LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Senior #
Kevin Marshall#, one of 12 Red Raiders on Saturday playing in their final collegiate football game, totaled 136 all-purpose yards and caught two first-quarter touchdowns to propel the Shippensburg University football team to a 41-17 victory in Rocky Rees' final game as head coach.
"It means a lot for us to come out and win this game," Rees said afterward. "We thought we were going to have a better year, things were tough in the beginning, but I'm very proud of the way these kids handled it. They had a tough road, including some games that we should have won, but down to the end we asked them to win the last four, and they went out and did it."
Shippensburg (5-6) erupted for 504 total yards on offense and established an outstanding a balance, totaling 250 rushing yards on 45 carries (5.5 yards per carry) and 254 passing yards on 12 completions (21.2 yards per catch). The momentum was established in the first two quarters – SU totaled 324 yards of total offense, scored touchdowns on five of its seven drives, and had only two of its 36 plays result in a loss of yardage.
The Red Raiders raced out to a 20-0 lead behind Marshall's two touchdowns and a 49-yard pass play from sophomore quarterback #
Steven Adams# to sophomore split end #
Bryan Barley#. The touchdown play to Barley came directly after the Red Raider defense forced a turnover on downs after the Bald Eagles went for it on a fourth-and-1 play.
Before the first half was over, junior #
Roshaan McCain# finished off a beautiful sweep play with a 15-yard touchdown pass and sophomore #
Jacob Baskerville# converted a fourth down by hauling in a 29-yard slant pattern from Adams that was the fourth passing touchdown of the half for the Red Raiders. Baskerville also caught a pass on a two-point conversion, giving SU a 34-10 lead at the intermission.
Overall, sophomore fullback #
Kevin Herod# led the backs with 14 carries for 77 yards and a touchdown late in the third quarter that accounted for SU's only scoring of the second half. Herod ran hard, averaging 5.5 yards per carry. He finished his sophomore season as SU's leading rusher for the second straight year – totaling 560 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
On Saturday, Marshall had 63 yards on the ground, 71 yards on a game-high five receptions, and a kickoff return for two yards. He finishes his career with 4,416 all-purpose yards (1,668 rushing, 876 receiving, 1,872 returning), second-most in school history behind current Green Bay Packer fullback John Kuhn '04.
Barley had two catches for 93 yards – finishing the season as SU's leading receiver with 654 yards and five touchdowns. Perhaps most impressively, Barley averaged 25.2 yards per catch in 2010. Last year as a freshman, Barley had one catch for eight yards.
Defensively, linebackers #
Riley Bowen# and #
Vinnie Ranauto# each led the way with nine total tackles. SU had six tackles for loss, including three sacks, while blocking a punt and recovering a fumble in the contest.
Rees finishes his career ranked fourth all-time among PSAC head coaches in terms of games, having posted a record of 123-110-1 at Shippensburg. Factoring in his years of service at Susquehanna, Rees finishes his career with a head coaching record of 159-125-2.
"Our motto the last couple of weeks has been, 'It's not where you start in life, it's where you finish,'" Rees said. "I'm very proud of where they finished. They're champions in my book."
Notes: On a day full of exciting plays, the most athletic occurred in the third quarter, when junior #
Terence Glenn# made a diving, one-armed interception of a pass that was set to hit the turf several feet away from him…Adams set a career-high with four passing touchdowns…it is the first time SU had four passing touchdowns in a game since the 2009 State Game…since the advent of PSAC divisional play in 1960, Lock Haven is the only opponent that Shippensburg has faced every season…the Red Raiders hold a 40-10-1 record over that span.
