SHIPPENSBURG - After its first in-season bye week since the 1976 season, the Shippensburg University football team begins its PSAC crossover schedule with a 1 p.m. home game against the Golden Knights of Gannon University. The showdown on SU Student Association Field at Seth Grove Stadium is the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

The game is being broadcast live on Shippensburg University's student radio station, WSYC 88.7 FM and on the internet here (radio pre-game starts at 12:50 p.m.). A live video stream courtesy of Shippensburg University Television (SUTV) can be accessed on the internet here. The SUTV feed will also be available on Comcast's community-access channel 21 and on campus channel 82.

Game Storyline

The Red Raiders and Golden Knights share the commonality of being ranked fourth in their respective preseason coaches polls. SU is the defending PSAC champions, while Gannon was 6-5 a season ago.

Shippensburg extended its streak of consecutive games with 21 or more points to 13 straight contests in the season opener. Meanwhile, senior Kevin Marshall needs just 124 all-purpose yards to crack SU's all-time Top 10 for the category.

The Red Raiders finished last season with a 9-3 overall record while winning the PSAC championship and reaching the second round of the NCAA playoffs despite losing its season opener. The Golden Knights finished 6-5 after totaling just six wins in their three previous seasons. Their highlight came in the season finale, as the Golden Knights defeated Bloomsburg on the road in overtime, 10-7.

Gannon returns 45 letterwinners and 18 players who started at least six games last season. The Golden Knights won their final four games of the 2009 season, including an overtime victory over nationally-ranked Bloomsburg in the season finale. Seven starters return on offense for the Golden Knights, including quarterback Zach Boedicker and lineman Sam Geldmaker.

Shippensburg threw for over 200 yards in the season opener in front of a capacity crowd but fell short in the 13th annual Great Valley Classic, dropping a 35-27 decision to Shepherd. Gannon opened its 2010 season last Thursday, September 2 with a 26-20 home win against Lake Erie.

In Shippensburg's last game, junior linebacker Vinnie Ranauto had two first-half interceptions. 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.

Defensively, sophomore linebacker Cody Fleming led Shippensburg with 11 total tackles, including seven solo stops and two tackles for loss. Senior Riley 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.

Sophomore receivers Bryan Barley, Taimur Harris and Jacob Baskerville all set career-highs for receptions and receiving yards in the game against Shepherd. Barley became the first SU player to have a 100-plus yard receiving game since Mike Harris '10 last season at Bloomsburg.

At quarterback, Steven Adams entered in relief and completed 11 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns. In just two previous games as a collegiate quarterback, Adams had completed a total of two passes for 13 yards.

Last week, Shippensburg University head football coach Rocky Rees announced his retirement effective at the end of this academic year. A nationwide search for his successor is underway. Rees is the all-time leader for coaching victories in Red Raider football history with a record of 118-105-1. Overall, his career mark is 154-120-2, including five years as head coach at Susquehanna University.