Box Score

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – Powered by an air attack led by senior quarterback Zach Zulli on Thursday night, the Shippensburg University football team stunned previously unbeaten and No. 5-ranked Bloomsburg, 34-18, in a nationally-televised PSAC East road battle on Halloween from BU's Danny Hale Field at Robert B. Redman Stadium.

The Red Raider (6-3, 5-1 PSAC East) defense held the Huskies (8-1, 5-1), the nation's fifth-leading rushing team, to just 106 yards on the ground as SU won its third-straight contest vs. the Huskies over the last two seasons – the program's first three-game winning streak vs. BU in nearly 20 years. In fact, Bloomsburg's only three losses over the past two seasons (a span of 21 games) have all come at the hands of SU.

"It was a tough week for us because we came off a tough loss last week [vs. West Chester], but we got right back to work on Sunday morning and our kids dug through and kept digging this week," said SU head coach Mark 'Mac' Maciejewski '92/'96M, who became the third head coach in program history to post winning records in each of his first three seasons. "I could tell on the bus ride up that we were going to be alright tonight because our guys were focused and had a little pep to their step."

Bloomsburg was held scoreless in the first half for the first time in nearly three years as Shippensburg out-gained Bloomsburg by a 549-258 margin, thanks mainly to Zulli's season-high 466 passing yards, the fifth-best single-game total in school history. Zulli threw five touchdowns to his go-to junior wide receivers: Trevor Harman (three scores) and Sheldon Mayer (two).

Zulli became the sixth player in PSAC history to reach 10,000 career passing yards (10,377) and the fifth player in conference history with 11,000 yards of total offense (11,063). Zulli's five passing scores puts him in sole possession of sixth in Division II history with 117 on his career.

Mayer had a career night with 244 receiving yards, the second-most in a single-game in school history. He hauled in six passes (a 40.1-yard average) as his scores went for 84 yards and 75 yards, each on wide-open passes down the middle of the field.

Harman hauled in 12 passes for 134 yards to continue his school-record eight-game 100-yard receiving streak. Harman set the school career receptions record as his 203 grabs make him the first player in school history and 12th player in PSAC history with 200 or more career catches.

Harman also went over 3,000 career receiving yards, becoming the third player in school history and the 15th in PSAC history to hit 3,000. His 3,053 yards are now second in school history. Harman is also tied for fourth in PSAC history with 45 career touchdown receptions, as Thursday night marked his sixth career game with at least three touchdown grabs.

Despite a scoreless first quarter for both teams, the Raiders dominated possession from the start, embarking on a 12-play, four-minute drive to start the game that ended with a Zulli interception on a tipped pass near the goal-line.

A quick Bloomsburg three-and-out gave the Raiders the ball back as SU then went on a 21-play drive beginning from its own 15-yard-line that chewed up nearly nine minutes of clock yet stalled with a fourth-and-goal incompletion from the Huskies two-yard-line.

SU came up with zero points on the two combined drives but ran 33 plays in the first quarter to just five for BU and owned time of possession by a 12:36-to-2:24 margin. Zulli began the game 17-of-18 passing, with his only incompletion the interception at the end of the opening SU drive.

Shippensburg finally hit paydirt on its next possession that began with a 21-yard punt return from Mayer and ended with Zulli finding Harman on a wheel route up the right sideline for a 31-yard score on third-and-11 to put the Raiders up 6-0.

Following another Bloomsburg punt, Shippensburg faced a third-and-nine from its own 16-yard-line when Zulli hit a wide-open Mayer deep down the middle of the field, who was nearly tripped up 10 yards from the endzone but regained his balance to put the Raiders up 13-0 with 2:31 left before halftime. The pass play was the seventh-longest in school history and Mayer's longest career reception.

Bloomsburg marched down the field on the first possession of the second half, but the Raider defense held strong inside its own 10-yard-line and forced a 28-yard Huskies field goal at the end of the 10-play, 4:24 drive.

The Raiders answered the BU score with another touchdown as Zulli found Mayer for 41 yards on the first play and Harman open over the middle in the endzone to cap off the four-play, 41-second drive for a 20-3 SU lead.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Huskies took back a season-long 86-yard return to the Raider 14-yard-line before Quiteh ran it in two plays later to cut the lead to 20-10.

On the third play of the following drive, Zulli eluded several Bloomsburg defenders on a third-and-16 from SU's own 24-yard-line before eventually stepping up and finding a wide-open Mayer deep down the middle of the field in stride for a 76-yard score.

Sophomore cornerback Phil Boyd -- who made his third consecutive start -- picked off a deep pass from Bloomsburg quarterback Tim Kelly on the first play of the ensuing drive at the SU 25-yard-line, and Zulli led the Raiders down the field in nine plays, capped off with a 38-yard flea-flicker touchdown pass to Harman with under four minutes remaining in the third quarter that put the Raiders up by 24 points, 34-10.

The touchdown capped off SU's scoring on the night as the teams exchanged several punts in the fourth quarter. Bloomsburg scored a touchdown on an 11-play drive on its first possession of the final frame and converted the two-point conversion to cut the deficit to two scores, but could only muster eight combined yards of total offense on its final two drives of the game.

The Red Raiders hit the road next Saturday for a noon contest at Cheyney.

Notes: The Raiders were 12-of-19 on third-down conversions, their most since converting 13 against Kutztown on Oct. 1, 2011...SU totaled three sacks, with one each by senior defensive ends Jake Metz and Mike Schmidt and sophomore linebacker Cortlin Dell...Mayer had 265 all-purpose yards, the most for a Raider this season...in SU's three wins over Bloomsburg the past two seasons, Zulli has thrown for 1,441 yards and 15 touchdowns.