SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University football team raced out to a 19-0 halftime advantage on Saturday afternoon from SU Student Association Field at Seth Grove Stadium but could not sustain its momentum in the second half as the visiting Gannon Golden Knights came from behind to record a 22-19 victory.

Shippensburg (0-2) was in total control during the first half, accruing 161 yards on the ground while forcing three turnovers. Sophomore fullback Kevin Herod, who finished the game with a career-high 116 rushing yards, totaled 71 of those yards in the opening 30 minutes on just 12 carries while sophomore tailback Mike Frenette finished off two drives with rushing touchdowns.

Gannon (2-0) moved into Red Raider territory on multiple occasions in the first half only to be stopped by the SU defense. Late in the first quarter, senior Andy Horn and sophomore Corey Hunt hurried the quarterback and forced a pass to Ty Watson. A jarring hit after the completion by junior Marcellus Sammons resulted in a fumble that was recovered by senior Jamahn McCollough on the Gannon 29-yard line. Frenette scored the first of his touchdowns just four plays later.

Golden Knight quarterback Zach Boedicker was relentlessly pressured in the first half and fumbled the ball without being contacted early in the second quarter. Hunt recovered that loose ball during a drive in which Gannon had reached the SU 28-yard line.

After a turnover on downs, Gannon's next drive also ended with a turnover when senior Riley Bowen recovered a fumble off a blind-side sack by sophomore Cody Fleming. SU traveled 40 yards over the course of the next five plays and capped off the drive with a 7-yard touchdown by Frenette to build its 19-0 lead.

The opening score of the game for the Red Raiders came on a 44-yard touchdown strike to senior tailback Kevin Marshall from sophomore quarterback Steven Adams. Marshall finished the game with 166 all-purpose yards (60 rushing, 44 receiving, 62 returning) to move into ninth place on SU's all-time list (3,209).

One of the crucial points in the game occurred at the end of the third quarter's first drive. On a fourth-and-3 play from its own 37-yard line, the Red Raiders attempted a fake punt but miscommunication resulted in a botched play. After the long snap appeared to hit the upback, freshman punter Nate Schmidt scooped up the loose ball but was tackled for a loss of 11 yards.

The next play from scrimmage featured Boedicker connecting with Khalid Walker for a 26-yard touchdown on a slant pass. Shippensburg's opening three drives of the second half all resulted in three-and-outs while the Golden Knights scored touchdowns on two of its first three possessions.

With 6:32 to play, Gannon took the lead after concluding a 7-play, 67-yard drive with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Jerry Smith. Undaunted, Marshall gave the Red Raiders some momentum after the score with a 62-yard kickoff return that put Shippensburg on the Gannon 28-yard line.

SU rode the rushing attack of Herod and Frenette to reach the Gannon 3-yard line. Facing a third-and-goal situation with 3:09 remaining in regulation, Adams was intercepted by Khayree Connors-McChristian. The Red Raiders got the ball one last time in the final two minutes but the possession ended with a turnover on downs.

Defensively, Fleming led Shippensburg with eight total tackles. Bowen had two sacks for a combined loss of 25 yards and finished with six total tackles. SU totaled four sacks and 13 tackles for loss in addition to registering six quarterback hurries.

Shippensburg returns to action next Saturday at 6 p.m. from Clarion. It will be the first meeting between the two teams since 2007. SU has won the last seven meetings with the Golden Eagles.

Notes: Saturday's loss snapped a streak of 13 consecutive games in which Shippensburg scored at least 21 points…Marshall moved past Patrick Ferguson '06 and Howard Chavous '07 on SU's all-time all-purpose yards list…Adams finished the game 7-of-23 for 117 yards…Sammons finished with a career-high seven tackles, all solo stops…SU is now 23-7 in games since 1998 in which it has held a lead through three quarters…Boedicker had 20 rushes and 20 pass attempts for Gannon.