www.wsyc.org. The game will not be re-aired due to NCAA broadcast restrictions.

The contest will also be streamed over the Internet and can be viewed for free at www.ship.edu/goraiders. Fans can also log on and watch archived copies of all home games this season.

The initial forecast for Saturday's game provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is for mostly sunny skies and a high temperature of 57 degrees.

QUICK HITS

Shippensburg and California share four common opponents this season: Bloomsburg, West Chester, Edinboro and Lock Haven. The Red Raiders have a 4-0 record against those teams, while the Vulcans are 3-1. SU has totaled 125 points against those common opponents, while Cal has totaled 126 points. Additionally, the Red Raiders have allowed just 67 points to those four teams, while the Vulcans have allowed 68 points.

The Red Raiders have scored at least 23 points in all 11 games this season, a feat never before achieved in 105 seasons of organized football at the university. With 27 points in today's game, Shippensburg will set a new record for points scored in a season to eclipse the mark of 398 that was set in 1999. Shippensburg has also beaten three ranked opponents this season: No. 3 Bloomsburg, No. 15 Edinboro and No. 18 California (Pa.).

The Red Raider Wing-T has thrived with ball control, ranking first in the conference with an average time of possession at 32:53 per game and ranking third in the conference with an average of 174.8 rushing yards per game. SU also leads the conference with a total of 475 rushes from scrimmage this season.

The matchup pits the two of the top three offenses in the PSAC, as California averages 35.0 points per game while Shippensburg averages 33.8 points per game. The two teams rank third and fifth in total offense while the Vulcans also boast the third-best scoring defense in the conference (19.1 ppg).

Shippensburg (9-2, 6-1 PSAC East) earned its first outright divisional championship and first overall conference championship in 28 years with victories in successive weeks over Cheyney (31-10) and California (Pa.) (42-35). Today, the Red Raiders are hosting their first playoff game since a 33-28 home loss to West Chester on Nov. 20, 2004. SU had a bye that season as well and beat the Golden Rams just two weeks previous to the playoff matchup by a 24-21 margin in overtime.

Shippensburg is seeking its first victory in the NCAA Division II Football Playoffs since the 1991 season, when the Red Raiders traveled to East Stroudsburg and earned a 34-33 victory in overtime against the Warriors. SU clinched the victory when George Strish broke through the line on an extra-point attempt that would have sent the game into a second overtime period.

The Vulcans are making their third-straight appearance in the NCAA Division II Football playoffs and are fresh off a 42-13 victory over the Broncos of Fayetteville State University. California is the two-time defending champion of Super Regional One but is competing on the road in the playoffs for the first time under head coach John Luckhardt.

California enters the game as the second-best rushing defense in the PSAC, allowing just 102 yards on the ground per game (an average of just 3.1 yards per carry). However, Shippensburg posted the most rushing yards against the Vulcans in a game this season with 195 yards on the ground in the PSAC Championship game just two weeks ago. The Red Raiders totaled that amount on 37 carries, averaging 5.3 yards per rush.