September
25, 2004
SHIPPENSBURG,
Pa.
The Shippensburg University football team kept its perfect season alive this
afternoon by edging out a 17-10 victory over Edinboro University on Homecoming
at Seth Grove Stadium. Today
marked the first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division
game for both teams.
The Red
Raiders (5-0, 1-0 PSAC West) had to overcome their closest game of the season en
route to the teamıs seven consecutive victory. Ship, a consensus top-25 selection and currently ranked No.
10 in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Coachesı
Poll, overcame a somewhat mediocre offensive performance by its standards and
capitalized on 13 Edinboro penalties to pull out a victory.
The win
gives Shippensburg a 5-0 start for the fifth time since 1945. It is also the second time under head
coach Rocky Rees that the Red Raiders have started a season with five consecutive
victories. In 1991, Ship started
the season with five-straight wins and advanced to the NCAA Division II
Football Championship before ending the season with a record of 10-3.
Sophomore
quarterback Tony Gomez (Pottsville, Pa./Pottsville) and senior fullback John
Kuhn (York, Pa./Dover) led the offensive effort Saturday afternoon as
Kuhn totaled his 21st career 100-yard rushing performance with 123 yards on 32
carries. Gomez accounted for both
Shippensburg scores as he completed 8-of-16 passes for 120 yards.
Following
a scoreless first quarter, the Fighting Scots (2-2, 0-1 PSAC West) struck first
in a 20-yard field goal from Kody Robertson as Edinboro took a 3-0 lead with
8:45 left in the first half. On
Shippensburgıs ensuing possession, Gomez led the offense down the field to the
Edinboro 32-yard line after completing a 31-yard pass to sophomore Tim
Devanney (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg) on third-and-7.
Two plays
later, Gomez would hit on a big play again, connecting with junior Patrick
Ferguson (Mount Airy, Md./Urbana) for a 32-yard touchdown
pass to give Shippensburg a 7-3 lead.
The touchdown covered five plays and 66 yards on Shipıs fifth possession
of the game. On the Red Raidersı
first four possessions, they managed only 78 yards and were held to three punts
and a turnover on downs.
Fergusonıs
touchdown was the first of three scores in the next four possessions for the
Red Raiders as they jumped out to a 17-3 lead early in the third quarter.
Both teams
would exchange punts on the next two possessions before Edinboro started a
drive deep in its own territory with 2:37 remaining in the second quarter. On second-and-6 at their own 25-yard
line, the Fighting Scotsı Mike Phillips was stripped of the ball by
Shippensburg senior free safety Mike Street (Philadelphia,
Pa./Mastbaum)
who then recovered it, leading to a 30-yard field goal by freshman kicker Jamie
Reder (Warrenton, Va./Faquier) with just seven seconds
left in the half to give the Red Raiders a 10-3 lead at halftime.
On the
opening drive of the second half, Shippensburg drove 71 yards before senior
halfback Andre McLaurin (Warminster, Pa./William Tennant) scored on a 17-yard
touchdown pass from Gomez. During
the drive, Edinboro committed 20 yards in penalties. The Fighting Scots had 13 penalties for 101 yards in the
game while the Red Raiders were whistled for six penalties for 67 yards. In the third quarter alone, Edinboro
was called for 56 yards in penalties that gave Ship two first downs.
Following
McLaurinıs score, the Fighting Scots mounted a drive down to the Shippensburg
28-yard line. In the possession,
Edinboro converted all three of its third downs before facing a second-and-6
when Justin Bouchıs pass was intercepted by junior Brent Grimes
(Philadelphia, Pa./Northeast) at the 4-yard line ending
the Fighting Scot threat.
In the
fourth quarter, the Red Raider defense came up with two more stops that
preserved the lead and the game for Shippensburg. Both drives, on back-to-back possessions for Edinboro, ended
with failed fourth-down conversion attempts.
On the
Fighting Scotsı final drive of the game, Bouch completed a 32-yard pass to Ryan
Valasek to cut the Red Raider lead seven following the extra-point, but the score
came with just 2:45 left in the game as the Ship offense ran out the clock to
end the game.
For their
efforts, Gomez and Street were named as the Offensive and Defensive Players of
the Game by the Shippensburg VFW, an annual presentation on Homecoming. Street had a huge defensive game for
the Red Raiders as he finished with seven tackles, one forced fumble, one
fumble recovery, one interception and two passes defensed. Senior Chris Leonetti (Richboro,
Pa./Council Rock) led the defense, that held Edinboro to only 97 yards rushing
and 10 first downs, with eight tackles.
Shippensburg
continues PSAC Western Division play next weekend when it travels to Indiana
University (Pa.). Kickoff is set
for 2:00 p.m., on Saturday at George P. Miller Stadium. The Red Raiders will have a lot to play
for as they have not beaten the Indians since 1988. The last time Ship won at IUP came back in 1981.
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