INDIANA, Pa. – Sophomore quarterback Tyson Bagent (Martinsburg, W.Va./Martinsburg) fired a 23-yard scoring strike to senior wide receiver Devin Phelps (Baltimore, Md./St. Frances) with 11 seconds remaining  to lift  #25 Shepherd (10-2) to a 31-27 win over #18/16 Indiana (Pa.) (10-2) in NCAA II Championship football action at Frank Cignetti Field at George P. Miller Stadium on Saturday.

Shepherd took a 7-0 lead when Bagent fired a 39–yard scoring strike to Phelps with 9:08 left in the second quarter. Junior kicker Hayden August-Scriven (North Potomac, Md./Quince Orchard) added the extra point.

Indiana (Pa.) answered back when Quinton Maxwell fired a two-yard scoring pass to Jacob Watts with 6:47 left in the second quarter.

The Rams took a 14-7 lead into the break as Bagent tossed a two-yard scoring pass to senior wide receiver Dylan Brewer (Martinsburg, W.Va./Martinsburg) with 15 seconds left in the half.

Bagent teamed with Brewer on a 52-yard scoring pass with 13:07 left in the third quarter to cap a four-play, 75-yard drive and give the Rams a 21-7 advantage.

Duane Brown scored on a two-yard run out of the Wildcat formation for the Crimson Hawks with 2:43 left in the third quarter to cut the lead to 21-14.

Maxwell tossed a three-yard scoring pass to JoJo Gause with 12:23 left in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 21-20 as Dillon Sarka's extra point attempt was no good.

The Rams added a 27-yard field from August-Scriven with 9:34 remaining to take a 24-20 lead.

Justice Evans scored on a one-yard run with 1:40 left in the game to give IUP a 27-24 lead.

Bagent completed 35-of-39 passes for 389 yard and four scores. Maxwell was 28-of-39 for 312 yards for the Crimson Hawks.

Glover rushed 18 times for 117 yards on the day. Samir Bullock rushed 20 times for 137 yards to lead the Crimson Hawks.

Brewer had nine receptions for 139 yards to lead the Rams. Phelps added six grabs for 98 yards. Gause had seven grabs for 77 yards to lead the Crimson Hawks.

Shepherd amassed 516 yards of total offense, while Indiana (Pa.) totaled 460.

Junior defensive back Ponce DeLeon (Greenbelt, Md./Montgomery Blair) and junior linebacker Chrys Lane (Baltimore, Md./Dundalk) each led the Shepherd defense with a game-high 12 stops (8 solos). Damon Lloyd recorded 11 tackles for IUP.

The Rams advance to travel to Slippery Rock next Saturday for a 1 p.m. contest.

Notes: Glover ran for 100 yards or more for the sixth time this season … Brewer had 100 receiving yards for the sixth time this season … Bagent threw for 300 yards or more for the ninth time this season …  Bagent (3,936) broke the Shepherd single season mark set by Jeff Ziemba (3,627) in 2016 ... Shepherd improves to 4-1 in the all-time series with IUP … The Rams improve to 15-15 in postseason play with a 14-11 mark in NCAA II Football Championship play.