INDIANA, Pa. – Junior quarterback Tyson Bagent (Martinsburg, W.Va./Martinsburg) completed 28-of-41 passes for 468 yards and four touchdowns to lead #11/11 Shepherd (3-0) to a 37-21 win over #14/19 Indiana (Pa.) (1-1) in football action at IUP on Saturday.
Shepherd took a 3-0 lead when senior kicker Hayden August-Scriven (North Potomac, Md./Quince Orchard) connected on a 34-yard field goal with 8:40 left in the first quarter.
IUP answered back with a 22-yard field goal from Tyler Luther with 2:46 left in the first quarter.
Bagent scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak with 9:20 left in the second quarter to give the Rams a 10-3 advantage.
Luther added a 26-yard field goal with 2:47 left in the half to cut the lead to 10-6 going into the break.
Shepherd opened the second half scoring when Bagent teamed with freshman wide receiver Ryan Beach (Frederick, Md./Northwest) on a 21-yard scoring play with 12:32 left in the third quarter to take a 17-6 lead.
Bagent fired a 13-yard scoring strike to graduate student tight end Alex Wetzel (Keedysville, Md./Boonsboro) with 7:31 left in the third quarter to up the lead to 24-6.
IUP got a 15-yard scoring pass from Javon Davis to Hilton Ridley with 5:13 left in the third quarter to cut the lead to 24-13.
Shepherd answered back when Bagent fired a 57-yard scoring strike to senior wide receiver Greg Leonard (Lusby, Md./Patuxent/Clarion) with 3:45 left in the third quarter.
Bagent fired a 20-yard scoring strike to graduate student wide receiver Josh Gontarek (New Market, Md./Linganore/Shippensburg) with 13:29 left in the fourth quarter.
Davis tossed a 22-yard scoring pass to Irvin Charles with 7:04 remaining. The pair connected again on a two-point conversion to complete the scoring.
Davis was 20-of-30 for 266 yards and three scores for IUP.
Beach had nine receptions for 130 yards and a score for the Rams, while Gontarek had six grabs for 183 yards and a score. Charles had six catches for 100 yards and a score for the Crimson Hawks.
Graduate student running back Chantz Swartz (Mifflin, Pa./Juniata/Lock Haven) had five carries for 60 yards to lead the ground attack. Malik Anderson had five carries for 56 yards for the Crimson Hawks.
Shepherd amassed 554 yards of total offense, while IUP had 330.
Senior linebacker Kendall Duckworth (Naples, Fla./Lely/Kansas) led the Rams with 11 stops (six solos). He added a sack. Senior linebacker Chrys Lane (Baltimore, Md./Dundalk) added seven tackles (two solos). Charles Ingram had 11 tackles (seven solos ) for IUP.
The Rams return to action on Saturday when they host Kutztown at noon at Ram Stadium for Family Day.
