SHIPPENSBURG UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL

September 13, 2004

UNDEFEATED SHIPPENSBURG FACES FIRST ROAD TEST AT MILLERSVILLE

GAME STORYLINE:

• The Shippensburg University football team opens the road portion of its 2004 schedule this Saturday when the Red Raiders travel to Millersville University to take on the Marauders. Kickoff on Saturday, September 18 is set for 6:00 p.m., at Biemesderfer Stadium. The game will be broadcast on Shippensburg University student radio station WSYC 88.7 FM.
• Shippensburg will bring a perfect 3-0 record into the game following last week's convincing 48-10 victory over Bloomsburg University in a nationally-ranked match-up of two top-20 teams. Trailing 10-7 in the first quarter, the Red Raiders scored 41 unanswered points en route to the second largest victory in the series with the Huskies.
• The turning point in the game versus Bloomsburg came in the second quarter after Shippensburg had just taken the lead, 17-10. With the Huskies driving and looking to tie the game for the second time, Red Raider senior free safety Mike Street intercepted Jack Lydic's pass at the 8-yard line and raced 92 yards for the touchdown, marking the second longest interception return for a touchdown in school history.
• Unlike the Red Raiders, Millersville had a much closer game last week as the Marauders (1-1) overcame five turnovers and a 19-point fourth quarter deficit to stun host Glenville State, 34-31 for their first victory of the season.
• Shippensburg enters the game as a consensus top-15 selection in all three Division II national polls. The Red Raiders are No. 12 in both the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Coaches' Poll as well as the dopke.com College Sports Report Route 66 Rankings. Ship also comes in at No. 15 in the d2football.com Top-25 Poll.
• The Red Raiders are currently riding a five-game winning streak that dates back to November 1, 2003 when Indiana University (Pa.) defeated Ship, 18-7.

SERIES NOTES - RAIDERS vs. MARAUDERS

• This year's Shippensburg-Millersville game marks the first meeting between the two schools since the 2001 season when Ship won at home, 17-7. The game was played on September 15, just four days removed from the September 11 terrorist attacks. Matt Phillips rushed for 104 yards and one touchdown while Jim Buffington completed 9-of-20 pass attempts for 113 yards. The Shippensburg defense also held the Marauders to only 26 yards rushing on 25 carries and nearly had a shutout until Millersville scored with just 58 seconds left in the game.
• The series with Millersville is the oldest for the Red Raiders as they hold a 32-23-2 lead in the series that dates back to 1916. Because Shippensburg is in the PSAC Western Division and Millersville is in the PSAC East, the two teams do not meet every season. Consequently, the series has had many interruptions.
• The last time the Red Raiders won in Millersville was back in 1993, a span of four games. Surprisingly, Shippensburg has won only three games in the last 20 meetings with the Marauders with those wins coming in 2001, 1993 (16-14) and 1989 (24-0, at Millersville). The two teams battled to a scoreless tie in 1972, but since 1969, the Marauders hold a 16-3-1 record, including a mark of 7-2-1 in the last 10 meetings versus Ship at home.
• Shippensburg head coach Rocky Rees is 2-6 in eight previous games against Millersville while this year's game will be the second for Marauder head coach Kevin Kiesel who lost in his first meeting back in 2001.

QUICK HITS

• Shippensburg has outscored its opponents, 118-17, this season and has not allowed a single-point in either the second or fourth quarter in three games. The team has really been strong in the second half, holding a 73-7 edge on its opponents.
• The Red Raider defense has also been very stingy on third-down this year, holding opponents to just a 20-percent conversion rate (9-of-45).
• Shippensburg has one of the top rush defenses in the country as the team is allowing only 80.7 yards rushing per game and a meager 2.6 yards per carry.
• Freshman kicker Jamie Reder made both of his field goal attempts against Bloomsburg on Saturday (18, 22), marking the first time since November 2, 2002 that Shippensburg has scored on a field goal attempt.
• After Bloomsburg took a 10-7 lead with 1:04 left in the fourth quarter on Saturday, the Red Raiders scored 41 unanswered points en route to a convincing 48-10 victory.
• Senior free safety Mike Street's 92-yard interception return on Saturday was the second longest in school history and the furthest since a 90-yard interception return by Brian Clement in 1978. The longest interception return in Shippensburg history belongs to Brad Shover who returned one 97 yards for a touchdown against Bloomsburg in 1973. Street's interception return for a touchdown is the second of the season for Shippensburg, matching senior Antonio Williams' 54-yard return against Kutztown University in week one.
• Junior Pat Ferguson is quickly asserting himself alone of the best all-around threats in the PSAC this season as a receiver, runner and return man. He currently leads the team in all-purpose yards, averaging 155.7 per game.

RED RAIDERS OFF TO A FAST START

• For the fourth-time in 15 seasons under Rocky Rees, Shippensburg has begun the season with three-straight wins. Combine that with the two wins from the end of last season's schedule and the Red Raiders are currently riding a five-game win streak.
• Ship started the season with three consecutive wins in 2003 (8-3 final record), 1993 (6-5) and 1991 (10-3). The 1991 season featured the best start to a season under Rees as the team began the year 5-0 before losing at Indiana University (Pa.), 47-0 on October 12. That year, the Red Raiders advanced to the NCAA Division II Football Championship. In 1993, Shippensburg won four-straight games to start before losing to Slippery Rock University at home, 36-7 on October 2.
• A wins against Millersville on Saturday would give the Red Raiders a 4-0 start for the seventh time in the modern era since the end of World War II in 1945. It would also mark the third time that Ship has started with a 4-0 record under head coach Rocky Rees.

A LOOK AT MILLERSVILLE

• The Marauders have 24 lettermen, including 10 starters and two kick specialists back from last year's team. On offense, Millersville's multiple attack features sophomore quarterback Dan Csencsitz who came on mid-season in 2003 as the team's starter. He completed 62.5-percent of his passes while throwing for 1,442 yards and seven touchdowns a year ago. So far this season, Csencsitz has thrown for 647 yards and six touchdowns in two games while completing 60.7 percent of his pass attempts.
• Millersville's run game does not have much to speak off as freshman Brandon Tyler leads the team in rushing so far this season, averaging only 31.0 yards per game. As a team, the Marauders have rushed for a total of just 134 yards in two games, an average of 67.0 per game. Shippensburg is only allowing opponents an average of 80.7 yards per game rushing in its first three games this season.
• Shippensburg's defense is ranked second in the PSAC in passing defense this year, allowing a meager 115.0 yards per game, and it will be tested on Saturday as Millersville currently has three receivers who average nearly 100 yards per game. Sophomore Omar Sanders and senior Andy Neupauer lead the team with 14 receptions each while averaging 97.0 and 82.0 yards receiving, respectively. Also, junior Ryan Clift, in his first game this season, caught eight passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner with 2:16 left against Glenville State.
• Meanwhile, the Millersville defense is allowing its opponents 412.0 yards per game in total offense that should benefit a Shippensburg offense that presently ranks second in the league in total offense. The Marauders are allowing 166.5 yards per game rushing and will be forced to stop a Red Raider rushing attack that is currently second in the PSAC at 231.0 yards per game. Millersville has totaled six sacks and three interceptions in its first two games this season and is limiting opposing offenses to just a 31-percent conversion rate on third downs (8-of-26).

DEFENSE!

• The Red Raider defense has been remarkable this season and currently leads the PSAC in three categories: scoring defense (5.7 points per game), turnover margin (1.67 per game) and pass defense efficiency (63.6 rating). The team is also second in six categories: pass defense (115.0 yards per game), total defense (195.7 yards per game), opponent first downs (35), sacks by (35), red zone defense and opponent third-down conversions (20.0-percent).
• Shippensburg has also not allowed a team to rush for over 100 yards in six of its last nine games and had a string of 10 consecutive scoreless quarters snapped against Shepherd University. The Red Raiders have also returned two interceptions for touchdowns this year and is second in the conference with five picks.

GOMEZ AND THE OFFENSE HAVING SUCCESS

• Not counting sophomore quarterback Tony Gomez's impromptu start versus Indiana (Pa.) last season, he is currently 3-0 as a starter and has led the Red Raiders offense to one of the best offenses in the PSAC this year. Shippensburg enters this weekend's game ranked second in the conference in total offense (438.7 yards per game) and scoring offense (39.3 points per game).
• Gomez has completed 17-of-31 attempts in three games for a total of 486 yards and five touchdowns. His efficiency rating is an astounding 239.75 as he has yet to throw an interception while also accounting for two rushing touchdowns. He leads the team in total offense with 173.3 yards per game and he has led the Ship offense on 12 of its 16 offensive scoring drives this year.
• The offensive line has also been a big part in Shippensburg's offensive success this season as they have helped clear the way for the team's 231.0 yards per game rushing average, but more importantly, the team has allowed only two quarterback sacks, both against Bloomsburg, in 54 pass attempts. This year's group is upperclassmen dominated with three juniors in Chris Levenworth, Greg Sones and Chris Whittle and two seniors in Greg Hutchinson and Andrew Moses.

KUHN SURPASSES 3,500 CAREER YARDS

• Shippensburg senior tailback John Kuhn carried the ball 21 times for 92 yards against Bloomsburg and in doing so, surpassed 3,500 yards rushing for his career. He has now rushed for 3,504 yards on 679 carries, 43 touchdowns and has 19 games with at least 100 yards rushing.
• He set a new record for consecutive games with 100 yards rushing with 11 in 2003 and carried the ball 325 times without a fumble to also set a new record.

NEXT WEEK

• Shippensburg returns home next week for the fourth time in five games when it hosts Edinboro University (1-1) at Seth Grove Stadium on Homecoming. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

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