SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University football team used a 24-point second quarter Saturday to build a sizable lead it would not relinquish, opening Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division play with a 51-7 victory over Bloomsburg on a sunny Parents & Family Day afternoon at Student Association Field at Seth Grove Stadium.
 
Shippensburg (4-0, 1-0 PSAC East) faced Bloomsburg (1-3, 0-1) for the 85th time in a storied rivalry that dates back 104 years and handed the Huskies the most lopsided defeat in the history of the series. Previously, SU's 42-0 victory in 1941 had been the largest margin of victory for either team.
 
SU's defense, save for a 48-yard touchdown pass on a slant route in the third quarter, limited BU to just 122 yards on its remaining 48 plays (2.5 yards per play). The Raiders had 5.0 tackles-for-loss (TFLs) and intercepted two passes – the highlight being a 31-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter by redshirt-freshman Khi'on Smith.
 
Senior safety Trey Paul intercepted his third pass of the young season and had two pass breakups. Paul also tied with junior Mike Brewer for the team high with four tackles. Junior Solomon Alexander had a five-yard sack.
 
Offensively, redshirt-junior quarterback Brycen Mussina was 24-of-30 for 392 yards and two touchdowns. Mussina also ran 22 yards for a touchdown on a 3rd-and-19 play late in the second quarter – the first rushing touchdown of his collegiate career.
 
Mussina connected with eight different receivers, and his 78-yard touchdown pass to freshman Ian Sheehan was the longest of his collegiate career. Sheehan finished with five receptions for 128 yards and two scores – his 25-yard touchdown reception just 40 seconds into the second quarter opened the scoring after zeroes through the first 15 minutes.
 
Three Raiders finished with five receptions. Graduate Evan Morrill had five catches for 63 yards, and redshirt-junior David Balint III hauled in five passes for 31 yards.
 
Redshirt-senior Kyle Evans delivered another excellent game. Evans scored on a four-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and caught four passes for 81 yards. His 49-yard reception on a third-down play in the third quarter helped restart the SU offense and the drive ended with his touchdown run. He also returned the opening kickoff of the second half 63 yards just one week after he had an 87-yard kickoff return early in the third quarter at Clarion.
 
Four Raiders scored rushing touchdowns. In addition to Mussina and Evans, redshirt-sophomore Khalid Dorsey had a five-yard scoring scamper in the fourth quarter and redshirt-freshman Nasai Moon scored his first collegiate touchdown with 2:15 remaining to cap off the scoring.
 
Redshirt-sophomore Bill Williams led the Raiders with 42 rushing yards on 11 carries. Dorsey had 16 carries for 31 yards, while Moon finished with 21 yards.
 
Freshman kicker Jaxson Montross was 1-of-3 on field goals, converting a 28-yarder in the second quarter, and was 6-of-7 on PATs. Montross narrowly missed equaling his school-record field goal distance of 50 yards, coming up just short on an attempt into the wind just seconds before halftime.
 
Bloomsburg as a team had just four plays of 10 or more yards, whereas all nine Shippensburg players that caught a pass in Saturday's game had at least one reception of 10 or more yards. Husky starting quarterback Ben Ries was 4-of-11 for 19 yards and two interceptions in the first half before he was replaced in the second half by David LePoidevin. Jaco Sattamini, the reigning PSAC East Special Teams Player of the Week, had 11 punts for the Huskies.
 
Time of possession was lopsided in favor of the Raiders, as SU controlled the ball for 39:20.
 
Shippensburg hits the road next weekend to renew its longstanding regional rivalry with Shepherd. The nationally-ranked Rams dropped their first match of the season Saturday with a close loss to Kutztown. Kickoff next Saturday is at noon from Ram Stadium.
 
Notes: Through four games, Shippensburg leads the PSAC in scoring offense (42.0 ppg) and time of possession (36:02) and ranks fifth in scoring defense (16.5 ppg)…SU leads the PSAC in rushing defense (58.3), ranks second in the PSAC in total defense (246.8)…Montross leads the PSAC in net kickoff average and ranks second in average yards per kickoff (62.2)…SU's five interceptions on defense are one short of IUP for the league lead…this season, Mussina is 80-of-116 for 1,105 yards and 10 touchdowns without an interception…Mussina's previous career-long touchdown throws were 77 yards to Josh Gontarek versus Kutztown in 2018 and 76 yards to Winston Eubanks at Shepherd in 2019…SU is now 30-13 all-time at home against Bloomsburg.