KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- Kutztown got a record-tying five field goals from Dawson Evitts (Auburn, Pa./Schuylkill Haven), including a career-long 41-yarder, and produced its second straight 200-yard performance on the ground in a 29-10 PSAC East victory over Shippensburg at Seth Grove Stadium Saturday afternoon.
 
The Golden Bears controlled the ball for nearly three quarters, running 84 plays to the Raiders' 38. Darryl Davis-McNeil (Roslyn, Pa./Abington) carried 20 times for 136 yards, leading a rushing attack that boasted a season-high 57 attempts –tied for eighth-most in a game in school history.
 
And while more trips to the red zone ended in three points rather than six, the proficiency of Evitts allowed Kutztown (5-2, 3-1 PSAC East) to steadily widen the gap on the scoreboard over the course of the game. The senior kicker, a transfer from Erie C.C., was a perfect 5-of-5 in hitting from 31, 41, 31, 36 and 39 yards to tie Matt Dineen's program single-game record set against Cheyney back in Oct. 2009.
 
If Shippensburg (3-4, 2-2 PSAC East) was expecting a run-heavy script from the Bears, they got it early on with McNeil taking handoffs from Donny Blaine (Jefferson Township, Pa./North Pocono) on three of the first four plays. But all that did was open the secondary and Blaine took advantage, finding Jerome Kapp (Barto, Pa./Boyertown) for 54 yards and the ice-breaking touchdown 2:49 in.
 
Kapp led the Maroon and Gold in catches (four) and receiving yards (86), but in doing so he went over 100 career receptions (101), moved into a tie for ninth in program history with his 19th TD catch and ascended to 10th on the career receiving list with 1,804 yards.
 
Late in the first, the host Raiders stopped Davis-McNeil on 4th-and-2 from the SU 27. The Shippensburg offense answered with a three-play, 74-yard drive, scoring its only touchdown of the day on a 49-yard pass from Sam Johnson III to Ian Sheehan to tie the game 7-7.
 
Runs of 19 and 25 yards from Davis-McNeil set up Evitts' first field goal of the afternoon in the opening minutes of the second as the Golden Bears retook the lead, 10-7. A botched second-down snap on Shippensburg's next possession pinned the Raiders up against their own goal line. Eventually they'd have to punt and KU found itself in position to score again starting at the SU 23-yard line.
 
A big third-down sack by the Raiders forced another try from Evitts and this time he was good from 41 to make it 13-7 with 7:27 left in the first half.
 
Jaxson Montross responded with a 39-yard field goal for Shippensburg, closing the gap to 13-10, but Evitts restored KU's six-point edge at the half by closing a 13-play, 49-yard drive that ate up the final 4:02 with a successful kick from 31 yards out.
 
The teams traded punts to start the second half, before Davis-McNeil and Jordan Davis (Franklin, N.J./Saint Joseph Metuchen) led the Bears inside the Ship red zone midway through the third. Evitts was called on once again from 36 yards and converted his fourth field goal in as many attempts.
 
Kutztown's offense went back to work immediately as Redd Douglas fumbled the kick return and Brandon Strausser (Reading, Pa./Governor Mifflin) recovered at the Raiders' 36. Evitts nailed another field goal, this one from 39 yards, to make it 22-10 Bears with less than a minute to play in the third.
 
Wearing down teams with the run has become a patent of this 2022 KU football team and they showed it again Saturday. Following a 20-play, 68-yarder that encompassed 12:58 and saw the Bears run the ball on 18 consecutive plays in the fourth quarter against Bloomsburg last week, KU was at it again with 12 runs on 14 plays in a game-clinching 80-yard drive that took 8:32 and finished with a one-yard Davis-McNeil touchdown to extend the visitors' lead to 29-10 with just over six minutes to go.
 
Cornerback Justin Harris (Deptford, N.J./Salem) intercepted Johnson III on the first play of Shippensburg's next possession and KU ran out the clock from there.
 
Kutztown simply didn't allow Shippensburg the opportunity to compete, dominating the ball on offense and watching its defense get off the field in five plays or less on 10-of-11 Shippensburg possessions.
 
The Golden Bears outgained the Raiders 384-131, recorded 21 first downs to Shippensburg's eight and limited the home team to 18 yards rushing. It was the fewest rushing yards allowed by KU since holding Cheyney to 13 Nov. 4, 2017. Over the past two meetings Shippensburg has run for just 37 yards combined after the Bears held them to 19 yards last year at Andre Reed Stadium.
 
Tom Pellegrino (Hackettstown, N.J./West Morris Central) had a team-high four tackles (0.5 for loss), while fellow interior lineman Earl Volz (Philadelphia, Pa./Father Judge) had 1.0 tackles for loss and three tackles overall. Cody Scherer (Lehighton, Pa./Lehighton) joined Harris with an interception and CJ Brown (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) had a pass breakup on what was generally a light day of work for the Golden Bear defense.
 
Blaine threw for 170 yards and the TD to Kapp while going 16-of-27. Davis rushed a career-high 23 times for 55 yards. Five different receivers had at least two catches behind Kapp's four.
 
Sheehan led Shippensburg with six catches for 68 yards and a score, while Khalid Dorsey ran nine times for 44 yards. Terrance Peterson Jr. led the Raiders' defensive efforts with 12 tackles, including 2.5 TFL and 1.5 sacks. Matt Feeney registered 10 tackles (2.0 TFL), Tyler Simon nine (1.5 TFL) and Isaiah Gilmore eight (1.0 TFL).
 
Kutztown will carry a three-game winning streak into next Saturday's Homecoming game against Lock Haven, which will kickoff at 3 p.m. from Andre Reed Stadium.
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