Strong Second Half Sends No. 16 Shippensburg Past Football, 36-20
Box Score
SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. (Oct. 6, 2012) – A strong second half helped energize the No. 16 Shippensburg University Red Raiders as they outscored LIU Post, 16-0, in the third quarter en route to a 36-20 victory Saturday afternoon in a PSAC East football clash at Seth Grove Field.
Shippensburg improves to 6-0 and 3-0 in conference play while LIU Post falls to 2-3 and 1-2 in the PSAC East. The win ended a three-game losing streak against the Pioneers dating back to 2009.
With Shippensburg holding a slim 17-14 lead at the half, the damage was done in the third quarter as the Red Raiders scored 16 unanswered points that included a 4-yard run from quarterback Zach Zulli at 10:30, a 10-yard rush from Michael Frenette at 6:35 and a team safety that resulted from a high snap on a punt attempt for the Pioneers.
LIU Post held the lead twice in the game, beginning in the first quarter when junior
Tommy Williams (Westbury, N.Y.) recovered a fumble caused by a 15-yard sack from senior linebacker
Anton Rukaj (Greenburgh, N.Y.) at the Ship 16 and returned it all the way into the endzone that put the Pioneers ahead, 7-3.
The Pioneers scored again in the second quarter as a result of another Red Raider turnover, this time on an attempted punt that was blocked by junior
Rob Bright (East Meadow, N.Y.) at the Ship 25 and was recovered by senior
David Sumter (Hollis, N.Y.). Sophomore quarterback
Steven Laurino (Boise, Idaho) completed a five-yard pass to freshman tight end
Sean Binckes (Brooklyn, N.Y.) for the touchdown that gave the Pioneers a 14-10 lead.
Shippensburg got one more score in before the end of the first half when Zulli completed a 7-yard pass to Kyle Kush with 34 seconds left on the clock lead 17-14 at the half.
Shippensburg amassed 506 yards of offense that included 276 passing yards from Zulli, who completed 21 of 32 attempts for two touchdown passes and rushed in for a third in the third quarter. Jacob Baskervile caught five of those passes for a game-high 126 receiving yards. Sean Sadosky led the Red Raiders with eight tackles on defense.
Laurino finished the game completing 30 of 49 passes for 176 yards and one touchdown while rushing in the Pioneers' second score.
Rukaj and Bright led the game with nine tackles and a forced fumble for each. Rukaj also had a 15-yard sack and Bright recorded a breakup and a block.