Shippensburg University’s football team disappointed a large homecoming crowd on Saturday afternoon with their 29-10 loss to Kutztown University at Seth Grove Stadium.
SU was down just six points at the half, but their offense went mute in the second half, scoring zero points and totaling just 16 yards of offense in the final two quarters.
The Raider’s only touchdown of the game came in the first quarter on a 49-yard flea-flicker toss from redshirt-freshman quarterback Sam Johnson III to sophomore receiver Ian Sheehan.
That touchdown made the score 7-7 heading into the second quarter, and in the second frame SU sophomore kicker Jaxson Montross nailed a 39-yard field goal. Kutztown kicker Dawson Evitts made three field goals in the quarter however, giving the Golden Bears a 16-10 lead at the half.
Evitts picked right back up where he left off in the third quarter, nailing two more field goals from 36 and 39 yards out, stretching the KU lead to 22-10 heading into the final frame.
The Golden Bears would put the game away in the final quarter with a 14-play 80-yard drive capped off by a 1-yard Daryl Davis-McNeil touchdown run, creating the final 29-10 score.
Davis Mcneil and Jordan Davis combined for 191 yards rushing on 43 carries for Kutztown.
The Raider defense had some bright spots in the loss, including redshirt-sophomore linebacker Terrance Peterson Jr. setting a career-high with 12 tackles in his first career start.
Fellow redshirt-sophomore linebacker Matt Feeney was right behind him with 10 tackles in the game.
Redshirt-freshman defensive back Rynell Gantt made his season debut in the game after suffering an injury in preseason, and he totaled six tackles with two pass breakups.
Johnson III led the struggling Shippensburg offense with 113 yards on 13-25 passing attempts and a touchdown.
Sheehan caught six passes for 68 total yards and senior running back Khalid Dorsey rushed nine times for 46 yards.
With the loss, SU falls to 3-4 on the season and 2-2 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division.
They will be back on the road next week as they travel to Millersville to take on the Marauders at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Biemesderfer Stadium.
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