In the Press: Public Opinion Recap // WHAG-TV Highlights

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University football team ran the ball 71 times on its Homecoming Saturday, its most in a single game in 33 years, and used a 390-yard rushing attack to outlast visiting Cheyney, 34-13, before a capacity crowd of more than 7,500 fans at SU Student Association Field at Seth Grove Stadium.
 
Shippensburg (4-4, 3-4 PSAC) tallied its sixth-highest rushing total in single-game history as it used a host of running backs who primarily took direct snaps from the wildcat formation. With both of SU's quarterbacks limited this week by injury, only junior Chris Lawshe was able to play in Saturday's game and he attempted just one pass in the second half.
 
"We went into this particular game with a little bit of adversity and we overcame it," head coach Mark Maciejewski said after the game. "We worked very hard and we came out on top."
 
Senior running back Blair Brooks was named Shippensburg VFW Offensive Game MVP after carrying the ball a career-high 21 times for 160 yards and a touchdown.
 
Sophomore running back Justin Pyle, who had all 10 of SU's passing yards Saturday, posted career highs of 26 rushes and 148 yards with a touchdown.
 
In total, six different players contributed to SU's 390 rushing yards (most in one game since 2011), but Brooks and Pyle combined for 308 of the yards.  
 
"A lot of the load today was on our running backs," Maciejewski said. "We had a lot of people playing different positions today and they all stepped up and ran very hard.
 
With SU clinging to a 20-13 lead with five minutes to play, senior Brian Sourber intercepted a Mike Campbell pass and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown. Sourber finished with eight tackles and was named the Shippensburg VFW Defensive Game MVP.
 
The first half was played in less than an hour and each team had just four possessions in the opening 30 minutes of play. Cheyney (0-8, 0-4) capped off a nine-play drive with a touchdown to make the score 10-7 with 7:52 to play in the second quarter. SU responded with a 14-play drive that lasted more than seven minutes but ended with a turnover on downs at the Cheyney 3-yard line. The Wolves then kneeled to end the half.
 
The Red Raiders forced a three-and-out to start the second half and immediately responded with a touchdown, as Pyle capped off a 10-play drive with a two-yard score.
 
The Wolves, undaunted, responded with a 12-play, 75-yard drive that lasted 6 minutes 44 seconds and ultimately scored on a four-yard touchdown pass to Eugene Moten. Junior Kurt Walker (Osceola Mills, Pa./Philipsburg-Osceola) blocked the extra point to keep SU's lead at four points, 17-13.
 
Continuing the theme of long drives, SU responded with a 13-play, 80-yard drive that went more than five minutes. The drive stalled at the CU 5-yard line, leaving senior Michael Lloyd to kick his second of two field goals on the day with 13:16 left in the game.
 
A pivotal sequence of events began on the ensuing kickoff, which Cheyney returned to its 41-yard line before a personal foul penalty put the Wolves at the SU 44-yard line to start the drive. Cheyney sent a new quarterback (Dominick Trautz) into the game in place of Campbell, who was banged up on the previous drive. Trautz fumbled the first snap, allowing senior James Brennan to pounce on the loose ball and give possession back to the Red Raiders.
 
An exchange of possessions eventually gave the Red Raiders the ball at the Cheyney 20-yard line after sophomore D.J. Burkey got his hands on a punt that only moved the ball forward five yards from the original line of scrimmage. The Red Raiders got to the Cheyney 1-yard line but were stopped on back-to-back plays, putting the ball in the hands of the Wolves with 7:34 to play.
 
On the ensuing drive, Sourber intercepted Campbell's pass for his third career "pick-six" and second of the season. Of SU's five interceptions this season, three have been returned for touchdowns.
 
Brooks capped off the scoring with a two-yard score after the Wolves turned the ball over on downs in the final four minutes of play.
 
All told, the capacity crowd witnessed a committed rushing attack by SU's running backs, as only five its 70 rushes went for negative yardage (one of the rushes was a high-snap fumble).
 
Additionally, it saw a Red Raider defense that limited Cheyney to just 57 yards on the ground. Redshirt-freshman linebacker Christian Brown, who earned his second career start, had a team-high 10 tackles (seven in the first half). Senior defensive end Sean Sadosky had a sack and two of SU's six tackles for loss.
 
"The crowd is awesome," Maciejewski said. "Homecoming is always great here at Shippensburg University. It's a credit to the town, the school, and the people that come out and support us. We're very proud to have great fans here."
 
Shippensburg hits the road next weekend when it travels to Millersville (0-8, 0-7) for a 4 p.m. matchup with the Marauders at the Biemesderfer.

Notes: Brooks and Pyle became the first SU tandem to record 100+ rushing yards in a game since Zach Zulli (125) and Mike Frenette (115) on Nov. 5, 2011…SU had just 11 drives in Saturday's game and scored on six (the non-scoring drives were two punts, two turnovers on downs and a kneel-down at the end of the game)…through eight games, SU has rushed for 1,928 yards – its seventh-highest total in a single season in school history…SU has rushed for at least 100 yards in its first eight games of a season for the first time since 2004...Brooks (905 yards) had his sixth 100-yard game of the season and is just three yards shy of his single-season career high set last year…Pyle has had 43 carries, 215 rushing yards and two touchdowns in his last two games after totaling just 45 carries, 127 yards and two touchdowns in 21 games prior to last week…SU's 71 carries are its most in a game since it had 72 carries in back-to-back games during the 1981 season (Oct. 17, 1981 vs. Lock Haven and Oct. 24, 1981 at C.W. Post)…Lloyd had just one field goal this season before going 2-for-2 on Saturday…senior Trevor Harman caught SU's only two completed passes of the day.