Game Report - West Chester 66 - Cheyney 14

When West Chester’s first drive ended in a quick three-and-out and the second one ended with just three points after having a first and goal from the seven, the crowd started to wonder if the team was looking ahead to Bloomsburg. And the squirming in the stands continued when Cheyney drove 78 yards and scored a touchdown to close the lead to 10-7 early in the second quarter.

But Andrew Derr connected with Erick Brundidge on a 67-yard touchdown pass to settle the onlookers. And late in the first half, Derr ran the two-minute drill to perfection, culminating in a 21-yard touchdown pass to Tim Keyser who made the catch sliding on his knees. West Chester took a 24-7 lead into the locker room with the game headed in the right direction.

Eddie Elliot had 54 yards receiving and 67 yards rushing (Photo Geoff Ruth)

West Chester started the second half with much more motivation than the first. Behind a Chris DiValentino sack, the defense forced a three-and-out. Rondell White then accounted for all 63 offensive yards – 16 rushing, 47 receiving – for the next Golden Ram touchdown.

DiValentino struck again – sacking the Cheyney quarterback and forcing a fumble that was scooped up by Drew Persa who returned it 13 yards for the touchdown. The defensive intensity remained when 300lb Demrick “Prime Time” Cook picked off a pass and rumbled 28 yards on the return. West Chester wasted little time as Derr hit Brundidge on a 25-yard touchdown pass for the one play drive, extending the lead to 45-7.

Demrick Cook returns an interception (Photo Geoff Ruth)

Cheyney responded with a 76-yard drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown run to open the fourth quarter. Then it was Brandon Monk’s turn to shine. The sophomore running back accounted for all 69 yards on the ground on West Chester’s next touchdown drive. Since the Golden Ram secondary was depleted, the line stepped up again as Shaquil Ryder intercepted a Cheyney pass and returned it 18 yards to the Cheyney 2. Behind the blocking of Jamiel Sims, Jared Bonacquisti got his first rushing touchdown of the season to extend the lead to 59-14. The scoring finally ended when Eddie Elliott put on a beautiful spin move and raced 59 yards for the final touchdown.

Notes - Expect West Chester to drop to #2 in the regional rankings when they are released early next week. Although the Golden Rams remain undefeated, the other main component of the rankings is strength of schedule (SOS) or opponents' winning percentage (OWP). West Chester's SOS took a significant blow by playing winless Cheyney and previous opponents New Haven and California both lost. This situation will rectify itself on Saturday when the Golden Rams host Bloomsburg (8-1) for the PSAC East crown...Besides quarterback Sean McCartney and Byron Cooper who both got hurt in last week's game, cornerback Al-Hajj Shabazz and linebacker Mike Labor did not dress. Right guard James Colivas dressed but did not play...Defensive backs Kevin Malone and John McGilligan were injured in the game and did not return...While no West Chester defender had more than five tackles, 31 different players registered tackles for the Golden Rams...Kicker Shawn Leo was perfect on the day, converting a 23-yard field goal and all 9 PAT's...Mike Culbreath and Kavon Johnson also registered sacks...Of the 513 fans in attendance, a great majority of them were from the visiting school...A note to the Philadelphia media - West Chester has as many wins as the three Division 1 football playing teams (Temple, Villanova and Penn) combined.

Sortable Box Score

West Chester Athletic Site - Derr Leads No. 10 West Chester To 66-14 Win At Cheyney

Daily Local News - West Chester cruises past Cheyney for 9-0 mark

Philly.com - West Chester routs Cheyney, 66-14

Bert Garbutt - Photo Collage WCU Football vs Cheyney

Cheyney Athletic Site - Garcia Dominates on D

D2football - PSAC Columnist - Championship Picture Gets Clearer After Week 9