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SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University football team held No. 19 Shepherd scoreless in the second half of Saturday afternoon's season opener from SU Student Association Field at Seth Grove Stadium and reeled off 24 unanswered points to claim a come-from-behind victory in the 15th annual Great Valley Classic, 38-28 over the Rams.

The win snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Rams that dated back to 2004.

Junior Zach Zulli threw for a career-high 392 yards – the third-highest single-game total in SU history – and completed 26-of-35 passes with four touchdowns. Nine different receivers caught at least one pass, with sophomore Trevor Harman reeling in six catches for 105 yards and a pair of scores.

The SU defense forced three turnovers and had eight tackles for loss in the contest but was particularly staunch in the second half. Of Shepherd's last six drives of Saturday's game, none went for more than 12 yards despite the Rams running a total of 24 plays in that span. Four of Shepherd's seven second-half drives resulted in three-and-outs.

Shippensburg (1-0) out-gained the Rams 225-94 in the second half and ultimately wrestled the momentum from the visitors, who scored touchdowns on four of their first six drives of the game to lead 28-14 with six minutes to play in the opening half. The resurgence began in the final minute of the first half, when junior Michael Lloyd connected on a 40-yard field goal to bring the Red Raiders within 11 points of the lead at the intermission.

The first of two crucial specials teams turnovers by the Rams helped Shippensburg continue its comeback early in the third quarter. A jarring hit by redshirt-freshman Steve Owens on a punt return resulted in a fumble that gave the Red Raiders the ball on the Shepherd 27-yard line. Five plays later, senior Kevin Herod plunged in from a yard out to put SU within four points.

After a three-and-out by the Rams, the Red Raiders needed just five more plays to take the lead. A 28-yard pass to Herod, a 13-yard throw to Harman and a 28-yard touchdown pass to senior Jacob Baskerville were the highlights of a five-play drive that gave SU a 31-28 lead.

On a day that mostly featured 80-plus degree heat and humidity, it was a sudden torrent of rain that soaked the players through most of the fourth quarter. The two teams exchanged field position through most of the storm until Ram return man DJ Scott muffed a punt with seven minutes to play at his own 45-yard line.

Junior long snapper Shay Ceglar recovered the fumble, and after eating up three more minutes of clock, Harman caught a third-and-3 pass from Zulli for a nine-yard touchdown that ended up cementing the win.

The teams were certainly pass-happy in Saturday's affair, combining for 621 yards through the air. Both squads combined for 70 rushes but managed just 116 yards on the ground between them – an average of 1.7 yards per carry.

In the third quarter, SU had 10 rushes that netted only one yard, but Zulli was 9-of-11 through the air for 163 yards. Sophomore wide receiver Kyle Kush made three big receptions in the third quarter – the first three of his career – including a splendid 45-yard grab near the end of the third quarter. Kush finished with 71 receiving yards.

The defense had a variety of key contributors to its excellent effort in Saturday's game. After yielding a 40-yard pass on the opening play of the second half, the Red Raiders defense allowed just 54 yards on Shepherd's final 24 plays from scrimmage.

Junior Avery Coleman did a splendid job throughout the contest against Shepherd wide receivers – he was credited with three pass breakups in addition to five tackles. Fellow junior Mike Goode earned a start and led the Red Raiders with eight tackles.

Preseason All-America selection Cody Fleming was a force from his linebacker spot, finishing with six tackles.  The second of Fleming's two tackles for loss was another significant rallying cry, as a perfectly timed rush on the snap had him wallop the ball carrier in the backfield as he received the handoff for a four-yard loss.

The SU pass rush was strong after the first quarter and hampered Shepherd quarterback Bobby Cooper during the second half. Junior Dainen Green had 1.5 sacks in the contest – bringing his career total to 12. Junior Mike Schmidt also had a big sack on a fourth-down play that stymied the final Ram drive of the game.

Shippensburg will stay at home next week when it plays host to Slippery Rock, a team that dispatched Seton Hill 52-6 on Thursday night. Saturday's kickoff will be at 1 p.m. from SU Student Association Field at Seth Grove Stadium.

Notes: SU had not won a season opener since 2005…seven of Shippensburg's first downs were achieved because of Shepherd penalities…the Rams were penalized 10 times for 111 yards…Shepherd returned nine of its 11 defensive starters from a 2011 squad that led the nation in total defense (254.64 yds/game)...Zulli was 12-of-15 for 191 yards in the second half with two touchdowns…SU is 7-0 when Zulli completes at least 55 percent of his passes...SU had allowed 1,133 combined yards in the last two meetings with the Rams but gave up just 277 on Saturday...senior Bryan Barley caught a short pass along the sideline in the first half, broke a tackle and raced downfield for a 73-yard touchdown…Barley finished with four catches and 99 receiving yards… redshirt-freshman Phil Boyd had four tackles in his first collegiate contest, including a solid undercut tackle on a third-down stop in the second half… senior Mike Frenette had 16 carries for 41 yards and four receptions for 32 yards…SU's 68 rushing yards are its fewest in a victory since Sep. 9, 2000...Lloyd benefited from the new NCAA rule requiring kickoffs from the 35-yard line and finished with two touchbacks, which matches SU's season total from last year…Lloyd also had a field goal blocked in the first half; it was SU's first missed field goal since Oct. 7, 2010 (17 games)…the Red Raiders won the time of possession battle by nine minutes (34:30 – 25:30), which is the worst margin for the Rams in a game since Oct. 23, 2010…the teams were a combined 9-of-32 on third-down plays…freshman Justin Pyle debuted as a kick returner; he brought back four kickoffs for a total of 93 yards…Boyd, Ravone Cornish, Pyle, Chris Lawshe, Cortlin Dell, Chad Miller, Owens, Daniel Wheeler and Kurt Walker made their collegiate debuts in the contest.

Great Valley Classic Notes: Shippensburg is now 3-5 in Great Valley Classic games held at Seth Grove Stadium…the Red Raiders are now 58-46-4 in season openers…SU is now 12-11 in season-opening games against Shepherd…Shepherd holds a 10-5 overall advantage in the Great Valley Classic, which was instituted in 1998.