SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University football could not get past Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division foe IUP on Saturday, dropping a 44-21 decision to the Crimson Hawks in a non-conference matchup on a sunny and warm Parents & Family Day at Seth Grove Stadium.
 
Shippensburg (1-2) fell behind 28-0 at halftime but rallied within two scores after a pair of touchdowns less than three minutes apart in the third quarter – including a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown by junior Brandon Holt.
 
IUP (2-0) clinched the victory by downing a punt on the 1-yard line and forcing a safety later in the third quarter and added two more touchdowns to pad its lead. The Crimson Hawks finished with 552 yards of offense on the day, including a 100-yard rusher and two 100-yard receivers, and held a 6:30 advantage in time of possession.
 
Sophomore wide receiver Ian Sheehan paced the Raider offense with seven catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. Sheehan caught a 40-yard touchdown from redshirt-freshman quarterback Sam Johnson III to open the Raider scoring less than two minutes into the third quarter.
 
Johnson III finished the day 16-of-29 for 118 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Freshman Evan Falco entered in relief and was 2-for-3 with 19 yards and an 8-yard touchdown pass to redshirt-sophomore Nasai Moon, who evaded a defender to score on a fourth-down play
 
Holt's 99-yard pick six is his second interception in as many weeks and is the team's fifth interception in three games. He finished with four solo tackles.
 
Linebacker Matt Feeney led the defense with 11 tackles, a pass breakup and a tackle-for-loss (TFL), while defensive back Khi'on Smith contributed seven tackles. Safety Mike Brewer had six tackles and a forced fumble that was recovered by Jake Hines.
 
Shippensburg will travel to Bloomsburg next weekend for a 2 p.m. matchup with the Huskies at Redman Stadium. The game will be the PSAC Eastern Division opener for both teams.