The Shippensburg University football team could not complete a comeback Saturday night in its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division opener at Bloomsburg, dropping a 28-24 decision to the Huskies under the lights from Danny Hale Field at Redman Stadium.
 
Shippensburg (2-2, 0-1 PSAC East) out-gained Bloomsburg (2-2, 1-0) by a 351-305 margin, but the Red Raiders committed three turnovers that ultimately resulted in 14 pivotal points for the Huskies. The hosts also dominated time of possession, holding a 13-minute advantage overall (36:33 – 23:27).
 
The game's rhythm was also a bit off kilter, as the two teams combined for 24 penalties and 260 penalty yards. Eleven of the game's 41 first downs came as the result of penalties.
 
Both teams scored four touchdowns, but Bloomsburg finished 4-of-4 on point-after-touchdowns (PATs) while the Red Raiders failed to convert all four of their PATs – two on kick attempts and two on two-point conversions.
 
Redshirt-freshman quarterback Brycen Mussina was 26-of-46 for 312 yards; he threw four touchdowns and one interception. Redshirt-junior wide receiver Josh Gontarek led the team in receptions, finishing with six catches for 70 yards.
 
Redshirt-sophomore wide receiver Charles Headen III had five catches for 55 yards and SU's first two touchdowns of the day. Redshirt-junior tight end Shea O'Donnell caught five passes for 45 yards and a touchdown, while redshirt-sophomore Winston Eubanks finished with three catches, 97 yards and a score.
 
Defensively, redshirt-senior lineman Josh Lister led the Red Raiders with eight tackles – including one tackle-for-loss (TFL). Redshirt-junior linebacker Tig Spinelli had seven tackles, including 1.5 TFLs, while redshirt-senior edge rushers Richard Nase and redshirt-senior Dakota Thompson combined on a sack. Nase was credited with five tackles – including 1.5 TFLs.
 
Shippensburg fell behind 14-0 in the second quarter. The Huskies first touchdown drive was 13 plays and 47 yards – with three of the four first downs on the series coming via penalty. Bloomsburg's second touchdown was the result of a short field after the Red Raiders fumbled away the exchange on a handoff inside its 25-yard line.
 
SU managed to get on the scoreboard just 11 seconds before halftime, however, as Mussina found Headen for the first of two touchdowns. The snap on the PAT went awry, making the score 14-6 at the intermission. The touchdown drive featured a key conversion on a fourth-and-1 from SU's 29-yard line in which senior Chase Yocum ran for 11 yards.
 
The Red Raiders went 80 yards on its second drive of the third quarter to score its second touchdown, as Mussina and Headen again capped the drive with a connection through the air that made it 14-12. The subsequent two-point conversion attempt was an incomplete pass.
 
Following the touchdown, the SU defense immediately forced a three-and-out. However, a muffed punt resulted in Bloomsburg re-gaining possession at the Red Raider 45-yard line. Five plays later, the Huskies scored to make it 21-12.
 
With 8:06 remaining in the game, Bloomsburg completed a 54-yard touchdown drive that made the score 28-12. Shippensburg immediately rallied, driving 78 yards in 2:09 to make it 28-18 on a five-yard touchdown reception by O'Donnell. On the two-point attempt, Yocum entered and attempted a jump pass that was broken up.
 
Bloomsburg broke a big run after an unsuccessful onside kick, but ultimately missed a 36-yard field goal with 3:15 remaining. Down to a fourth-and-10 from its own 35-yard line, SU got within four points of the lead as Mussina found Eubanks for a 65-yard touchdown. The ensuing PAT kick attempt by freshman David Shank was no good, resulting in the game's final scoring margin as the Huskies recovered the final onside kick.
 
Saturday's game marked Shippensburg's first 6 p.m. kickoff since Oct. 3, 2015 – the memorable five-overtime game at East Stroudsburg in which the Red Raiders triumphed, 69-67.
 
UP NEXT: Saturday, 12 p.m. at West Chester.