SHEPHERDSTOWN, W. Va. – The Bloomsburg football team fell to #3 Shepherd University 55-10 Saturday afternoon. With the loss, the Huskies dropped to 3-5 on the year and 2-4 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East contests, while Shepherd improved to 9-0 and 6-0 in the conference.
 
The Rams scored a pair of touchdowns in each quarter, with a misplay on the point-after attempt in the second meant just 13 points in that frame. The Huskies got on the board with a field goal midway through the second, and sophomore Kaleb Monaco (Pocono Pines, Pa./Pocono Mountain West) rushed for a score in the third.
 
Monaco led the rush with 37 yards on 11 carries, while John Ayres (Mt. Carmel, Pa./Mt. Carmel) carried the ball six times for 23 yards. Freshman KJ Riley (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) was 6-for-17 with 78 passing yards. Sophomore Nas Jones (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport Area) caught three passes for 43 yards.
 
Jamese Lundy-Byrd (Chester, Pa./Chichester) had three returns for 68 yards, and Chris Monaco (Pocono Pines, Pa./Pocono Mountain West) had a pair of returns for 41. Kaleb Monaco (Pocono Pines, Pa./Pocono Mountain West) had two returns for 19 yards.
 
Defensively, sophomore Nate Capers (Royersford, Pa./Spring-Ford) led the Huskies with 11 total tackles, including seven solo and four assisted. Darnell Hightower (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) had eight tackles in his first start for Bloomsburg and recovered a fumble early in the first quarter.
 
Kevin Carrigan (Warrington, Pa./Central Bucks South) took care of the punting, averaged 42.3 yards on six punts, and had 190 yards on three kickoffs, including one touchback. Brendan McGonigle (Ocean City, N.J./Ocean City) connected on an 18-yard field goal in the second quarter and an extra point in the third.
 
After a scoreless first quarter for the Huskies, Bloomsburg put together a 12-play, 66-yard drive that started in the first and took the clock down to 9:39 in the second. Ayres started the drive with a 12-yard run to pick up the first down and get the Huskies close to midfield at their 45-yard line. After Riley was pushed back three yards, Ayres picked up another six, and Riley connected with Joes for a 17-yard catch and another Husky first down at the Shepherd 35. Riley rushed for five yards before a Shepherd penalty gave Bloomsburg another first down at the Shepherd 15. Ayres got the Huskies down to the four-yard line with a nine-yard rush, but the Huskies couldn't break the goal line, and McGonigle hit his 18-yard field goal.
 
The Rams answered with a touchdown on their next two possessions to close out the half with a 27-3 lead.
 
Shepherd got into the endzone on its first possession of the third quarter, but the Huskies answered right back with a 10-play, 79-yard drive that took 4:19. Riley found Jones once again for a 17-yard catch and another nine-yard play before Kaleb Monaco (Pocono Pines, Pa./Pocono Mountain West) picked up the first down with a two-yard rush. Riley had his longest passing play of the game as he found Jerry Griffen-Batchler (Norristown, Pa./Germantown Academy) for a 28-yard play to get down to the Shepherd 24-yard line. On a 3^rd-and-6 from the Shepherd 20, Monaco picked up another 11 yards and a first down before finding his way into the endzone from nine yards out. The rushing score was the first of the season for Monaco. McGonigle finished the scoring drive with a good extra point.
 
Shepherd came back and scored on its next possession before putting two more touchdowns up in the fourth.
 
The Huskies' offensive line did not give up a sack to the Rams. It was just the second game this season the Rams did not take down the quarterback.

Bloomsburg gets back to action next Saturday when the Huskies Millersville in a PSAC East clash for Senior Day. Kickoff is set for 2:00 p.m. from Danny Hale Field at Redman Stadium.