SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University football team forced four turnovers and made timely offensive plays Saturday on Homecoming, posting an inspired 27-11 victory over longtime nemesis West Chester in front of a capacity crowd at a breezy and chilly SU Student Association Field at Seth Grove Stadium.
                         
The 11 points allowed by Shippensburg (5-2, 3-1 PSAC East) are the fewest surrendered to West Chester (4-3, 3-1) in a matchup of the two teams since 1931 – a game that ended in a 0-0 tie. The Red Raiders picked off three West Chester passes and forced a fumble to score just their third win over the Golden Rams in the last 12 meetings.
 
SU was outgained in yardage, 402-275, but the Shippensburg defense came up big with its backs against the wall, limiting West Chester to scores on just 2-of-5 red zone visits.
 
Offensively, the Red Raiders leaned heavily on the run game, rushing 44 times compared to just 13 pass attempts. In fact, at halftime, SU had run the ball 22 times and passed just four.
 
However, two of SU's biggest offensive plays came through the air as sophomore Ryan Zapoticky connected on touchdown passes of 41 and 38 yards. The 41-yarder, a perfectly-placed touch pass in the end zone to sophomore Brady Forney, put the Red Raiders up 17-3 early in the third quarter. Forney has five catches this season, with three having gone for first downs and the other two for touchdowns.
 
The Forney touchdown was set up by SU's second interception of the day when sophomore Chavez Cheatham stepped in front of a pass at the Shippensburg three-yard line. Cheatham then embarked on a wild 66-yard return to the West Chester 31-yard line.
 
After a holding call negated a Zapoticky to Sheldon Mayer touchdown pass, Zapoticky hit Forney on the next play to make it a 14-point game.
 
The Red Raiders then forced a three-and-out, and Mayer returned the West Chester punt 26 yards to set up Zapoticky's 38-yard touchdown pass to senior running back Andrew Smith out of the backfield.
 
After averaging 2:53 per touchdown drive entering Saturday, the Red Raiders averaged 48 seconds per touchdown drive on Saturday. The longest possession that ended in the end zone was SU's opening possession, in which Zapoticky broke off a 27-yard touchdown run on a 3rd-and-7 play to cap a five-play, 40-yard drive that took 1:23.
 
Zapoticky finished with 94 yards through the air on 6-of-13 passing and two touchdowns. He also ran for 34 yards, including the early score. For his efforts, Zapoticky was named the Shippensburg VFW Homecoming Offensive MVP.
 
The Shippensburg VFW Homecoming Defensive MVP went to senior linebacker Cortlin Dell, who made his first start of the season and tied a team high with nine tackles, including a sack and two tackles for loss. Dell also intercepted a pass in the end zone on West Chester's second drive of the game and first trip of the day into the red zone.
 
Junior Chad Miller tied Dell for the team lead in tackles and had the third Shippensburg interception of the day. The pick, which was Miller's second of the season, came on the first play of West Chester's ensuing drive after the Red Raiders took a 24-3 lead.
 
The Red Raider defense allowed just 254 yards through three quarters to Golden Rams. West Chester picked up their final 158 yards in the fourth quarter as Shippensburg played with a 21-point lead. The Golden Rams entered Saturday ranked No. 15 in the country in total offense - averaging 481 yards per game and scoring 35 points per contest.
 
The other six points by Shippensburg came on field goals of 22 and 23 yards by sophomore Billy Deane. Deane now has made 12 field goals this season, giving him the fourth-most field goals made in a season by a Red Raider kicker.
 
The four turnovers forced were the most by a Shippensburg team in one game since a playoff win over Bloomsburg, 58-20, on Nov. 17, 2012. Shippensburg has now intercepted 10 passes this season after picking off just eight passes in 2014 and seven passes in 2013.
 
Shippensburg's 57 offensive plays were the fewest plays in a game under head coach Mark Maciejewski. It was the fewest plays run by the Red Raiders since Oct. 16, 2010.
 
The win vaults Shippensburg into a three-way tie with West Chester and East Stroudsburg for second place in the PSAC East. However, with wins over both the Golden Rams and Warriors, the Red Raiders hold the tiebreaker. Bloomsburg – the only team to win all four of its PSAC East games thus far – continues to set the pace.

Saturday's victory is the 36th for Coach Mac, who moves past Jack Roddick (1955-63) for fifth on the school's all-time head coaching victories list.
 
Shippensburg hits the road next Saturday to play Cheyney in a PSAC East matchup beginning at 1 p.m.