Box Score

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University football team held a third-quarter lead against No. 3 Bloomsburg on Saturday and put forth one of its strongest efforts of the season before ultimately coming up short against the conference-leading Huskies, falling 38-18 from Redman Stadium.

Shippensburg (3-4, 1-3 PSAC East) totaled 462 yards on offense and committed just one turnover in the contest while winning the time of possession battle and converting 10-of-20 attempts on third down. Sophomore quarterback Zach Zulli set new career highs with 30 pass completions, 83 rushing yards and 318 passing yards while leading the Red Raiders with 13 carries in addition to his 56 pass attempts.

Bloomsburg (7-0, 4-0 PSAC East) had two running backs finish with over 100 yards, as Eddie Mateo totaled 16 carries for 129 yards and Franklyn Quiteh amassed 105 yards on 18 carries. The Huskies, who were averaging 259 rushing yards per game entering Saturday, finished with 282 yards on the ground.

The Red Raiders opened the scoring with 7:22 to play in the first quarter on a 30-yard field goal from sophomore Drew Newcomer. SU traveled 55 yards on 13 plays, converting three third downs on the drive.

Shippensburg maintained that 3-0 lead into the second quarter before the Huskies took the lead. A 69-yard run by Mateo was the focal point of a six-play, 93-yard touchdown drive for Bloomsburg that was capped off by an 18-yard run from Quiteh, last year's PSAC Eastern Division Rookie of the Year.

Newcomer kicked a 32-yard field goal to conclude SU's first drive of the second half and make the score 7-6. After forcing a Bloomsburg punt, SU took the lead with 7:44 to play in the third quarter after a 34-yard touchdown pass from Zulli to sophomore wide receiver Zack Kinney. SU attempted a two-point conversion after the touchdown but failed, resulting in a 12-7 score.

The 8-play, 80-yard drive featured 19 rushing yards from Zulli and a key pass interference penalty on Husky defender Justin Rivera on a ball intended for redshirt freshman wide receiver Trevor Harman.

The Huskies answered on the next drive, converting its first big pass play of the day and reaching the end zone. On a first down near midfield, Bloomsburg senior quarterback Pat Carey threw a 54-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Dickerson that gave the Huskies a 14-12 lead.

The turning point of the game occurred on the first play of the fourth quarter. On a fourth-and-1 from its own 27, Bloomsburg faked a punt and sent a direct snap to fullback Matt Cox that resulted in a 61-yard jaunt down to the SU 12-yard line. Three plays later, Carey threw a 6-yard touchdown pass that put the Huskies up 21-12.

Shippensburg reached the Bloomsburg 36-yard line on its next drive but came up short on a fourth-down play to end the series. It was the second time that the Red Raiders had a turnover on downs in the contest, as a second-quarter drive ended at the Bloomsburg 10-yard line. SU's only turnover of the day was also committed in the red zone, as Zulli threw an interception from the Husky 5-yard line during the second quarter.

Trailing 31-12, SU reached paydirt one more time in the contest after converting a fourth-down play with a 38-yard touchdown pass to Kinney. The extra point was no good after a fumble on the hold. Quiteh ran for a 49-yard touchdown with 35 seconds remaining after SU failed to recover an onside kick attempt.

Defensively, junior Corey Hunt led the Red Raiders with seven tackles. Junior Mark Kahlil Smith and sophomore Dainen Green recorded sacks. Redshirt freshman Brian Sourber made his first career start at linebacker and contributed six tackles, including a team-high two for loss.

Junior Mike Frenette was limited to 33 rushing yards on 10 carries but led the Red Raiders with eight receptions for 51 yards. Fellow junior Jacob Baskerville tied his career high with five receptions and racked up 70 receiving yards.

Shippensburg continues its three-game road swing next Saturday at 1 p.m. from Cheyney.