Golden Ram Football Club: Game Preview

The Golden Rams (6-3, 5-1) host the Millersville Marauders (2-7, 1-5) on Saturday. Kickoff at John A. Farrell Stadium is scheduled for noon. West Chester will be celebrating Military Appreciation Day. In addition, the Golden Rams will honor senior members of the football team, cheerleading squad, marching band and athletic training staff. The game will be televised by SPORTSfever Television Network and be broadcast live on ESPN3.

Series History:
West Chester leads the overall series 66-17. Golden Ram head coach Bill Zwaan remains perfect against the Marauders in his 13 years at West Chester. Head coach Greg Breitbach is in his fourth season at the helm of the Marauders. Millersville's only wins this season were in the season opener over Pace (0-9) and last week over Cheyney (1-8).

Last 10 Meetings:

Year	H/A	W/L	Score	Year	H/A	W/L	Score
2006	Home	Win	54-27	2011	Away	Win	49-13
2007	Away	Win	42-14	2012	Home	Win	56-14
2008	Home	Win	41-10	2013	Away	Win	48-3
2009	Away	Win	63-10	2014	Home	Win	62-7
2010	Home	Win	45-14	2015	Away	Win	48-3

Last Meeting:

09/26/2015 West Chester 48 - Millersville 3

After getting off to a slow start, the Golden Rams offense rolled up 488 yards and 48 points. Meanwhile, the West Chester defense held the Marauders to just 202 total yards and a 47-yard field goal.

Kavon Johnson had five tackles including two for loss. Kyle Keyser, Pete Galiano, Shaquille James and Kevin Duggan each had three tackles with Keyser also forcing a fumble and Duggan recording his first collegiate quarterback sack. Kevin Malone also had an interception.

Quarterback Pat Moriarty threw for 195 yards and three touchdowns with Shannon Mayer pulling in three catches for 64 yards and a score. Jarel Elder had 26 yards on the ground and two touchdowns on just seven carries. Mike Class had 40 yards rushing and Eerin Young picked up 37 yards on the ground.

Scouting the Opponent:

Senior quarterback J.J. Paige (129 of 229, 1,593 yards, 9 TD's, 7 interceptions) has Millersville's passing game in the middle of the pack in the PSAC. Redshirt freshman Tony Staffieri (32 of 74, 461 yards, 3 TD's, 4 int's) started at quarterback in back-to-back games against East Stroudsburg and Lock Haven. Top targets are Kevin Wiggins (37 catches, 582 yards, 5 TD's), freshman Christian Kemp (18 catches, 300 yards, 2 TD's) and tight end Tyler Zilen (26 catches, 240 yards, 2 TD's). Running back Phil Overton (114 carries, 415 yards, 2 TD's) is their top ball carrier.

Punter Evan Stahl has the best average in the PSAC at 41.9 yards per punt. He's boomed nine punts over 50 yards and has landed 11 of his 52 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line. Stahl also does the kicking and is 6 of 11 on field goals with a long of 38, but has had three blocked. He's 15 of 19 on PAT's.

Outside linebacker Sean Dugan (91 total tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss) leads the entire PSAC in tackles. The other two guys in the middle are freshman Jaleel Robinson (20 total tackles, 2 pick-sixes) and freshman Cameron Boykin (45 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss). The main force up front is Morgan Faughnan (23 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 3 QB hurries). In the secondary, strong safety Kendall Marks (51 total tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 4 pass breakups) and free safety P.J. Santos (43 total tackles, 4 interceptions) are all over the field.

Analysis:

Millersville's offense is really struggling as they're at or near the bottom of the conference in scoring, total yards and rushing yards. Although their passing yardage is average, their pass efficiency is near the bottom. However, the most glaring statistic that should have the Golden Ram defensive line licking their chops is sacks allowed. Out of 170 teams in Division II, Millersville ranks 170, having allowed 91 sacks this season, or 5.7 per game. With their running game only gaining 77 yards per game, this looks to be no contest against the West Chester defense. Stahl's one of the best punters in the country, so Anthony Brown should be prepared to drop back an extra five yards or so on returns.

The Marauders are an average team on defense, and even though they only have eight interceptions as a team, they have returned three of them for touchdowns. The Golden Rams should be able to be effective on the ground, thus minimizing opportunities for picks.

Atomic Football projects a 38-10 Golden Ram win while Massey Ratings shows a similar 38-7 score.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats Audio Video (also WPHL17)