INDIANA – Senior quarterback Tyson Bagent (Martinsburg, W.Va./Martinsburg) completed 19-of-28 passes for 231 yards and four touchdowns, and junior running back Ronnie Brown (Baltimore/Dundalk) rushed 27 times for 137 yards and a pair of scores to lead Shepherd University (13-1) to a 48-13 win over indiana University of Pennsylvania (10-2) in the Super Region One title game of the 2022 NCAA II Football Championship. IUP took a 7-0 lead when Mak Sexton tossed an 18-yard scoring pass to Cole Laney with 8:35 left in the first quarter.
Bagent fired a 71-yard scoring strike to junior wide receiver Rodney Dorsey (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora/Towson) with 7:33 left in the first quarter to tie the game. Redshirt-sophomore kicker Jacob Haynie (Fairfax, Va./Robinson) added the extra point.
Bagent tossed an 18-yard scoring pass to freshman wide receiver Cameron Dorner (New Market, Md./Oakdale) with 5:35 left in the second quarter to give the Rams a 14-7 lead.
The Rams took a 21-7 lead when Bagent found senior tight end Brian Walker (Clarksburg, Md./Clarksburg) open in the end zone for a 17-yard scoring pass with 1:09 left in the half. The score was Bagent’s 158th career touchdown pass to eclipse the NCAA all-division mark of 157 previously held by Alex Tanney (Monmouth Illinois, 2007-11).
Brown opened up the second half scoring with a four-yard touchdown run with 12:11 left in the third quarter to up the lead to 28-7.
Bagent later eluded the IUP rush and fired a 17-yard scoring pass to Brown with 8:03 left in the third quarter.
Brown added a four-yard scoring run with 4:25 left in the third quarter to give the Rams a 42-7 advantage.
Redshirt sophomore defensive back Klayton Batten (Waldorf, Md./St. Charles) picked off an IUP pass and raced 28 yards for a score with 14:12 left.
Sexton teamed with Duane Brown on a three-yard scoring pass with 7:55 remaining to complete the scoring. \
Shepherd had 372 yards of total offense, while limiting IUP to 249 yards.
Sexton completed 16-of-30 passes for 210 yards and a pair of touchdowns for IUP.
Adam Houser had 22 carries for 46 yards to lead the Crimson Hawks.
Dorsey had four catches for 87 yards for the Rams. Junior wide receiver Alphonso Foray (Germantown, Md./Northwest/Lackawanna) added four catches for 26 yards. Brown had five catches for 65 yards to lead IUP.
Redshirt sophomore Devon Lynch (Springfield, Va./Robert E. Lee) recorded a game-high 11 tackles (five solos) for the Rams. He also added an interception and a fumble recovery. Drew Dinunzio-Biss had 10 tackles (four solos) to lead the Crimson Hawks.
Shepherd was seeded third in the national semifinals and will travel to face second-seeded Colorado School of Mines Dec. 10. Kickoff will be at 1:30 p.m. Eastern time.
