With the talk all week about establishing the running game, controlling the clock and keeping the ball out of Shippensburg quarterback Zack Zulli's right hand, there was a sneaky suspicion that the Rams would come out throwing. And they did just that with Mike Mattei hitting Jim Kelly with a 16-yard strike on the first play from scrimmage. West Chester's first three drives of the game were filled with a step backward followed by a step forward. The opening possession continued with a Mattei sack followed by a 26-yard completion. A silly WCU substitution penalty was followed by a Rondell White 17-yard touchdown run. On the Rams' second possession, a Mattei sack and a WCU personal foul penalty were followed by a 77-yard touchdown pass to Tom Shrader. And on the third possession, a three-yard loss and a false start penalty were followed by two completions to Kelly, the second being a 42-yard touchdown.
The good news was that West Chester scored touchdowns on their first three possessions, while the defense held Shippensburg to a missed field goal and a couple of punts. Early in the second quarter, the Golden Rams were up 21-0 with the ball at midfield and things were looking good. Maybe too good. Images of Homecoming 2011 started to creep into everyone's mind. And they'd soon be realized.
A bad WCU center-quarterback exchange on the first play of the series gave the Raiders the ball back at midfield. Shippensburg used only four plays to cut the lead to 21-7. West Chester's next possession was cut short when Mattei threw an interception. This time, though, the Ram defense forced Zulli into three incomplete passes and a punt. But the punter was roughed, giving the Raiders the ball back with a fresh set of downs. West Chester gifted the Raiders another 15 yards with a personal foul penalty and Zulli later topped off the drive with another touchdown pass.
With the lead down to a touchdown, West Chester tried to regain control of the game and consume some clock. Although only gaining 15 yards, they managed to consume over four minutes of game time. And punter Rich Bruno pinned Shippensburg inside the 20. But the Raider offense was clicking as they went 86 yards in two and half minutes to knot the score at 21. With 70 seconds left in the half, Mattei used his arm for 28 yards and his legs for 14 yards which was enough to get into field goal position. Shawn Leo knocked the 40-yarder through and West Chester owned a 24-21 halftime lead over the #13 team in the country. It would be the last points the Golden Rams would score.
The defense opened the second half by forcing a three-and-out. On the Rams' first play of the second half, White broke a 64-yard run to the Shippensburg 5-yard line. But West Chester failed to score on White's next four carries as the Rams turned it over on downs. It was deflating to be that close and not cash in, but with Shippensburg pinned deep, the defense forced another three-and-out and West Chester soon had the ball again at midfield. The Rams managed a couple of first downs on nice catches by Jared Bonacquisti and Erick Brundidge. However, as West Chester crept closer to the red zone, a receiver zigged when he should have zagged and Mattei's pass went right into a Shippensburg defender's hands who returned the interception 77 yards to the Ram 15. The defense held yet again, forcing a Raider field goal attempt on fourth and seven. But West Chester jumped offside and with only two yards to go for the first down, Shippensburg choose to go for it and converted the first down, giving the Raiders a first and goal from the four. The Ram defense again stepped up, and Shippensburg settled for another field goal attempt. This time, however, a bad snapped slowed the play enough for Bob Sabol to come around the edge and block the attempt. Bullets were being dodged, and the third quarter would remain scoreless.
In the fourth quarter, the mistakes were too large to overcome, however. The Ram offense picked up a 15-yard face mask penalty and was forced to punt. The defense gave up a 20-yard completion which was extended by a 15-yard personal foul penalty. Three plays later, Shippensburg crossed the endzone to take the lead 28-24. What made this devastating is that the ball bounced out of the hands of safety John O'Donnell and into the receivers hands who walked into the end zone. The tide had turned. A brief set of downs and a short punt gave the Raiders the ball at their own 39. This time, in more typical Zulli fashion, Shippensburg went 61 yards in 80 seconds and the lead grew to 35-24.
After a couple of incomplete passes and a sack, West Chester was faced with a fourth and 18 from their own 43. Down two scores with around six minutes left to play, the Rams elected to punt, essentially surrendering the game. This time Shippensburg took their time scoring, using over five minutes and another WCU personal foul to make the final score 42-24.
Notes - Kelly had another 100-yard receiving day, catching 7 balls for 113 yards...White had another nice all-purpose day - 119 yards rushing and 56 receiving...Ronell Williams registered 18 total tackles...fellow linebacker Mike Culbreath tallied 14 total tackles, including one for a loss, and two pass breakups.
Injuries - It's worth noting the players that watched the game in street clothes due to injury: starting strong safety Carl Barnes and his backup Mike Lonergan; starting linebacker Mike Labor and his backup Drew Persa; starting cornerback Al-Haj Shabazz; fullback James Rosseau, wide receiver Tim Keyser, tight end Shawn Driggins. Add in players that were lost very early in the season like quarterback Sean McCartney, defensive tackles Mike Martin and Tylor Unger and it's easy to see that the coaches are doing a great job with a makeshift lineup. For example, Matt Carroll who moved from quarterback to rover this offseason, has since assumed the strong safety position. And Mike Culbreath is now starting at linebacker instead of backing up Ronell Williams. The lack of experienced depth on defense means a lot of playing time for everyone. Jared Bonacquisti showed his versatility last season, and is doing so again this year by playing tight end in those two tight end sets as well as his role as lead blocker and special teams performer.
West Chester Athletic Site - West Chester Falls To No. 13 Shippensburg, 42-24
Shippensburg Athletic Site - No. 13 Football Overcomes 21-Point Deficit, Shuts Out Golden Rams In Second Half En Route to 42-24 Victory
Daily Local News - WCU fades in second half, falls to Shippensburg
Penn Live - Shippensburg rallies to beat West Chester
The Sentinel - Raiders rally to remain unbeaten
Public Opinion - Shippensburg gets 12th straight win despite trailing early
Bert Garbutt - Photo Collage
D2football - PSAC Columnist - Ship stays unbeaten, Underdogs step up
