SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Shippensburg travels to PSAC Eastern Division leader and No. 5-ranked Bloomsburg on Halloween night on Thursday for an 8 p.m. nationally-televised battle with the Huskies from Danny Hale Field at Robert B. Redman Stadium.

The Red Raiders (5-3, 4-1) are a game behind Bloomsburg (8-0, 5-0) and No. 10 West Chester in the PSAC East standings with two divisional games remaining.

The game will be broadcast live nationally by the CBS Sports Network and syndicated live throughout the state by the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN). Brent Stover (play-by-play), former NFL Pro-Bowl cornerback Corey Chavous (color commentary) and Lisa Byington (sideline reporter) will announce the broadcast. The game will also be streamed live online by NCAA.com here.

A student radio broadcast of the game will be available on 88.7 FM in Shippensburg and can be accessed online at www.wsyc.org. Perry Mattern returns as the play-by-play voice of the Red Raiders while Jimmy Wright will provide commentary.

Shippensburg entered 2013 as the preseason favorite in the PSAC Eastern Division for the first time in school history after an 11-2 season in which it reached the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs.

Bloomsburg was picked to finish second in the PSAC East Preseason Coaches Poll with one of seven first-place votes (six went to SU and one other went to West Chester). The Huskies finished 2012 with a 10-2 (6-1 PSAC East) record, with both losses coming at the hands of Shippensburg, including a season-ending NCAA playoff loss in the first round.

Shippensburg returned 29 letter-winners from last season, including eight starters on defense, six on offense and its two kicking specialists. Among SU's returners are Harlon Hill Trophy-winning senior quarterback Zach Zulli, the entire starting secondary and three defensive ends.

Bloomsburg returned 40 letter-winners from last season, including five starters on offense and six on defense. Chief among the 11 returning starters is senior running back Franklyn Quiteh, a Harlon Hill finalist last season and the nation's leading rusher so far this season.

Game Background

• Thursday marks the Raiders' third game this season played against a team currently ranked in the Top 10 of the AFCA Division II Coaches Poll. The Raiders lost to No. 9 Shepherd in the season opener and to No. 10 West Chester last week. SU's other loss came at the hands of No. 24 Slippery Rock in the second game of the season.

• The last time Shippensburg played on a Thursday was during the 2010 season -- a nationally-televised 44-43 double-overtime loss at West Chester on Oct. 7. In that game, eight current Raiders logged playing time as either redshirt-freshmen or true freshmen. In total, 22 current players were on the 2010 roster.

• Shippensburg went through a back-and-forth battle with No. 13 West Chester on Saturday afternoon, exchanging leads three times with the Golden Rams before ultimately coming up short thanks to a WCU game-winning 26-yard field goal with 1.1 seconds left in a 32-29 Homecoming loss.

• Junior running back Blair Brooks was named the Shippensburg VFW Homecoming Offensive MVP after running the ball 20 times for a career-high 155 yards and a touchdown. It's the third consecutive game in which he's set a career high in rushing and the fourth 100-yard game of the season for Brooks.

• Junior linebacker Brian Sourber was named the Shippensburg VFW Homecoming Defensive MVP after recording a game-high 12 tackles in addition to a pair of pass breakups.

• Zulli completed 23-of-45 passes for 298 yards and two touchdowns while junior wide receiver Trevor Harman hauled in nine passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns.

• Also on Saturday, Bloomsburg racked up 447 yards of total offense — including 282 yards on the ground — and limited Cheyney to 263 total yards in a resounding 35-7 home victory over the Wolves.

• Quiteh needed only first-half action against Cheyney to find the end zone four times — scoring on two runs from two yards out as well as a 13-yard scamper and a 36-yard reception. Quiteh recorded 114 yards rushing on 16 carries.

Series History: Red Raiders vs. the Huskies

• Shippensburg holds a 44-32-1 lead in the series, including a 28-11-1 mark at home. Entering last season, the Raiders had lost five of the previous six meetings between the two teams, including a three-game losing streak at home. SU flipped the script in 2013, however, winning two home games against the Huskies - one that decided the PSAC East crown in a clash of unbeaten teams and another in the NCAA First Round.

• The Raiders won last year's regular-season meeting 49-42 in dramatic fashion as wide receiver Bryan Barley caught a two-yard touchdown on Zulli's seventh TD pass of the day with 4.8 seconds left on the clock that clinched a Raider berth in the PSAC State Game. SU held a 35-7 lead at halftime before BU stormed back to tie the game at 42-42 with 2:39 remaining before SU's 14-play game-winning drive.

• In Shippensburg's NCAA playoff victory over the Huskies, the Raiders scored 45 points in the second half to erase a one-point halftime deficit in a convincing 58-20 victory.

Milestone Watch

• Zulli needs 89 passing yards to become the sixth player in PSAC history to reach 10,000 for his career.

• Zulli needs 88 yards of total offense to move into the Top-5 in PSAC history for career total offense.

• Zulli needs 400 yards of total offense to become the fifth player in PSAC history with 11,000 yards of total offense.

• Zulli has 112 career touchdown passes and is two away from moving into a tie for eighth-most all-time in Division II, three away from moving into sole possession of eighth and four away from moving into a tie for sixth.

• Harman needs 81 yards receiving to become the third player in school history and 15th player in PSAC history with 3,000 for his career.

• Harman needs 82 receiving yards to move into sole possession of second place in school history.

• Harman needs six receptions to tie the school career record of 197.

• Harman needs nine receptions to become the first player in school history and 12th player in PSAC history with 200 career catches.

• Harman has 42 career touchdown receptions and needs one more to move into the Top-5 in PSAC history.

• Harman is currently riding a school-record seven-game 100-yard receiving streak.

• Senior defensive end Jake Metz needs 1.5 sacks to tie or 2.0 to break his own single-season record of 11.5 set last season.

• Senior defensive end Dainen Green needs a half-sack to give him 20 on his career and become the seventh player in school history with 20 or more sacks.