SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The West Virginia State University football team traveled to Shippensburg on Saturday afternoon and came up short, 25-17, in the first game of the 2021 season. The Yellow Jackets were leading at halftime, 10-6, before a second half comeback by the Raiders upended the scoreline.

Junior quarterback Donovan Riddick led the offense and had mixed results. He completed 24-of-38 passes for 205 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He was also West Virginia State's leading rusher with 12 carries for 24 yards. Receivers Barry Hill and Tyrone Lyte caught his two touchdown passes.

Junior linebacker Payton Lunsford led the defensive effort with seven total tackles, five solo tackles, and one tackle-for-loss. Senior defensive back Henry Houchins snagged the first interception of his career while coming up with four solo tackles and one tackle behind the line of scrimmage.

Freshman Brennen Schmitt was impressive in his collegiate debut as he handled both kicking and punting duties. Two of his punts landed inside the 20-yard line and one surpassed 50 yards. He also converted his lone field goal attempt from 40 yards out.

WVSU started the game strong by forcing a punt after five plays on the opening possession and putting together a 13-play, 90-yard drive for a touchdown afterwards. Hill caught a 21-yard pass from Riddick over the head of an unsuspecting corner and fell into the endzone to finish off the drive. The successful point after try gave the Yellow Jackets a 7-0 lead with 6:36 remaining in the first quarter.

Both offenses then stalled out in the second quarter. Schmitt sent his 40-yard field goal attempt through the uprights early on to increase the lead, 10-0. The Raiders finally removed the goose egg from the scoreboard with a 41-yard field goal at the end of a nine-play, 53-yard drive that concluded around the four-minute mark. After a shanked punt on the ensuing West Virginia State possession, Shippensburg got the ball back in good field possession with a minute to go. Another field goal, this time from 42-yards out, went through the uprights as time expired in the first half, 10-6.

A three-and-out by the Yellow Jackets to start the second half set the Raiders up for a scoring drive. Shippensburg methodically marched 58 yards down the field to ultimately score with an eight-yard reception for a touchdown. West Virginia State was left with a three-point deficit after the PAT, 13-10. The third quarter eventually came to an end without any further scoring from either side.

The Raiders started the fourth quarter out with another methodical scoring drive. The WVSU defense prevented a touchdown after being faced with a first and goal situation on the three-yard line. Nevertheless, three points were still tacked on to increase the deficit to six points, 16-10, with under 10 minutes left in the contest.

On the next possession, a fumble was forced on a sack and returned for a touchdown to make it a two-possession game, 22-10. The Yellow Jackets responded immediately with a quick score in less than two minutes. Lyte came down with a 32-yard lob pass from Riddick towards the back of the end zone to bring the game back within reach, 22-17, with seven-and-a-half minutes remaining.

The Yellow Jackets got the ball back two more times in the game but were unable to get anything going offensively. A 50-yard field goal by Shippensburg's kicker with just over a minute left on the clock gave the contest its final score, 25-17.

WVSU had more yards through the air, 205 total, than Shippensburg's 126 aerial yards. However, the Raiders outrushed the Yellow Jackets with 160 ground yards compared to 45 total by West Virginia State.

The WVSU football team will take on Mountain East Conference opponent Frostburg State next on Saturday, Sept. 11th. The kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. and the site will be UC Stadium at Laidley Field since turf renovations are still underway at Lakin-Ray Field.