The Shippensburg University football team did not have time on its side during a 29-10 loss to the Kutztown Golden Bears in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division battle on Homecoming Saturday at Seth Grove Stadium.
 
Shippensburg (3-4, 2-2 PSAC East) faced just a six-point deficit against the reigning PSAC champs Kutztown (5-2, 3-1 PSAC East) after a competitive first half, but only maintained possession for 4:14 in a second half in which they were outscored 13-0.
 
Kutztown kept the ball thanks to the rushing tandem of Daryl Davis-McNeil (136 yards, 1 TD) and Jordan Davis (55 yards), who combined for 191 yards rushing on 43 carries in the contest. Kicker Dawson Evitts also went 5-for-5 on field goal attempts, including a 41-yard attempt in the first half.
 
Kutztown drew first blood with a touchdown on the game's opening possession. A blown defensive assignment left KU receiver Jerome Kapp wide open downfield, with QB Donny Blaine completing the easy throw and catch for a 54-yard touchdown.
 
A key stop by Raiders Brandon Holt and Jeremiah Carothers on a subsequent 4th down kept the Golden Bears from adding to their lead. The turnover on downs later set up a flea-flicker 49-yard TD toss from redshirt-freshman quarterback Sam Johnson III to sophomore wideout Ian Sheehan that evened the score and ignited the large home crowd.
 
Davis-McNeil broke runs of 19 and 25 yards to set up the first of Evitts five field goals, which gave the Golden Bears the lead once again with 12:58 remaining in the second quarter, 10-7.

A fumbled snap set the Raiders back on their next possession and gave the Golden Bears a short field that resulted in another Evitts field goal.
 
Raider sophomore kicker Jaxson Montross split the uprights from 39 yards out to get the hosts back to within three, 13-10, with 4:12 left in the first half. But Evitts added his third field goal on the final play before halftime to regain the 6-point margin.
 
The Raiders received the ball to begin the second half, but their first two possessions both resulted in quick three and outs.
 
Sophomore wide receiver/kick returner Redd Douglas broke a 37-yard return following a yet another Evitts field goal, but a Kutztown forced fumble at the end of the run, which resulted in a Ship turnover.
 
The fumble turned into Evitts' fifth field goal and a 22-10 KU advantage.
 
Meanwhile, the Raiders accumulated just 16 yards after halftime, and zero yards in the fourth quarter against Kutztown's senior-laden defense.
 
Davis-McNeil provided the final dagger, tallying a 1-yard TD run with 6:05 remaining.

Johnson finished 13-of-25 passing for 113 yards and a touchdown for Shippensburg. Sheehan grabbed six passes for a total of 68 yards.
 
For the Raiders, many of their bright spots came on the defensive side of the ball.

Redshirt sophomore Terrance Peterson Jr. had a breakout game in his first ever start. The linebacker set a new career high with a team best 12 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss.

Redshirt-sophomore linebacker Matt Feeney also reached double digits with 10 tackles Saturday.
 
Redshirt freshman Rynell Gantt made his season debut in the defensive backfield after suffering an injury in preseason. Gantt made his mark, totaling 6 tackles and 2 pass breakups.

Next up, the Raiders head back on the road to take on Millersville (2-5, 2-2 PSAC East). Kick-off from Biemesderfer Stadium is set for 2 p.m.