SHIPPENSBURG UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL

October 13, 2004

 

SHIP TRAVELS TO CALIFORNIA (PA) FOR FIRST OF BACK-TO-BACK ROAD GAMES

 

GAME STORYLINE:

·      The Shippensburg University football team (No. 17 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Coachesı Poll/No. 17 d2football.com Top 25 National Rankings) travels to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division rival California University (Pa.) this weekend looking to start a new winning streak following last weekıs convincing 45-7 victory against Lock Haven University.  Kickoff on Saturday, October 16 is set for 3:00 p.m., at Adamson Stadium.  The game will be broadcast on Shippensburg University student radio station WSYC 88.7 FM and online at www.ship.edu/~sid/football.htm.

·      Shippensburg rebounded from its loss to Indiana University (Pa.) last week by dominating Lock Haven, 45-7 at home.  In that game, Red Raider sophomore quarterback Tony Gomez threw for a career-high 228 yards as Ship defeated the Bald Eagles for the seventh consecutive game at home.  The Shippensburg run defense allowed a mere 22 yards rushing on 35 carries and only 126 yards in total offense.

·      California (Pa.) entered last weekıs game with Edinboro University ranked No. 25 in the AFCA poll, but were beaten on Homecoming Weekend, 42-28.  The Fighting Scotsı Andre Burke rushed for a career-high 203 yards on 27 carries and three second-half touchdowns.  The teams combined for 905 yards of total offense as Edinboro won its ninth-straight over the Vulcans.

 

SERIES NOTES ­ RED RAIDERS and VULCANS

·      Saturdayıs game marks the 68th meeting between Shippensburg and California (Pa.).  The series began in 1926 and the Red Raiders own a 40-26-1 lead in the all-time series.  The rivalry is the longest continuous series for Shippensburg as both teams have met every season since 1954.

·      Shippensburg has won the last 13 consecutive games against the Vulcans and have not lost at Adamson Stadium since 1983, a span of 10 games.  During the Red Raidersı current 13-game win streak in the series, they have outscored California (Pa.), 420-165, an average of 19.6 points per game.

·      In last yearıs game, Shippensburg earned its third shutout of the year, defeating California (Pa.), 35-0, on November 15, 2003.  Matt Acriıs 7-yard run late in the first quarter gave the Red Raiders a 7-0 lead with 4:33 left and was the first of four consecutive scoring drives that resulted in touchdowns for Shippensburg who took a commanding 28-0 lead into halftime.  The touchdown by Acri capped a six-play, 96-yard drive.  John Kuhn rushed for 105 yards and three touchdowns while Rick Henshaw completed 17-of-25 passes for 245 yards and a score.  Patrick Ferguson hauled in five receptions for 100 yards while the Ship defense forced four turnovers and held the Vulcans to only 71 yards of total offense, including only nine yards rushing.

·      Red Raider head coach Rocky Rees is 13-1 against the Vulcans in 14 career meetings, including a perfect 7-0 in games at Adamson Stadium.  Meanwhile, California (Pa.) third-year head coach John Luckhardt is 0-2 against Shippensburg as his team has been outscored 75-7 in those two meetings.

 

QUICK HITS ­ WEEK SEVEN

·      Shippensburg rolled to a 45-7 victory over Lock Haven on Saturday at Seth Grove Stadium.  The win marked the seventh-straight for Ship over the Bald Eagles at home.  It also was the fifth time in seven games this season that the Red Raiders have scored at least 35 points.

·      Shippensburg scored on five of its first seven possessions with three of those possessions ending in 1:02 or less.  Two of the scoring drives lasted just one play, a 17-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Rick Henshaw to junior Patrick Ferguson and a 42-yard touchdown run by sophomore Walter Crump.

·      The Shippensburg defense held Lock Haven to only 126 yards in total offense, including 22 yards rushing.  Of the teamıs 22 yards rushing, 21 came on their final drive of the game.  Heading into the fourth quarter, the Bald Eagles had minus-5 yards rushing on 22 carries.

·      Sophomore quarterback Tony Gomez threw for a career-high 228 yards, completing 8-of-15 pass attempts.  With the Red Raiders driving early in the third quarter, facing a third-and-9 at the Lock Haven 28-yard line, Gomez was intercepted by Mike Nesby, marking the first interception of his career.  Prior to the pass, Gomez began his career with a streak of 104 consecutive passes without an interception.

·      On the Red Raidersı fifth possession of the third quarter, senior fullback John Kuhn carried the ball 10 yards to the Lock Haven 42-yard line on the second play of the drive, putting him over the 4,000-yard rushing mark for his career.  Kuhn finished the game with 69 yards on 17 carries, giving him 4,015 yards for his career as he continues to add to his school record.  He is currently seventh in the PSAC in career rushing yards and the eighth player in conference history to go over 4,000 career yards.

·      The Shippensburg defense totaled four interceptions Saturday afternoon, 15 for the season.  Sophomore John Sharbaughıs 36-yard interception return for a touchdown in the first quarter marked the third different Shippensburg player this season that has returned an interception for a touchdown.  Seniors Antonio Williams (54) and Mike Street (92) have also accomplished the feat.  Street intercepted two passes against Lock Haven, giving him five for the season, all in the last five games.  He has at least one pick in four games this year.

·      Saturdayıs game with Lock Haven featured a match-up of two sets of brothers.  Shippensburg sophomore linebacker Jaron Nalewak, who was starting for the injured Chris Leonetti, was facing his brother Jon, a sophomore linebacker for Lock Haven while Ship junior center Greg Sones and his brother Brad, a sophomore defensive end for the Bald Eagles, also met for the second time in their careers.  All four players started in Saturdayıs game.

 

DIVISION II NCAA FOOTBALL COMMITTEE REGIONAL RANKINGS

·      Shippensburg moved up one spot in the NCAA Division II Football Committee released its third set of regional rankings on Tuesday.  The top-12 teams are listed:

 

Northeast Region                                           Overall            Region

1.      East Stroudsburg                                      6-0                  6-0

2.      Bentley                                                      5-1                  5-1

3.      Shippensburg                                              6-1                  6-1

4.      West Chester                                            5-2                  5-0

5.      Bloomsburg                                              4-2                  4-2

6.      Indiana (Pennsylvania)                            4-2                  4-2

7.      Edinboro                                                  4-2                  4-2

8.      C.W. Post                                                4-2                  4-2

9.      California (Pennsylvania)                         4-2                  4-2

10.    West Virginia Wesleyan                          5-2                  5-2

11.    Southern Connecticut State                    5-1                  4-1

12.    Merrimack                                                5-1                  4-1

 

·      After being ranked at No. 1 in the regional rankings the first week, back on September 28, Shippensburg fell to No. 4 in last weekıs rankings (October 5), but have moved up one spot in this weekıs poll.

·      Of all of the regional and national polls conducted by the NCAA and various media outlets and agencies, this is the most important poll to watch as it has a direct impact on the selection of the teams for the 2004 NCAA Division II Football Championship.  The top six ranked teams in the final poll earn a berth into the postseason.

 

SCOUTING THE VULCANS

·      California (Pa.) entered last Saturdayıs game with Edinboro with the programıs first-ever top-25 ranking in the AFCA Division II Coachesı Poll.  The loss to the Fighting Scots was the first time in six games this year that the Vulcans did not score at least 30 points.  California (Pa.) currently leads the PSAC in scoring offense, averaging 39.0 points per game which should represent a interesting challenge for a Shippensburg defense that is ranked first in scoring defense, allowing opponents a meager 11.1 points per game.

·      Junior RB Antoine Bagwell rushed for 115 yards and one touchdown against Edinboro last week, already surpassing the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season in just six games.  His total of 1,085 yards rushing this year is the fourth-highest single-season total in team history.  Bagwell, who enters the game as the conferenceıs leading rusher and the nationıs No. 2 rusher at 180.8 yards per game, will be facing a Red Raider defense that has allowed just one player to rush for over 100 yards this season.  Shippensburg is also ranked first in the PSAC in rushing defense, surrendering only 89.3 yards per game.

·      Senior WR Claude Whitaker leads a California (Pa.) pass offense that is third in the conference at 255.3 yards per game.  He leads the team in receptions (33), yards (587) and receiving touchdowns (6).  The Vulcans have had to make some adjustments in their passing offense after losing starting quarterback Joe Ruggiero with a broken leg against Clarion University in the first quarter of the teamıs fourth game of the season.  In just over three games, Ruggiero threw for 779 yards and seven touchdowns.  Since then, California (Pa.) has utilized red-shirt freshman Matt Humbert and senior Dustin Strayer.  Sophomore Greg Dapper, who is listed as the second string quarterback for the Vulcans headed into Saturdayıs game, has yet to throw a pass this season.

·      Defensively, California (Pa.) boasts the PSACıs third-best rushing defense (120.8 yards per game), but will be charged with the task of trying to stop the leagueıs top rushing offense in Shippensburg who is averaging 250.1 yards per game.  Saturdayıs game will be a match-up of two of the top three teams in the conference on offense (California (Pa.) ranked No. 1 and Shippensburg ranked No. 3) and defense (Shippensburg ranked No. 1 and California (Pa.) ranked No. 3).

 

ANALYZING THE LOSS AT IUP

·      Could the loss at Indiana (Pa.) be a sign?  The last time Shippensburg started a season 5-0 was in 1991.  In the teamıs sixth game that year, the Red Raiders were shutout at IUP, 47-0, but later went on to finish the regular-season with a 9-2 record, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Division II Football Championship.  The team ended the season with a 10-3 record after Shippensburg was defeated at Indiana (Pa.) for a second time on November 30.

·      Shipıs 17-0 loss against Indiana (Pa.) at Miller Stadium ended a seven-game winning streak for the Red Raiders and was the 17th-straight for Shippensburg against the Indians, dating back to 1989.  It was also the first time since November 9, 1996, a span of 83 games, that Shippensburg had been shutout.

·      The Indians are also the only team to have beaten Ship in its last 12 games.  Over the final five games of the 2003 season, the Red Raiders went 4-1 with an 18-7 loss at home to IUP on November 1.  Shippensburg won its final two games last year and started this season 5-0 before losing to Indiana (Pa.) on October 2, 2004.  The last team other than Indiana (Pa.) to defeat Shippensburg was Slippery Rock University, 16-14, back on October 11, 2003.

 

 

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