The Shippensburg University football team concludes its 2014 regular season Saturday afternoon in Erie when it travels to take on Mercyhurst in a noon matchup at Tullio Field. Saturday's forecast is for snow showers and chilly temperatures around 35 degrees.

Live coverage of the game will be available through Mercyhurst University radio and the SportsFEVER Television Network, the latter of whom will have its feed linked to broadast through ESPN3. All links are posted above. Affiliates for re-airs of the broadcast are below.

The Red Raiders, picked No. 4 in the PSAC Eastern Division Preseason Coaches' Poll, have secured their fourth consecutive winning season under head coach Mark 'Mac' Maciejewski — its first such stretch since 2001-04. SU has battled through significant injuries and a three-game losing streak early in the season to right itself and become the only PSAC school to score 400 or more points in each of the last four seasons.  

The Lakers, picked fourth in the PSAC Western Division Preseason Coaches' Poll, would be hosting the PSAC State Game this weekend had this been any other season (more below). After starting the year 0-4, MU has won six straight games — averaging 42.9 points and 502 yards per victory during its current streak. They have also claimed four of the last five PSAC Western Division Offensive Player of the Week awards. 

Last Week
Shippensburg rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit on Saturday to build an 11-point lead with three minutes to play, but the Red Raiders needed to make a final defensive stand at the buzzer to cement a 37-32 victory over visiting Kutztown on Senior Day at SU Student Association Field at Seth Grove Stadium. SU trailed 19-3 at halftime but scored touchdowns on its first five drives of the second half.

Mercyhurst had its redshirt junior quarterback Brendan Boylan eclipse single-game school records for completions, passing yards, passing touchdowns, total offensive yards, and touchdowns responsible for in leading the Lakers to its sixth-straight win, a 59-49 shootout over California (Pa.) on a cold, windy afternoon at Tullio Field.
 
Series History
This weekend marks the third career matchup between Shippensburg and Mercyhurst, and all three meetings will have come in the final week of the regular season.

In 2011, Shippensburg capped off a 7-4 campaign with a 40-16 victory over Mercyhurst at Seth Grove Stadium, scoring 27 points in the second half of a game that was tied 13-13. SU finished 2011 with school records of 411 points and 5,124 yards of total offense under then offensive coordinator MIke Yurcich.

In 2008, Mercyhurst recorded a 21-17 victory over Shippensburg at Tullio Field. The Red Raiders were driving for the go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter before turning the ball over on downs with 43 seconds left. Junior wide receiver Mike Harris became the second player in school history to surpass 1,000 yards receiving, finishing that game with seven catches for 107 yards and a touchdown.

Schaetzle's #SHIP Ties
Mercyhurst head coach Marty Schaetzle spent seven seasons as an offensive line coach and coordinator at Shippensburg from 1990-96 under longtime Red Raider head coach Rocky Rees.

The legend goes that long-time SU head coach Rocky Rees recruited Schaetzle out of New York City in 1978-79 to play at Bucknell while Rees was an assistant with the Bison. Schaetzle was a rugged offensive lineman at Bucknell, serving as team captain in 1982 and graduating in 1983 after winning the Edward Pangburn Award, given to a senior athlete for "sportsmanship, fellowship, and contribution to the university."

Schaetzle was on staff for current SU head coach Mark Maciejewski's final three seasons as a Red Raider (1990-92), and the two later worked together on the SU coaching staff when Maciejewski was a GA coach from 1995-96.

Lakers Wonder What Could Have Been
Mercyhurst has the best record (6-1) in PSAC Western Division play this season but is not representing the Western Division in this weekend's PSAC State Game.

The PSAC modified its by-laws this offseason to have Week 2 and Week 3 crossover games count toward the league standings. With the PSAC-mandated schedule pitting Mercyhurst on the road against the Top 2 teams in the PSAC East, games it lost to Bloomsburg (9-0) and West Chester (8-1), its 6-3 PSAC record leaves the Lakers one game behind Slippery Rock (7-2) and Gannon (7-2), both teams it has defeated this season. Slippery Rock had crossover victories at East Stroudsburg (5-4) and Millersville (1-8); Gannon beat Cheyney (0-9) and Kutztown (5-4).

Run Run Run
SU leads the PSAC in rushing offense, averaging 250 yards on the ground per game, while ranking second in the PSAC in averaging 5.2 yards per carry.

SU has rushed for at least 150 yards in a game nine times this season after doing so just five times in 2013.

SU is 133 yards shy of breaking the single-season school record for rushing yards (2,632) set in 2003.

Harman
Senior wide receiver enters the final game of his collegiate career 11 receptions shy of moving into second all-time on the NCAA Division II career list for the category. He is also 109 receiving yards shy of his third career 1,000-yard season. Harman has 92 receptions this season, second-most in SU single-season history (he had 105 last year).

#SHIP in NCAA Rankings
• #SHIP is No. 2 in Division II for first downs (281; 28.1 per game).
• #SHIP is No. 3 in Division II for plays per game (858; 85.8 per game).
• #SHIP is No. 7 in Division II for total offense (5182; 518.2 per game).  
• #SHIP is No. 9 in Division II kickoff returns (25.5 yards per return).
• #SHIP is No. 9 in Division II for punt return defense (35 yards on 10 returns).
• #SHIP is No. 13 in Division II for rushing offense (2500; 250.0 per game).
• #SHIP is No. 15 in Division II for scoring offense (400; 40.0 per game).
• #SHIP is No. 17 in Division II for completion percentage (.640).
• #SHIP is No. 164 out of 167 in Division II for passing yards allowed (302.5 per game).
• #SHIP has had 10 kicks blocked — the most allowed by any Division II school.
• Junior kick returner Andrew Smith ranks No. 3 in Division II with 907 kickoff return yards; he is No. 4 in Division II for combined return yards despite not having returned a punt all season.
• Senior wide receiver Trevor Harman is No. 4 in Division II in receptions/game (9.2) and No. 11 in receiving touchdowns (11, tied with teammate Sheldon Mayer), and the NCAA active career leader in receiving touchdowns. These rankings are despite the team going seven quarters without a healthy QB under center.
• Senior running back Blair Brooks ranks No. 14 in Division II for yards per carry (6.73), No. 27 in rushing yards (1,118) and No. 29 in all-purpose yards (150.2 per game).
• Despite attempting just one pass in a two-game stretch this season and sharing time early on with a teammate, junior quarterback Chris Lawshe ranks No. 10 in completion percentage (.669), No. 21 in points responsible for (170), No. 25 in passing efficiency (148.5) and No. 26 in passing touchdowns (23). 

SportsFEVER
In addition to the live broadcast on ESPN3, the game will air live on:
WNEP (Northeast PA: 16.2, Comcast 243, Blue Ridge 131, Service Electric 90 & 14)
WPHL (Philadelphia, Lancaster, South Jersey, Delaware, Lehigh Valley: 17.4, Comcast 253, Verizon 468)
WETM (Elmira, Northern PA: 18.2, Blue Ridge 8, Time Warner NY 11)

The game will be aired on a delay on the Comcast Network, Fox Sports Ohio (11/16, noon) and Root Sports Pittsburgh (11/19, 7 p.m.)