KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Shippensburg University football team maintained its postseason push on Saturday with a pivotal Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) road victory at Kutztown, notching a 27-13 triumph on the Golden Bears' Homecoming at Andre Reed Stadium.
 
Shippensburg (8-1, 5-1 PSAC East) avenged its 2016 Homecoming loss at the hands of Kutztown (6-3, 4-2) by forcing three turnovers, posting an 11-minute edge in time of possession and limiting the Golden Bears to their lowest offensive output (220 yards) in eight years.
 
The Red Raider defense intercepted KU quarterback Collin DiGalbo on three consecutive drives in the second quarter; DiGalbo entered Saturday's game with just two interceptions in 230 pass attempts on the entire season. DiGalbo finished 7-of-12 for 100 yards and did not play in the second half.
 
Senior Ryan Zapoticky completed 16-of-21 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns – both to redshirt-freshman wide receiver Winston Eubanks. Zapoticky also rushed for a 14-yard touchdown on SU's first drive of the game, an important score that quashed much of the Golden Bear early momentum after the hosts had returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown.
 
Kutztown, averaging 36.5 points per game this season, was held without an offensive touchdown until the 8:44 mark of the fourth quarter when tailback Evan Culver found the end zone on a 4th-and-1 play. KU's touchdown on the opening kickoff was just the second first-quarter touchdown allowed by the Red Raiders all season. SU has out-scored the opposition 122-16 in the first quarter and 221-50 in the first half this season.
 
Shippensburg ran for 183 yards and averaged 3.7 yards per carry against a KU defense that was allowing less than 100 rushing yards per game. Senior Cole Chiappialle ran the ball 23 times for 101 yards and a touchdown and caught four receptions for 31 yards. Graduate Colin McDermott had 61 rushing yards and 14 receiving yards.
 
The Red Raiders recorded just one sack – recorded by junior John Durkin – but a furious pass rush led to numerous hurries and was a key factor in the interceptions. Junior Richard Sheler had two interceptions, including one in the end zone for a touchback, and senior Kevin Taylor II grabbed his fifth of the season.
 
Shippensburg finished with seven tackles-for-loss (TFLs). Sophomore Tig Spinelli had a team-high 2.5 TFLs, finishing with six total tackles. Fellow sophomore Dennis Robinson paced the Red Raiders with nine tackles, while junior Steven Cain had eight tackles.
 
Eubanks finished with eight catches for 87 yards and the two touchdowns. Through nine games, Eubanks has totaled 953 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. He is the only freshman in school history to catch 10 or more touchdowns in a single season and just the eighth Red Raider overall to achieve the feat.
 
With Saturday's victory, SU finishes the road portion of its regular-season schedule with an undefeated 5-0 record, marking the first time that the Red Raiders have accomplished this feat since 1981.
 
The Red Raiders enter the final week of the Eastern Division schedule tied with West Chester for the top spot in the Eastern Division. SU will need a victory and a Golden Ram loss at Millersville next weekend in order to secure the PSAC Eastern Division title.
 
More importantly, the win over Kutztown affirms SU's presence in the NCAA playoff picture. The Golden Bears were ranked No. 7 in the Atlantic Region entering Saturday, while the Red Raiders were ranked No. 9.
 
Shippensburg hosts Bloomsburg at 1 p.m. Saturday from SU Student Association Field at Seth Grove Stadium.