The Shippensburg University football team could not get past its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division rival West Chester on Saturday, dropping a 28-10 decision to the Golden Rams on a sunny afternoon at Farrell Stadium.
 
Shippensburg (1-4, 0-2 PSAC East) controlled the ball for 36:59 – a 13-minute advantage – recorded a season-high 24 downs, and ran for a season-high 202 yards, but only found the end zone once. SU possessed the ball for more than 20 minutes in the second half and was as close as 14-10 early in the third quarter after a 37-yard touchdown run by redshirt-sophomore running back Josiah Leonard.
 
West Chester (1-4, 1-1) quarterback Cooper Jordan was the star for the hosts, finishing the game with 119 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, 123 passing yards, and one passing touchdown. His 84-yard touchdown run at the start of the second quarter opened the scoring. WCU totaled 229 rushing yards and averaged 7.6 yards per carry.
 
Golden Ram standout Connor Noble had 17 tackles and a key third-quarter interception that set up a West Chester touchdown that made it 21-10. Following the touchdown, the Golden Rams then recovered an onside kick and scored three plays later – transforming a 14-10 lead into a comfortable 18-point advantage in the span of 94 seconds.
 
Leonard ran for a career-high 119 yards on 16 carries and had no negative runs. Redshirt-junior Tanner Hess had 17 carries for 85 yards. SU's 202 rushing yards were its most in a single game since totaling 211 yards last year against West Chester.
 
Freshman Vincent Micucci earned his first career start at quarterback, finishing 9-of-29 for 145 yards and the interception. Micucci was sacked six times. Sophomore Sam Stoner also saw time at quarterback throughout the game.
 
Redshirt-freshman Marcus Sweeney had a career-long 40-yard reception, while junior Tobee Stokes had a 26-yard catch. Redshirt-sophomore Jaimen Bryant and junior Griffin Patterson each had a team-high two receptions.
 
SU's longest drive of the game was its fifth and final drive of the first half – a 15-play, 87-yard match that ended with a 24-yard field goal by freshman Wilson Ingerski. Each of the final three drives for the Raiders consisted of nine or more plays – including a 17-play, 61-yard drive in the third quarter that resulted in a missed field goal. SU finished the game 4-of-19 on third-down conversions.
 
Defensively for the Raiders, redshirt-junior Terrance Peterson Jr. was credited with a team-high seven tackles. Redshirt-junior Jeremiah Carothers forced a fumble and recovered it in the fourth quarter; he totaled 1.5 tackles-for-loss (TFLs). Redshirt-freshman Luke Hines had a sack, and senior Sam Emge had a fumble recovery.
 
The two teams combined for 18 penalties and 183 penalty yards.
 
Shippensburg returns to action at noon Saturday at Millersville.