Shippensburg University football put together a valiant comeback effort in their game at Clarion on Saturday, but it wasn’t enough, as SU fell by a score of 31-24. The Raiders were down 21 points for most of the third-quarter but got back to a one-score game with ten minutes left.
Each team punted on their opening drive before Clarion scored the first touchdown of the game. The Raiders answered right back, as redshirt sophomore quarterback Riley Gunnels connected with sophomore wide reciever Ty Neal for a 23-yard touchdown to tie the game. This was the first touchdown of Neal’s college career.
Clarion’s next two drives ended with scores, giving the Golden Eagles a 10-point lead. SU then responded with a field goal, making the score 17-10, then getting bailed out by a Clarion facemask penalty on a fourth-and-17 earlier in the drive.
The next two touchdowns went to Clarion, scoring one on a two-minute drill to end the first-half, then getting good field position due to an SU fumble early in the third-quarter. Clarion took a 31-10 lead before the teams traded punts for the next 4 drives.
SU turned it over on downs, then sophomore Trevor Watts forced a fumble while sacking Clarion’s quarterback. It was recovered by redshirt freshman Micah Smith, immediately putting the Raiders in the red zone. Sophomore Vincent Micucci ran it in from a yard out to give Shippensburg a touchdown.
The Raider defense forced a three-and-out next. Gunnels then put together an 85-yard scoring drive, capped off by a 41-yard touchdown pass to redshirt freshman Caiden Pines. It was the first catch of Pines’ collegiate career, making it a seven-point deficit with 10:43 left.
Both defenses were at their best from that point on, though SU only got two more drives. The first was a three-and-out, and the other ended on an incompletion on a fourth-and-11 in SU’s own territory, allowing Clarion to hang on for the win.
Gunnels had a strong game, going 24-for-41 with 245 passing yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers. Neal led the receivers with 63 yards on five catches. The running game struggled though, with the team putting up just 45 rushing yards.
Redshirt sophomore Nate Myers led SU in tackles for the second straight game, putting up 10, including 1.5 sacks. The SU defense totaled five sacks for the game, with Watts and sophomore Ty Millhimes each getting one.
Shippensburg football will look to get in the win column next week, with a trip to Slippery Rock. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Saturday.
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