The Shippensburg University football team delivered a spirited second-half comeback Saturday at Clarion that ultimately fell just short, dropping a 31-24 decision to the Golden Eagles in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover contest at Al Jacks Field at Memorial Stadium.
Shippensburg (0-2) trailed Clarion (3-0) by three scores, 31-10, with 12:10 left in the third quarter. From that point forward, the SU defense held the Golden Eagles scoreless while the SU offense scored 14 unanswered points.
The Raiders got within 31-24 with 10:43 remaining but could not convert on its final two full drives – one ended in a punt, while the other resulted in a turnover on downs. SU had one final play from its own 14-yard line with three seconds left that went for naught.
In the first half, Shippensburg answered a first-quarter Golden Eagle touchdown by sustaining a nine-play, 70-yard drive on its ensuing possession that culminated in a 23-yard touchdown strike from quarterback
Riley Gunnels to wide receiver
Ty Neal. It was Neal's first collegiate score.
SU's defense provided the initial spark for the comeback with a turnover near the Golden Eagle end zone. Defensive end
Trevor Watts strip-sacked Golden Eagle quarterback Anthony Guercio and defensive tackle
Micah Smith recovered the fumble, setting up a first and goal inside the 5-yard line.
It was the first collegiate tackle, sack and forced fumble for Watts, who began his Raider career as a tight end before being switched last season to the defensive line.
Three plays later, quarterback
Vincent Micucci finished a 1-yard sneak into the end zone to trim the deficit to 14 points.
After the Raider defense responded with a three-and-out, SU completed a 9-play, 85-yard drive with a 41-yard touchdown bomb from Gunnels to wide receiver
Caiden Pines. It was Pines' first collegiate reception and score.
Gunnels finished 24-of-41 for 245 yards and a career-high two touchdowns. Neal led Raider receivers with five catches and 63 yards – both of which represent new career highs.
Middle linebacker
Nate Myers continued his excellent start to the season with 10 tackles – his second double-digit tackle effort in as many outings. Among that total included 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles-for-loss (TFLs) overall.
Both teams had five sacks.
Ty Millhimes recorded his second solo sack in as many weeks, while Smith,
Alex Sauve and
Luke Hines also contributed to sacks. Sauve and
Gabe Benjamin were each credited with five tackles.
Josiah Leonard ended up as SU's leading rusher – he entered the game in the third quarter and finished with 21 yards on seven carries.
Ethan Arneson had 10 carries for 13 yards and
Tobee Stokes contributed a 10-yard rush.
For the second straight game, 10 different Raiders caught a pass.
Joziah Gonzalez,
Jaevon Parker and
Derek Guzman combined for 10 receptions and 111 receiving yards.
Wilson Ingerski kicked a 44-yard field goal that got the Raiders within seven points (17-10) of the Golden Eagles with 4:08 left in the opening half. It was Ingerski's fourth successful field goal in nine career attempts and the second longest of his career, only trailing his school-record 54-yarder last season at Bloomsburg.
On its first seven drives of the game, Clarion totaled 312 yards on 33 plays (9.5 yards per play) – producing points on five possessions, punting just once and ending the half on the other. All four of its touchdown drives needed just six plays or less.
After SU's defense flipped the script in the final 27 minutes, Clarion totaled just 56 yards on 24 plays (2.3 yards per play) over its final seven drives of the game – punting six times and turning it over once.
Dual-threat quarterback Guercio was once again the key for the Golden Eagles, as he was 18-of-26 for 236 yards and two touchdowns through the air while running for 31 yards. Khalon Simmons had 10 carries for 72 yards, with his biggest play being a 44-yard touchdown after Ingerski's field goal that made it 24-10 Clarion at halftime. Holt Egan and JaTawn Williams each had five receptions and more than 70 receiving yards for the hosts.
Shippensburg travels to nationally-ranked Slippery Rock next weekend for a 6 p.m. Saturday game at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.
