Game Preview - Shippensburg

The Golden Rams (7-0, 4-0) play their third consecutive homecoming contest when they travel to Shippensburg (5-2, 4-0) on Saturday. Both teams are looking to stay perfect in the PSAC East and both still have yet to face also undefeated Bloomsburg (7-0, 4-0).

Series History:
West Chester leads the overall series 23-10-1. In his ten years at West Chester, Bill Zwaan is 8-3 against the Raiders. In the final regular season game of the 2004 season, Shippensburg knocked off the Golden Rams at Farrell Stadium in overtime. But two weeks later in the second round of the NCAA playoffs, West Chester avenged that loss in Shippensburg. West Chester took the next four contests during the Golden Rams' run of qualifying for the NCAA playoffs from 2005-2008. Shippensburg won in 2009 and went on to win the PSAC championship that season.

In one of the most memorable games in West Chester football history, current Golden Ram quarterback Sean McCartney made his first collegiate start and threw for 444 yards and five touchdowns to lead West Chester to a 44-43 victory in two overtimes in a nationally televised Thursday night game. Two years ago, West Chester laid a 52-17 loss on the Raiders. But Shippensburg returned the favor last season, beating West Chester 42-24 on homecoming at Farrell Stadium. The Raiders went on to play in the PSAC championship game and the NCAA playoffs last year.

Last 10 Meetings:

Year	H/A	W/L	Score	Year	H/A	W/L	Score
2004	Home	Loss	24-21 OT	2008	Home	Win	25-7
2004	Away	Win	33-28	2009	Away	Loss	24-19
2005	Away	Win	24-16	2010	Home	Win	44-43 2OT
2006	Home	Win	24-0	2011	Away	Win	52-17
2007	Away	Win	34-29	2012	Home	Loss	42-24

Last Meeting:

10/20/2012 Shippensburg 42 - West Chester 24

The Golden Rams raced out to a 21-0 nothing lead over the #13 Shippensburg Raiders and held a 24-21 advantage after a scoreless third quarter, but an undermanned West Chester defense couldn't offset numerous penalties and Shippensburg ripped off 21 unanswered fourth quarter points for the 42-24 win to spoil West Chester's homecoming for the fourth year in a row. West Chester was also hurt by four turnovers, three sacks and 117 yards in penalties.

For West Chester, Rondell White had 119 yards rushing and 56 yards receiving and Jim Kelly had seven catches for 113 yards. Shippensburg was led by Zach Zulli (29-49, 342 yards, 5 TDs, 0 sacks) who would go on to capture the PSAC East Offensive Player of the Year and Harlon Hill awards. Jake Baskerville had nine catches for 139 yards and Trevor Harman caught five passes for 81 yards and four touchdowns.

Scouting the Opponent:

It's hard to get a really good read on this Shippensburg team. When they started the season 0-2, everyone thought they had taken a large step back from their playoff run last year. In retrospect, the Raiders lost to two of the best teams in Super Region I in Shepherd (7-0) and Slippery Rock (6-1). They then defeated East Stroudsburg by a score of 41-31. They've since gone 4-0, but their opponents during that stretch are a combined 4-24.

What is known is that they have a potent passing offense. Led by reigning Harlon Hill winner quarterback Zach Zulli (178-296, 2,125 yards, 22 TD's, 9 inteceptionns), the Raiders are posting 325 yards per game through the air. Top receivers are Trevor Harman (PSAC leading 64 catches, 917 yards, 12 TD's), Sheldon Mayer (41 catches, 470 yards, 6 TD's), and Quran Kent (20 catches, 219 yards, 3 TD's). The running game is led by Blair Brooks (84 carries, 600 yards, 5 TD's). Reserve quarterback Chris Lawshe has only attempted 27 passes, but he does contribute to the running game (41 carries, 229 yards, 4 TD's). Their line has allowed 23 sacks already.

Brooks and Shannon Maura serve as Shippensburg's kick returners and both have returned one for a touchdown. Mayer leads the PSAC in punt return average and has also taken one the distance. Drew Newcomer (5-9 field goals, long of 49, 36-39 PAT's) is their kicker while Nate Schmidt handles the punting. Schmidt averages 39.5 yards per boot, and has nailed six inside the 20, and five have gone longer than 50 yards, but he has had two blocked.

The Shippensburg pass defense is sixth in the PSAC, yielding only 203 yards per game. They're tied for tops in the conference with 27 sacks, but only two interceptions. Individually they are led by linebackers Cortlin Dell (52 tackles, 5.5 TFL's, 5 QB hurries), Brian Sourber (48 tackles, 8 TFL's) and Chase Fleming (25 tackles, 7.5 TFL's). The big man up front is 6'7" All-PSAC defensive end Jake Metz (50 tackles, 16 TFL's, 10 sacks, 3 QB hurries). The secondary is led by All-PSAC strong safety Mike Goode (38 tackles, 1 interception, 5 pass breakups).

Analysis:

Under third-year head coach Mark Maciejewski, Shippensburg is 23-8 overall and 14-1 at home, however that one loss came at the hands of the Golden Rams in 2011. With Saturday being homecoming, there should be a large crowd on hand to see the matchup between two undefeated teams in the PSAC East. Zulli to Harman is a lethal connection for their opponents, so limiting their time on the field will be key. With the Raiders being dead last in the PSAC in time of possession, this seems like an achievable task. West Chester needs to maintain their solid running game and eliminate turnovers to control the clock. For the passing game to be successful, the offensive line has to give extra attention to Metz and company. In games where the Raiders fail to register a sack, they're 0-2. Keep McCartney clean and the prospects of a WCU win increase dramatically.

It will be interesting to see how West Chester approaches kickoffs. Since the Raiders have already returned two for touchdowns and the Golden Rams already surrendered one for a touchdown, the squib kick employed at Millersville and the second half against California might be used. This may mean good starting field position for the Raiders and extra pressure on the Golden Ram defense, but it's probably worth the trade of the quick six and a raucous homecoming crowd that a kick return for touchdown would bring. Mayer will be the most aggressive punt returner that West Chester will face this season.

Shippensburg doesn't pose a significant running threat and they are yielding a lot of sacks. Shippensburg is winless when they fail to rush for at least 100 yards and the Golden Rams have the sixth best rushing defense in the country. There's no doubt that putting pressure on the line and Zulli is critical, it's just a question of how this is accomplished. Expect to see several varieties of blitzes to keep their offensive line off balance and maximize the effectiveness of the secondary. Hopefully, Harman gets more attention than he did in last year's game.

Notes:
Besides staying undefeated in the PSAC East, these two team will be playing for bragging rights in the Mayer household in Norristown. Shippensburg receiver and punt returner Sheldon is the older brother of West Chester wide receiver Shannon. Their older brother, Sean, started on the offensive line for the Golden Rams in 2009...Those that want to get a look at the Raiders can watch the rebroadcast of their 41-31 win over East Stroudsburg on The Comcast Network on Thursday, October 24 at 8:00 pm. Take special note of their work in the two-minute drill at the end pf the first half (76 yards in 5 plays and 46 seconds) and the wild fourth quarter including an 81-yard touchdown pass from Zulli to Harman, a 96-yard kickoff return for touchdown by Maura, and a 67-yard touchdown run by Lawshe.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Audio   Video

PSAC Site - Football - Week 8 Notes

Shippensburg Athletic Site - Red Raider Football Hosts No. 13 West Chester Saturday in Pivotal PSAC East Showdown

Public Opinion - Unbeaten West Chester to invade Shippensburg's territory

KYW Newsradio - West Chester Visits Shippensburg In Critical PSAC Showdown

The Sentinel - Stakes high for upstart Shippensburg

The Sentinel - Football Preview: West Chester at Shippensburg

Daily Local News - WCU gets major test against Shippensburg

D2football - PSAC Columnist - Breaking Down Week 8 in the PSAC