SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University football team scored on each its first four possessions Saturday and held visiting Bloomsburg to just 144 yards over the first three quarters to win its first game of the season, opening Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division play with a 30-15 victory over the Huskies on an unseasonably warm and muggy day from Student Association Field at Seth Grove Stadium.  
 
Shippensburg (1-3, 1-0 PSAC East) featured a balanced offensive output in achieving a season-high 454 yards --- 225 rushing yards and 229 receiving yards. The Red Raiders committed just one turnover, recorded six sacks, and held Bloomsburg (1-3, 0-1) to just 208 yards of total offense.  
 
A 38-yard hookup between redshirt-sophomore quarterback Brycen Mussina and redshirt-junior wide receiver Charles Headen III put the Red Raiders up 7-0 less than four minutes in, capping off a 9-play, 71-yard drive. Less than four minutes later, a one-yard plunge by redshirt-freshman Bill Williams made it 14-0 – the touchdown concluded a 6-play, 74-yard drive.
 
With 11:37 left in the second quarter, Shippensburg made it three touchdowns on its first three drives when Mussina completed a corner fade to redshirt-freshman Tyrese Dargan for his first collegiate catch – a 10-yard touchdown that capped off a 14-play, 76-yard drive and made it 20-0.
 
A 28-yard field goal late in the second quarter by sophomore David Shank made it 23-7 SU heading into halftime. The second half was scoreless until its final two minutes: Williams plunged in from nine yards with 96 seconds left, and the Huskies drove 57 yards to score a touchdown with 29 seconds left.
 
Of the many positives from Saturday's game, what shone brightest was the career effort by graduate fullback Luke Durkin. The only current Red Raider to appear in every game since the start of the 2016 season, Durkin entered Saturday with a total of 13 career rushes and 23 career rushing yards.
 
Durkin got the start at tailback, and he proceeded to tie for the most rushes by an SU back not named John Kuhn -- 31 carries. He also had 172 rushing yards – the most by a Red Raider in 79 games (Mike Frenette had 190 rushing yards on Sept. 22, 2012 against Millersville). Durkin also caught three passes for 40 yards. His 212 all-purpose yards are the most by a Red Raider in a single game since Cole Chiappialle had 256 in the final game of the 2016 season.
 
Eight of Shippensburg's 26 first downs in the game were achieved on Durkin runs – including fourth-down conversions in the second quarter and the fourth quarter. Only two of his 31 carries went for negative yardage; Durkin averaged 5.5 yards per carry and had four rushes of 10 or more yards.
 
Due to the team's success on the ground, the Red Raiders finished with an 8:28 edge in time of possession. Shippensburg also went 7-of-13 on third down against the Huskies despite entering the contest with just eight third-down conversions through its first three games.
 
Mussina returned to the starting lineup and finished 16-of-25 for 229 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. He also had a career-long 28-yard rush in the first half.
 
SU's tight ends combined for seven receptions and 87 receiving yards. Redshirt-senior Shea O'Donnell led the Red Raiders with four receptions and 49 yards, while redshirt-sophomore David Balint caught three passes for 38 yards.
 
Defensively, redshirt-freshman Aaron Alphee recorded a pair of sacks that resulted in 21 yards lost. Redshirt-freshman Tyler Simon had a team-high five tackles, including a sack. The Red Raiders finished with eight tackles-for-loss (TFLs) in the contest.
 
Among the many aspects of Saturday's Parents & Family Day included the sixth consecutive appearance of the Red Raider Pack – a collection of more than 130 elementary-school students from the Shippensburg Area School District who ran behind the football team as they entered the field for the start of the game.
 
Also, for the third time, Ethan Pyles attended a Red Raider home game as part of the nationwide Coach to Cure MD Initiative in an effort to find a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Pyles was present for the coin toss and was greeted by Red Raiders all game long as he watched from the field

Shippensburg remains home next Saturday as it hosts nationally-ranked West Chester at 1 p.m. from Seth Grove Stadium.