FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Issued 8/23/04)

CONTACT: Brooke Frederickson

SU FOOTBALL TEAM TO HOST KUTZTOWN IN SEASON OPENER FOR BOTH TEAMS

SHIPPENSBURG---The Shippensburg University football team will open its season at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 28 when it hosts Kutztown University. Saturdayπs game marks the first time that Shippensburg has ever played a regular season contest in August. The schedule was pushed back a week to accommodate for NCAA playoff expansion.

With 17 starters returning from last yearπs 8-3 season, including all 11 on offense, the Shippensburg University football team will be one of the main challengers for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division title in 2004. The Red Raiders were picked to finish first in the PSAC West in the conference coaches poll. Kutztown looks to improve on a 6-5 overall finish, with a 3-3 record in the PSAC Eastern Division. The Golden Bears return nine starters on offense, five on defense and one specialist.   

Shippensburg led the PSAC in rushing last year with 239.3 yards per game, led by 2003 PSAC West Offensive Player of the Year, fullback John Kuhn (York/Dover HS). He carried the ball 294 times for 1500 yards and had a total of 1698 yards in all-purpose running. Kuhn crossed the end zone 22 times last year. Dante Poole (Glenside/Valley Forge Prep) will get the start at fullback on Saturday. He had 16 carries for 99 yards and an average of 6.2 yards per try. The starting halfbacks, Andre McLaurin Warminster/William Tennant) and Matt Acri,(Trucksville/Dallas HS) return to action this season. McLaurin was the number two rusher on the team with 101 carries for 356 yards. Acri had 47 carries for 244 yards and one touchdown.

At quarterback, sophomore Tony Gomez (Pottsville) will get the first start of 2004. He was impressive in the spring, passing for 257 yards and two touchdowns in the Shippensburg spring game. Last year he saw action in seven games, passing for 59 yards. Veteran starter Rick Henshaw (Marmora, N.J./Ocean City HS) will also see action at quarterback. Last season he finished the season with 118 completions in 226 attempts for 1674 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also serves as the holder.

Shippensburg returns two All-PSAC players at tight end. Joel Gamble (Baltimore, Md./Carver HS) was a first team selection last year. He had 20 catches for 229 yards and two touchdowns. Brian Sekel (Lancaster/Manheim Twp) was All-PSAC West first team in 2002. Last fall he had five catches for 68 yards and one touchdown.

Patrick Ferguson (Mt. Airy, Md./Urbana) will get the start at split end. He was a first team All-PSAC West player at wide receiver. He led the team with 28 catches for 523 yards and six touchdowns. Tim Devanney (Mifflinburg) will also see action in the position.

The offensive line is one of Shippensburgπs strongest areas, returning all five starters and key reserves. Last year the Red Raiders led the PSAC West in total offense with 396.8 yards per game. Left tackle Greg Hutchinson (Greensburg/Greensburg-Salem), a senior, was named second team All-PSAC West. Junior Chris Whittle (Philadelphia/George Washington) starts at right tackle, and four year starter Andrew Moses (Carlisle/Cumberland Valley HS) starts at right guard. Chris Levenworth (Milan/Athens HS) and Greg Sones (Shippensburg/Penn Tech) fill out the line at left guard and center respectively.

Shippensburgπs defensive line was a major factor in the teamπs ability to lead the PSAC in many of the most important defensive categories. They held opponents to a mere 2.8 yards per carry rushing and the down linemen registered 19 of the teamπs 27 sacks. All-PSAC West first team tackle Yeboa Cobbold is a major graduation loss that will have to be faced. Returning starters Demetrius Roberts (Philadelphia/Lincoln) at noseguard and All-PSAC West second team selection Ryan Hoffman (Phoenixville/St. Pius X) at end will form the nucleus of the line this year. Roberts had 16 tackles, with seven of them for losses totaling 23 yards. Hoffman made 36 tackles in 10 games, with a team high five sacks. In addition, tackle Chris Minner (Coopersburg/Southern Lehigh), who led the line in tackles with 37 for the second year in a row, returns to action. Kirsten Gamber (Altoona) has been impressive in the spring and will start at left end. Arlan Johnson (Philadelphia/Mastbaum), a transfer from Temple, may also see action at end.

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Two of Shippensburgπs three starting linebackers will return to the gridiron this fall. Dan Walsh (Mechanicsburg/Cumberland Valley) led the team in tackles with 78 and Chris Leonetti (Richboro/Council Rock) was right behind him with 66. All-PSAC West player Walsh has a streak of 10 straight games in which he has made at least one tackle for loss. Frank Duffy (Phillipsburg, N.J.) will get the start after playing a significant reserve role last year, when he had 34 tackles with six tackles for loss.

In the secondary, returning cornerbacks Brent Grimes (Philadelphia/Northeast) and Antonio Williams (Pittsburgh/Penn Hills) are among the most talented players in the conference. Grimes may see limited time following recent knee surgery. He was a first team All-PSAC West selection last season. He led the team in interceptions for the second year in a row, making seven for 76 yards with one touchdown. Williams was second in the secondary in tackles last year with 40. He also had two interceptions and four pass breakups.

Grimes is also the premier returner in the conference. He led the conference in kickoff return average with 32.3 yards per return and punt return average with 19.3.

With the graduations of John Andrews and Clint Inch in the safety positions, John Sharbaugh (Mechanicsburg/Cumberland Valley) and Mike Street (Philadelphia/Mastbaum) will be stepping up to fill the roles. Sharbaugh made 24 tackles as a reserve last fall. He also had one interception and five pass breakups. Street made 21 tackles as a reserve last year. He had an interception and five pass breakups.

Returning punter Denver Brydon (Salix/Forrest Hills) displayed steady improvement during the past two seasons. Last fall he punted an average of 37.7 yards per punt, with a long of 63 yards. Red shirt freshman Scott Lafferty (Pottstown) will fill the placekicking vacancy. Lafferty kicked a 28-yard field goal in the spring game.

            Kutztown quarterback Jeremy Copeland is in his second year as the signal caller. Last year, the junior college transfer completed 164 of 312 passes for 1817 yards and 16 touchdowns.  He has several experienced targets, including first-team All-PSAC East selection Trevor Smith. Smith caught 60 passes for 843 yards and seven touchdowns last year. His 60 catches were the most in the PSAC. Mike Conner caught 34 passes for 387 yards and three touchdowns, while Brett Harbach had 26 grabs for 249 yards in seven games. Also returning is All-PSAC East tight end Jason Henley. He caught 21 passes for 190 yards and six touchdowns.

           Kutztown returns a pair of second-team All-PSAC East running backs in Stephen Gammage and Tony Bria. Gammage rushed for 699 yards and five touchdowns on 174 carries.  Bria rushed the ball 163 times, picking up 633 yards and scoring five times. He is also the leading returner for the team. He had 13 punt returns for 94 yards.

At linebacker, All-PSAC East selection Greg Mitchell returns.  He led the team with 85 tackles, including 53 solo stops and 11 tackles for loss last year.  Drew Hicks and Yusef Turner will return to starting roles on the outside after being injured last year. Hicks recorded 45 tackles in 2002. Turner averaged six tackles per game in 2003. 

           Three starters return in the secondary. Two-year starting free safety Michael Baldwin had 35 tackles, including 25 solo, in seven games last year.  Fellow safety Matt Millard had 45 tackles, two interceptions and two pass breakups last year.  Justin Gibbs and Barren Grier will start at cornerback.  Grier tallied 47 tackles, including four for losses. 

            Placekicker Matt Scartozzi earned second-team All-PSAC East honors last year.  He connected on eight of ten field goals, including a long of 43 last year.  George Radu is a transfer from Temple who will take over at punter.

The Shippensburg-Kutztown series dates back to 1929. The Red Raiders have a 40-14-2 advantage in the series. Shippensburg currently has a five game winning streak against the Golden Bears.

The game will be shown on SUTV on Comcast Cable channel 21 throughout the Cumberland Valley. Listeners can tune in to 88.7 WSYC, or listen to the game at http://www.wsyc.org.