Game Preview - Bloomsburg

The Golden Rams (4-3, 3-1) welcome the Bloomsburg Huskies (5-2, 4-0) to Farrell Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff for homecoming is scheduled for 2:00 pm and the game will be televised live on ESPN3 and PHL17.

Series History:
West Chester leads the overall series 47-26 and these two schools always seem to play big games. Last year was no exception as both teams were nationally ranked and undefeated when they met. Bloomsburg head coach Paul Darragh entered his third season with a record of 21-4. The reigning PSAC East Coach of the Year is 2-1 against the Golden Rams.

Last 10 Meetings:

Year	H/A	W/L	Score	Year	H/A	W/L	Score
2007	Home	Win	44-28	2011	Home	Loss	55-42
2008	Away	Win	24-21	2012	Away	Loss	24-23
2008	Away	Loss	28-21	2013	Home	Loss	31-28
2009	Home	Win	30-14	2013	Away	Win	40-38
2010	Away	Loss	45-21	2014	Away	Loss	41-10

Last Meeting:

10/26/2014 Bloomsburg 41 - West Chester 10

The Huskies did what they do - ran the ball 47 times for 454 yards - and controlled the game from start to finish in front of 7,300 fans in Redman Stadium. Eddie Elliott rushed for 64 yards and Brandon Monk gained 62 yards on the ground. Tight end Tim Brown had four catches for 53 yards and West Chester's only touchdown of the game. Bloomsburg's defense had four interceptions and five sacks in the contest. The Golden Ram defense was led by Brandon Pepper who had seven tackles and Andrew Cohen who registered six tackles including a sack.

Scouting the Opponent:

The Husky story is really no different year in and year out. A top overall defense to keep opponents off the scoreboard and a strong rushing offense to control the clock and score enough points to win. When it comes to that rushing offense, sure Lawrence Elliott Jr. (133 carries, 879 yards, 6 TD’s) is second in the PSAC in rushing and Joe Parsnik (95 carries, 274 yards, 8 TD’s) makes a significant contribution, but they have a lot of help. Four of Bloomsburg’s offensive lineman were All-PSAC East last season including guards Christian Whiteside, John Garland, center Ryan Geiger and tackle Dakota Hoagland. Quarterback Tim Kelly (91 of 177 for 998 yards, 4 TD’s, 6 INT’s) is asked to manage the offense and is quite effective at that task. Receivers Chad Hoffman (23 catches, 296 yards, 1 TD) and Connor Gades (16 catches, 152 yards, 2 TD’s) provide an outlet for Kelly’s passes.

The Bloomsburg defense is led by linebacker Tyrik Clary (26 tackles, 5.5 TFL’s) and safety Jerrin Toomey (34 tackles, 2 interceptions). Defensive lineman Joe Wetty has six of the Husky’s 22 sacks. Cornerback Gary Postell (19 tackles, 5 pass breakups) and tackle Jeremiah Lowery (17 tackles, 4.5 TFL’s) were both All-PSAC East last year as was strong safety Donovan Morris (29 tackles, 2 interceptions).

Kicker Tyler Smith is 6 of 10 on field goals with a long of 47 yards. He has missed only one PAT on 24 attempts. Will Wagner is third in the PSAC in punting, averaging 41.4 yards/punt. Elliott handles the punt and kick return duties to make him second in the PSAC in all-purpose yards.

Analysis:

As mentioned in the scouting report, Bloomsburg usually has a good defense and this season is no exception. Their defense leads the PSAC in scoring (15 points/game) and total yards (307 yards/game), and held Shippensburg to just two field goals. They only give up 108 yards rushing and 198 yards passing and have already amassed 22 sacks. So the Golden Ram offensive line will need to be at the top of their game to move the ball and put up points.

On the flip side, Bloomsburg has actually struggled somewhat offensively. Although they’re third in the PSAC in rushing yards (240 yards/game), they’re only 12th in total yards and 11th in scoring (27 points/game). But since they run the ball, they keep it away from their opponents and are among the leaders in time of possession. If West Chester can somehow stop the Husky running game and force them to throw, it should lead to shorter possessions and more opportunities for the West Chester offense.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Audio   Video  

West Chester Athletic Site - West Chester Announces Preparations For Homecoming Weekend

PSAC Site - Football Notes Week 8

Bloomsburg Athletic Site - Huskies to Face Huge Test at West Chester

KYW Newsradio - West Chester Hosts Bloomsburg For Homecoming Saturday

Daily Item - Bloomsburg has PSAC East showdown

D2football - PSAC Columnist - Week 8 Full of Critical Games in the PSAC