SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - The Shippensburg University football team opened its PSAC Eastern Division schedule with an impressive statement to the rest of the league, controlling the ball for more than 22 minutes in the second half en route to a convincing 38-14 victory on Saturday afternoon over East Stroudsburg from Seth Grove Stadium.

Shippensburg (3-1, 1-0 PSAC East) once again produced an outstanding defensive performance that limited the league's most prolific offense to just 250 total yards while forcing two turnovers and producing seven sacks, the most by the Red Raiders in an 98-game stretch dating back to Sept. 30, 2000.

"I thought our kids played physical and with confidence," said head coach Rocky Rees, whose squad has forced nine turnovers, forced 16 sacks and compiled an average of 193.2 rushing yards per game through the first four contests of the season. "That combination usually results with good play."

Offensively, the team converted all four of its red zone opportunities into points and was boosted by a number of highlight reel catches by redshirt senior split end Mike Harris. His five-catch, 145-yard performance against the Warriors included a pair of touchdowns and now places him just eight yards short of No. 2 on Shippensburg's all-time receiving yards list.

The Red Raiders opened the scoring by capitalizing on a broken play, as redshirt senior quarterback Chad DiFebbo deftly avoided third-down pressure on the team's opening drive and waved Harris up the sidelines. The connection was an 84-yard strike to No. 84, and the extra point by senior place kicker Kyler Ford gave Shippensburg a 7-0 lead.

Leading 10-0 late in the first quarter, Shippensburg capitalized when ESU quarterback fumbled the ball away on the Red Raider 2-yard line. Redshirt junior cornerback Jamahn McCollough returning to the field after missing two weeks with an injury, recovered the fumble that prevented the Warriors from getting on the board.

East Stroudsburg (3-1, 0-1 PSAC East) would eventually connect for a touchdown with 4:35 remaining in the first half, as Marshall found receiver Ed Kiser for a 22-yard touchdown reception. The play came on a 3rd-and-15, and was the only time in 10 opportunities on Saturday that the Warriors were able to convert a third-down play against the Red Raider defense.

Just two plays later, redshirt junior tailback Kevin Marshall immediately put the momentum back in favor of the Red Raiders. Marshall capitalized on some outstanding lead blocking by the offensive line and simply outran the entire defense, scampering 69 yards to paydirt and extending the SU lead to 10 points.

Within two minutes, the Warriors quickly got inside the red zone but the Red Raider defense hunkered down and eventually forced an 18-yard field goal attempt by ESU kicker Drew Reinhard that sailed wide right. Shippensburg led at halftime, 17-7.

Less than three minutes into the second half, the Warriors cut the SU lead to 17-14 after Marshall avoided the Red Raider pressure and ran for a 51-yard touchdown. Save for this scramble, ESU was held to negative-8 rushing yards on 22 attempts, as tailback Zach Krise ran for just seven yards on seven carries after entering the contest ranked second in the PSAC with an average of 128 yards per game. 

Once again, Shippensburg answered an ESU scoring drive with one of its own. Freshman fullback Kevin Herod capped off a 9-play, 63-yard drive with a nine-yard plunge to give SU a 24-14 lead. Herod finished the afternoon with 22 carries for 90 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while the team finished with 51 rushes for 241 total yards.

After two exchanges of punts, the Red Raider defense eventually set up the offense with excellent field position. On the team's first drive of the fourth quarter, SU drove 42 yards on six plays to build a 31-14 lead. DiFebbo found Harris for a 17-yard slant pattern on the touchdown. Sophomore defensive back Marcellus Sammons intercepted Marshall on the next play from scrimmage and the Red Raiders continued to control the clock down the stretch.

Another Herod touchdown with 4:11 to play was the crowning point to a second-half effort in which the Red Raider running backs established their crushing ball control ability while the Red Raider defense took over. ESU did not run more than three official plays from scrimmage on any of its six second-half possessions, totaling just 24 yards on its final five drives of the game.

Defensively, the pressure never relented and the ferocity only grew as the contest went on. Redshirt senior linebacker Josh Simmons totaled three sacks for a loss of 13 yards, while redshirt senior lineman Tyton Brunner exploded through the line for two sacks. Redshirt senior Antoine Parks also had a solo sack in the contest.

Next weekend, Shippensburg will look to continue its best start since 2004 by competing in the team's only night game on the schedule. The Red Raiders will travel to the Biemesderfer to challenge Millersville in a match that is set to kickoff at 7 p.m. The Marauders dropped a 62-10 decision to West Chester on Saturday.

Notes: Shippensburg's 16 sacks through four games is just five short of last year's season total...Harris has compiled 2,351 receiving yards and is right behind Mike Buglia '96...Harris is just eight receptions short of catching Jeff Zubia '83, who ranks second in SU history with 163 career receptions...SU is now 29-7 since 1998 when allowing 19 points or less...the Red Raiders were 10-of-17 on third-down conversions and did not commit a turnover...Saturday's victory for the Red Raiders is the first win at home in a divisional opener since 2004...it was also SU's first victory over the Warriors at Seth Grove Stadium since 2001.