SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. --  Backup freshman running back Jimmy Sutch (Hagerstown, MD/St. James) rushed for three touchdowns as Shepherd (10-1) survived a wild 41-34 shootout with Indiana, PA (9-3) in an NCAA Division II second round playoff contest at Ram Stadium. 

Sutch rushed 19 times for 117 yards in relief of senior star Dervon Wallace (Lusby, MD Calvert), who left in the third quarter due to cramps.  Wallace led all rushers with 135 yards also on 19 carries.

IUP received a big afternoon from quarterback Andrew Krewatch, who completed 34 of 49 passes for 378 yards and four touchdowns.  Ken Witter was on the receiving end of all four scoring passes.  The junior went over the 100-yard mark for a third straight contest with 13 receptions for 176 yards. 

Shepherd jumped out to a 14-0 lead midway through the second quarter.  Wallace accounted for the first quarter's only score with a 70-yard touchdown rush, while Ryan Lavin (Centreville, VA/Westfield) caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Lazear (Bethesda, MD/Walt Whitman) with 9:25 left in the second stanza. 

Indiana (Pa.), which reached Shepherd territory without scoring on their first five possesions, marched 84 yards in 8 plays to score on the first Krewatch-to-Witter strike of the day.  Matt McNelis' point after failed and Shepherd held a 14-6 lead. 

The scoring wasn't over for the first half as each team posted late tallies.  A 72-yard kickoff return by Deante Steele (Woodbridge, VA/Potomac) set up a two-yard Wallace plunge and a 20-6 Ram lead at the 2:13 mark.         

Garrett Lestochi ran in from five yards out with 48 seconds left in the half to cut the Shepherd edge to 20-13 at the break. 

A 22-yard Krewatch-to-Witter scoring connection capped off a 64-yard IUP drive to open the second half.  Craig Burgess' kick was good and the game was knotted for the first time at 20-each.

Shepherd responded with back-to-back Sutch touchdowns.  The freshman went 27 yards on his first carry of the day as Shepherd regained the lead 27-20 with 6:44 left in the third quarter.  Sutch danced around the right side from five yards away to make it 34-20 with 11:20 left in the game. 

The Crimson Hawks wouldn't go away, cutting the lead to 34-27 on Krewatch's 59-yard bomb down the right sideline to Witter at the 7:28 mark.  

Sutch did the honors again as he bounced outside for a 20-yard touchdown to give the Rams a 41-27  advantage. 

One final Krewatch-to-Witter connection ended the scoring wIth 52 seconds remaining. Shepherd's Bobby Humphries (Frederick, MD/Thomas Johnson) recovered the ensuing onside kick and the Rams ran out the clock to clinch the win.