Red Raiders' Second Half Comeback Falls Short in 34-29 Loss to No. 19 West Chester
Sept. 22, 2007
SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - In a play similar to that of the final play from Super Bowl XXXIV, West Chester's Mike Mignogno tackled Shippensburg red-shirt senior Kyle Fogarty (Kintnersville/Palisades) at the 1-yard line with 1:29 remaining , allowing the No. 19-ranked Golden Rams to escape with a 34-29 victory over the Red Raiders Saturday afternoon in front of 7,000 fans at Seth Grove Stadium and a state and world-wide television audience.
The loss was the fourth-straight for Shippensburg (0-4), marking the first time that the team has started the season 0-4 since 1969. It was also the fourth consecutive loss for the Red Raiders against West Chester, including third at Seth Grove Stadium.
After being held to just 85 yards in the first half and trailing 31-7 at halftime, Shippensburg outscored the Golden Rams 22-3 in the second while outgaining West Chester, 256-77, including 153-39 in the third quarter.
The Red Raiders began their final drive with 4:41 left in the fourth quarter following a key 26-yard field goal by Alex Walsh that increased West Chester's lead to five.
Shippensburg's 9-play, 58-yard drive, highlighted by a 33-yard pass completion from red-shirt senior Gabe Maiocco (Media/Marple-Newtown) to red-shirt sophomore Mike Harris (East Earl/Garden Spot), would lead the team down to the Golden Ram 9-yard line where the team had four plays to reach the endzone.
Harris finished the game with seven receptions for 114 yards, both career-highs, and one touchdown while sophomore Mark Rossi (Johnstown/Westmont Hilltop) had five catches for 65 yards, one score and two, two-point conversions.
Following two rushes that totaled five yards, an incompletion and the Red Raiders' final timeout, Maiocco would complete a three-yard pass to Fogarty out of the backfield, down to the 1-yard line where Mignogno made the game-saving tackle for West Chester.
The tackle not only saved the game for West Chester, but prevented a story-book ending for a historic comeback by Shippensburg who scored touchdowns on all three of its possessions in the third quarter to allow itself a chance at pulling the upset in its home opener.
After the Red Raiders defense held the Golden Rams to a three-and-out to start the second half, the Shippensburg offense embarked on a 9-play, 65-yard drive, capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run, his first of the season, by red-shirt senior Aaron Dykes (West Chester/Downingtown).
Dykes totaled 28 of his 46 yards rushing on the drive to pull the Red Raiders within two possessions following the two-point coversion pass from Maiocco to Rossi.
The Shippensburg defense would hold West Chester once again on its ensuing possession, forcing a turnover on downs, and the Red Raiders would find the endzone once again as Dykes scored on an 11-yard run. Maiocco would again find Rossi on the two-point conversion and Shippensburg found itself down by just eight points with 4:36 remaining in third quarter after trailing by 24 at halftime.
On their third possession of the second half, the Golden Rams were forced to punt, setting the stage for the Red Raiders' third consecutive touchdown drive and subsequent two-point conversion attempt that could have tied the game at 31-31.
Beginning the drive at its own 24-yard line, Shippensburg drove 76 yards on eight plays, 37 of which went to Harris on a 23-yard reception to start the drive and a 14-yard catch to end it when he hauled in his second touchdown of the season, pulling the Red Raiders within two points, 31-29 with 13:11 left in the game.
However, the third time was not the charm for Maiocco and Rossi as the two-point conversion attempt was batted down in the endzone by West Chester's Tyler Downes, preserving a crucial two-point lead for the Golden Rams.
The failed two-point conversion was important because Walsh would hit his second field goal of the game for West Chester on its ensuing possession, increasing the lead to five and forcing Shippensburg to score a touchdown to win, instead of kicking a field goal.
For the third time in four games this season, Maiocco set a new career-high in passing yardage, throwing for 247 yards and two touchdowns. He completed 19-of-34 attempts and is the first Red Raider quarterback since current assistant coach Rick Henshaw on Oct. 11, 2003 to pass for over 200 yards in back-to-back games.
That year, Henshaw threw for over 200 yards in three-straight contests against Edinboro, Slippery Rock and Lock Haven.
Defensively, Shippensburg was led by red-shirt junior Bill Morrison (Brookeville/Brookeville) who totaled eight tackles. Red-shirt senior Jonathan Aldridge (Pittsburgh/Seneca Valley) had six tackles and a game-high four pass break-ups.
Shippensburg would look to avoid its first 0-5 start since 1961 when it welcomes Edinboro to Seth Grove Stadium next Saturday, September 29 on Parents and Family Day. Kickoff is at 1:00 PM with the game being broadcast live on Shippensburg University student radio station WSYC 88.7 FM and by Shippensburg University Television on campus channel 75 and Comcast channel 21 in Cumberland and Franklin counties.
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