SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - The Red Raider football team racked up 269 yards through the air on Saturday afternoon in front of a capacity crowd but could not withstand big plays by Shepherd in the second half of the 13th annual Great Valley Classic, dropping a 35-27 decision from SU Student Association Field at Seth Grove Stadium.

Shippensburg (0-1) fell behind 14-0 after one quarter of play but rallied to tie the score by halftime. The second of two first-half interceptions by junior Vinnie Ranauto was returned 33 yards and put the Red Raiders on the Ram 35-yard line. SU quickly got on the scoreboard after a 5-play drive was capped off with a 5-yard touchdown scamper by junior Roshaan McCain.

After a 10-yard sack by senior Riley Bowen ended Shepherd's next drive, sophomore signal caller Steven Adams guided the Red Raiders on a 6-play, 65-yard drive to tie the score. On a 3rd-down play, Adams was leveled but held momentum and delivered his throw to sophomore Bryan Barley for a 41-yard touchdown pass.

Shepherd (1-0) re-gained the lead in the third quarter with a crucial fourth-down conversion, as quarterback Kevin Clancy found Robert Byrd for a 33-yard touchdown strike. Four minutes later, Adams threw a 50-yard bomb that hit sophomore Taimur Harris in stride for a touchdown, but the extra-point attempt was blocked.

After salvaging some momentum with the blocked kick, Shepherd got into Red Raider territory after a 15-yard penalty for a late hit out-of-bounds and capped off a 66-yard drive with a 20-yard touchdown run by fullback Bobby Humphries. The Rams built their lead to 35-20 after Humphries scampered 66 yards to paydirt with 3:07 remaining.

Undaunted, Adams hastily completed three passes of 13 yards or greater on a 75-yard drive for Shippensburg that ended with a 35-yard touchdown to Barley. The score brought the Red Raiders within eight points with 2:08 to play, but an onside kick attempt failed and the Rams ultimately ran out the clock.

Adams, who entered the game in relief, completed 11-of-21 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns. Barley hauled in four catches for a career-high 101 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore Mike Frenette was Shippensburg's leading rusher with 38 yards on six carries and also had three receptions for 72 yards.

Defensively, sophomore linebacker Cody Fleming led Shippensburg with 11 total tackles, including seven solo stops and two tackles for loss. Bowen had 10 tackles, including eight solo stops, while Ranauto had nine tackles in addition to his two interceptions. Seniors Marcellus Sammons and Jamahn McCollough each added six solo tackles.

Shippensburg will have its first regular-season bye week since 1976 and return to the field on Saturday, September 11. The Red Raiders will host Gannon at 1 p.m. from SU Student Association Field at Seth Grove Stadium.

Notes: Before the game, a dedication ceremony was held to christen the new name for the home facility as SU Student Association Field at Seth Grove Stadium...Ranauto's two interceptions in one game marks the first time a Red Raider has achieved this feat since 2006 when James Rockymore did it at Slippery Rock...Barley, Harris and sophomore Jacob Baskerville all set career-highs for receptions and receiving yards...Barley became the first SU player to have a 100-plus yard receiving game since Mike Harris '10 last season at Bloomsburg...Adams had only completed two passes in two career games entering Saturday...SU extended its streak of consecutive games with 21 or more points to 13...Shepherd has outscored Shippensburg 47-15 in the fourth quarter of the last four games in the series despite none of the games being settled by more than 14 points...freshman Nate Schmidt made his debut as the punter and kickoff specialist, averaging 38.1 yards per punt on eight punts...fellow freshman Drew Newcomer converted 4-of-5 extra points in his debut...senior Kevin Marshall totaled 69 all-purpose yards and now has 3,043 for his career...he is just 124 yards short of joining SU's all-time Top 10 for the category...senior Dave Chervansky started the game and completed a 51-yard pass to Frenette in the second quarter after evading a strong pass rush.