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COLLEGE FOOTBALL: After emotional loss, Shippensburg looks to rebound
One of the questions that will be answered Saturday when the Shippensburg University football team hosts Bloomsburg is how the Red Raiders will respond emotionally to their previous game.
Last Thursday night, Ship lost a heartbreaker to West Chester, 44-43, in two overtimes. In the longest game in SU football history, the loss occurred when an extra point attempt was blocked.
Raider coach Rocky Rees said, "The kids played so hard. It rips your guts out to lose like that, to see all of those efforts go down the drain. Once again, big plays are killing us."
Among the big plays West Chester hit were 63- and 68-yard touchdown passes by quarterback Sean McCartney, named PSAC East Offensive Player of the week. McCartney threw for five TDs.
Rees said, "We were flat in practice (on Tuesday) and that's understandable. But we have to move on. We're playing for our future starting Saturday and we deserve to get a win."
But capturing a victory won't be easy against Bloomsburg, ranked No. 20 in Division II. The Huskies are 5-1 and have won five in a row. They are led by running back Franklyn Quiteh, who has 1,040 yards (7.2 yards per carry) in six games. He is the first player in any NCAA division to crack the 1,000-yard barrier this season.
Quarterback Pat Carey isn't flashy, but he produces. He has thrown for 10 TDs and is ranked third in passing efficiency (143.0 rating) in the PSAC.
Defensively, linebacker Mike Varanavage leads Bloom in tackles with 42.
The Huskies will also have the revenge factor working for them. A year ago, Bloomsburg was 8-0 and ranked No. 3 entering the Shippensburg game, looking to clinch the PSAC East title. However, the Raiders scored a TD with 46 seconds remaining and upset the Huskies, 28-27. Bloom went into a three-loss tailspin and Ship won the PSAC East and, ultimately, the conference championship.
Rees said, "Bloomsburg runs the ball well, obviously. Their redshirt freshman (Quiteh) is leading the country in rushing. The defense is outstanding as well. They are a tough opponent, but they were good last year and we were able to beat them."
SU is 1-5 and has lost some close games. The Raiders are led by halfback Kevin Marshall (333 yards rushing, 18 catches for 270 yards) and fullback Kevin Herod (304 yards rushing). Quarterback Steven Adams has thrown for 1,245 yards and nine TDs.
On defense, linebackers Riley Bowen and Vinnie Ranauto have 43 and 41 tackles, respectively.
Huskies coach Danny Hale said, "You can't look at records when looking at Shippensburg. Most of their losses came down to just a few plays. I expect this to be a competitive game."
Ship halfback Mike Frenette, thought to be out for the season with a torn ankle tendon, returned to action vs. West Chester. He caught four passes for 109 yards and a TD.
Rees said, "That was a nice surprise, getting him back. It turned out to be less of an injury than we thought. He was examined by two doctors and they determined that he could play.
"We are beat up, no question about it. But we're not down and out. Everyone should be able to go Saturday. We need to play up to our best to win."
Notes: Marshall (Scotland School) has 913 all-purpose yards and ranks third in SU history with 3,887 yards ... Bloomsburg kicker Dan Fisher leads the PSAC in field goal percentage, having hit 10 of 12 attempts ... Quiteh has been chosen as PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week three times this season ... Carey, a junior, is a transfer from Lafayette.
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Joe Kroepil may be reached at 262-4749 or jkroepil@publicopinionnews.com .
Huskies-Red Raiders at a glance
Game data: Bloomsburg Huskies at Shippensburg Red Raiders ... Saturday, 1 p.m., at SU Student Association Field at Seth Grove Stadium ... PSAC Eastern Division game.
Media: Television -- SUTV (Comcast Cable 21) ... Radio -- WSYC 88.7 FM ... Internet -- www.ship.edu/goraiders (webcast) and www.wsyc.org (audio).
Teams: The No. 20 Huskies are 5-1 (3-0 PSAC East) and defeated Cheyney 52-14 last week ... The Raiders are 1-5 (0-3 PSAC East) and lost to West Chester, 44-43, in double overtime.
Series: Shippensburg leads 42-30-1 and won last year, 28-27 ... The Huskies have won 3 of the last 4 meetings.
P.O. pick: Bloomsburg by 7.
