Golden Ram Football Club: Game Preview

The Golden Rams (7-3) close the 2016 campaign with a road trip to Clarion (4-6). Kickoff in Memorial Stadium is set for noon. Even though the Golden Eagles are only 4-6, they're coming off back-to-back wins over Slippery Rock and Gannon.

Series History:
West Chester leads the overall series with the Golden Eagles 19-3. Despite being in the other division of the PSAC, West Chester head coach Bill Zwaan has already faced Clarion seven times in his 13 years at the helm and is perfect against them, winning those seven contests by an average score of 38-16. The Golden Eagles' last two wins in the series happened in 2000 and 2002, and both of those games were in Clarion.

Former Clarion quarterback Chris Weibel is in his second season as head coach of his alma mater. Weibel, who played in 1993, 1995-1998 with a medical redshirt in 1997, guided the Golden Eagles to the NCAA Division II semi-finals in 1996. The Golden Rams edged Weibel's Golden Eagles in 1998 by a 44-40 score.

Believe it or not, these two schools played for the conference championship three times in four seasons back in the late 60's. The Golden Rams lost by two in 1966, but won in 1967 by a score of 27-7 and in 1969 in a 41-34 game. All three of those games were played in West Chester. One of the most memorable moments in recent history between these two schools was at Clarion in 2012 when kicker Shawn Leo narrowly missed a 57-yard field goal attempt as time expired in the first half. However, he did convert on his four other attempts- 40, 32, 45, 36 - in the game.

Saturday will mark senior day at Clarion and if the ceremonies are anything like they were in 2012, be prepared for lengthy bios on every senior in the stadium.

Last 10 Meetings:

Year	H/A	W/L	Score	Year	H/A	W/L	Score
2000	Away	Loss	28-21	2005	Home	Win	43-14
2001	Home	Win	16-14	2006	Away	Win	49-21
2002	Away	Loss	34-28	2007	Home	Win	49-21
2003	Home	Win	35-17	2012	Away	Win	33-12
2004	Away	Win	20-17	2014	Home	Win	41-14

Last Meeting:

11/16/2013 West Chester 41- Clarion 14

Coming off the first loss of the season, the 9-1 Golden Rams rolled over Clarion on their way to the NCAA Division II playoffs and national semi-finals. Of the 502 yards of offense that West Chester gained, then freshman Shannon Mayer had two catches for 13 yards. The only defenders still on the roster that played in that game were linebacker Ralph Reeves who had two tackles and cornerback Blaise Schieler who started and registered two tackles and a pass breakup.

Scouting the Opponent:

Like so many teams in the PSAC this season, Clarion has used multiple quarterbacks. Senior Connor Simmons (152 of 268, 2,149 yards, 19 TD's, 8 interceptions) is the primary guy but missed three games in the middle of the season due to injury. In those three games against Seton Hill, California, and Indiana, redshirt freshman Jeff Clemens (40 of 94, 477 yards, 6 TD's, 6 int) filled in. Simmons has played the past two games, earning PSAC Western Division Offensive Athlete of the Week for his game last week against Gannon. Both quarterbacks spread the ball around. Senior Matt Lehman (48 catches, 763 yards, 7 TD's) was All-PSAC West last year and classmate Kevin Genevro (58 catches, 913 yards, 12 TD's) is pressing for similar recognition this season. The Golden Eagles also work in youngsters redshirt freshman Seneca Williams (12 catches, 189 yards, 2 TD's) and true freshman Greg Leonard (20 catches, 197 yards, 2 TD's). Running back Delrece Williams (155 carries, 727 yards, 5 TD's) was All-PSAC West last season. Finally sophomore Kyle Evans (43 carries, 226 yards, 1 TD; 24 catches, 306 yards, 1 TD) is a multiple threat as he also returns punts and kicks.

Besides Evans, other special teams performers are kicker Phil Esposito (7-10 FG, long 42, 2 blocked; 10 of 44 kickoffs for touchbacks; 30 of 33 PAT) who was All-PSAC West last year and is the reigning PSAC Western Division Special Teams Athlete of the Week while Scott Ayers (40 punts, 37.8 avg, 11 inside 20, 5 50+) does the punting.

Clarion's top player on defense is All-PSAC West defensive tackle Matt Koerper (22 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 3 QB hurries), however, he has missed the last three games due to an injury. So the leader on the line is sophomore defensive end Tyrone Archie (35 total tackles, 5.0 sacks). The Golden Eagles' two top linebackers are sophomore Layne Skundrich (78 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 3 pass breakups) and senior Jacob Craig (68 total tackles, 5 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles). The secondary is young with freshman cornerback Tyrone Cromwell (55 total tackles, 3 interceptions, 5 pass breakups), freshman safety Sam Fareri (50 total tackles, 4 pass breakups) and junior free safety Colton McKay (50 total tackles, 4 pass breakups).

Analysis:

Clarion's defense is absolutely last in the PSAC in total yards allowed, so the Golden Rams should be able to choose how they want to move the ball in this game. Only East Stroudsburg allows more rushing yards per game and the Golden Eagles are third from the bottom is pass defense efficiency. On the other side of the ball, expect to see Clarion to throw the ball, a lot, and that means opportunities for more interceptions for the Golden Ram secondary.

A couple of areas of concern are special teams and penalties. Clarion has the top punt return team in the conference. West Chester's special teams has been playing well over the last several games, but this may be a more difficult test. The other interesting area is penalties. Clarion's opponents draw the most flags in the PSAC which is not a good sign for a penalty prone West Chester team.

While Atomic Football projects a 35-22 Golden Ram victory, Massey Ratings shows a narrower West Chester margin in a 31-24 score.

Game Coverage:

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