BROWNSVILLE, Pa. – The Shippensburg University football team put forth a valiant second-half effort Saturday at California, holding the Vulcans scoreless over the final 30 minutes of play, but the Red Raiders could not complete a comeback in a 34-26 road loss in a conference crossover contest at Adamson Stadium.
 
Shippensburg (2-1) trailed 34-10 at halftime after California (2-1) capped off a 27-point second quarter with a 97-yard punt return for a touchdown on the final play before the intermission. The Red Raiders held the Vulcans to just 71 yards in the second half, however, and out-gained Cal 291-71 down the stretch.
 
Sophomore Ryan Zapoticky put forth a determined effort in Saturday's game and was resilient despite being sacked seven times and being under steady duress. Zapoticky finished the day 33-of-50 for 245 yards with a touchdown and would have been SU's leading rusher if not for the sack yardage counting against his total. He ran for a first down five times in the game, including four times on third down.
 
Senior Sheldon Mayer led the Red Raiders with 10 catches for 73 yards and a touchdown. Mayer also opened the second-half scoring with 6:38 left in the third quarter by returning a punt 82 yards for a touchdown. It was the second punt-return touchdown of Mayer's career; he ran one back 85 yards for a score at Slippery Rock in 2013.
 
Mayer's receiving touchdown came with 1:25 left in the third quarter and got the Red Raiders within 11 points, 34-23. Sophomore Billy Deane kicked a 31-yard field goal with 6:40 left in regulation to cap off a 19-play, 83-yard drive and get SU within eight points of the lead. It was as close as Shippensburg would get, however, as its 14-play drive late in the game was halted by an interception at the Cal 27-yard line with 1:15 left.
 
Saturday's game was littered with flags. The two teams combined for 19 penalties and 217 penalty yards – with 131 of those yards assessed to the Vulcans. For the second straight week, the Red Raiders earned five first downs via penalties from the opposing team. 

Senior Andrew Smith finished with 15 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown – his score at the end of the first quarter tied the score at 7-7. Smith also had four catches for 31 yards.
 
Junior Justin Pyle had 44 rushing yards and 38 receiving yards, while senior Quran Kent caught six passes for 47 yards.
 
Sophomore Chavez Cheatham led the SU defense with seven tackles. The Red Raiders managed just four tackles for loss compared to Cal's 11 but broke up three passes.
 
Shippensburg hosts Bloomsburg at 1 p.m. Saturday on Parents & Family Day from SU Student Association Field at Seth Grove Stadium. It is the PSAC Eastern Division opener for both teams.