WEST CHESTER, Pa. – The Shippensburg University football team could not overcome a sluggish first half on Saturday, dropping a 31-15 result at rival West Chester in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division matchup from a cool and damp Farrell Stadium.
 
Shippensburg (4-2, 2-1 PSAC East) pitched a second-half shutout for the fourth consecutive week, but West Chester (3-3, 2-1) erupted for 31 points before halftime (24 in the second quarter), holding the Red Raiders to just 73 yards at the break.  
 
Sophomore quarterback Chase Yocum, making his first collegiate start, ran for a career-high 115 yards on 16 carries. Yocum also completed a 30-yard touchdown pass to redshirt-junior Erik Kerns in the third quarter that got the Red Raiders on the scoreboard, and finished with 127 passing yards.
 
Shippensburg completed an 18-play, 98-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run by redshirt-junior Cole Chiappialle, followed by a two-point conversion from Yocum to redshirt-freshman Shea O'Donnell that created the final scoring margin.
 
Senior D.J. Burkey led the defense with 10 tackles, while senior Allen Holman had nine tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss. Senior Kevin Goldsmith had eight tackles – including two for loss. Sophomore Tyler Emge had seven tackles, 1.5 for loss, and a key forced fumble that prevented the Golden Rams from scoring in the third quarter.
 
Junior Billy Deane punted seven times Saturday, averaging 43 yards per boot, including a career-long 70-yard punt in the third quarter. Deane becomes the 10th Red Raider in school history to uncork a 70-yard punt, and the first since Kyler Ford in 2009.

The game featured just two total drives in the fourth quarter -- SU's long march to paydirt, and the final three minutes in which West Chester ran out the clock.

The decisive stretch came in the final 5:02 of the first half, in which West Chester scored 17 points. The final touchdown came on a squib onside kick in the final 47 seconds, recovered by the Golden Rams, which led to the home team's third score in a five-minute span. The Red Raiders also the game averaging just 45 penalty yards per game for the season, but had accrued 60 penalty yards by halftime. 

Through six games, Shippensburg has been out-scored 101-81 in the first half, but the Red Raiders have out-scored the opposition 80-10 in the second half (59-0 in the fourth quarter).

Shippensburg returns home next weekend for a 1 p.m. matchup against Cheyney from SU Student Association Field at Seth Grove Stadium.