Golden Ram Football Club: Game Preview

The Golden Rams (8-2) host Indiana (10-0) at John A. Farrell Stadium on Saturday at 12:10 pm with the winner being crowned the PSAC Champion. West Chester has 18 PSAC championships, but none since the championship game between the East and the West was re-instituted in 2008. The Golden Rams last appeared in the PSAC championship game in 2015 when they fell to Slippery Rock by a score of 61-12. Indiana has 17 conference titles with their last one coming in their last appearance in the championship in 2012. The Crimson Hawks are currently ranked #1 in the D2football.com poll and #3 in the AFCA poll.

This season, Indiana and West Chester had four common opponents. The only outcome that the two teams did not share was Slippery Rock (Indiana won 34-17, West Chester lost 49-42). The game will also serve as Senior Day when West Chester University senior band members, cheerleaders, football players and the team training staff will be honored before the game.

Series History:
Indiana leads the overall series 12-7. The teams faced each other twice in 1987 with both games being played at Farrell Stadium. West Chester won the season opener by a convincing 31-7 score, but in the PSAC championship game, Indiana won in an equally convincing manner, 21-9.

Head coach Bill Zwaan endeared himself to Golden Ram fans when he broke West Chester's five-game losing streak to Indiana and led West Chester to a 30-20 win in his first game against them in 2005. However, he then lost three straight to the Crimson Hawks, including a 45-35 home loss in the first round of the 2007 playoffs. In a game that vaulted West Chester into the the 2014 playoffs, the Golden Rams won at Indiana in their last meeting.

Indiana is currently under the direction of long-time assistant and first-year head coach Paul Tortorella who took over the position after Curt Cignetti left for Elon University. Tortorella has spent 22 years at Indiana with most of those coming as defensive coordinator.

Last 10 Meetings:

Year	H/A	W/L	Score	Year	H/A	W/L	Score
1987	Home	Loss	21-9	2005	Home	Win	30-20
1993	Home	Loss	37-26	2007	Home	Loss	45-35
1995	Away	Loss	50-7	2010	Away	Loss	27-10
1998	Home	Loss	19-10	2011	Home	Loss	34-7
1999	Away	Loss	12-9	2014	Away	Win	28-17

Last Meeting:

11/15/2014 West Chester 28 Indiana 17

The Golden Rams used several big plays with the most significant one being Brandon Monk's 80-yard, third-quarter punt return for a touchdown. Once the Crimson Hawks figured out their quarterback situation, they moved the ball well, although they only got into the red zone one time. Meanwhile, the West Chester offense was gaining yards in big chunks. Besides Monk's big return, another key area was turnovers where the Golden Rams won that battle 2-0.

Only a handful of Golden Rams that participated in that game three years ago are still on the roster - George Shipp, Jarel Elder, Vince Lostracco, John Dubyk, and Josh Ganzelli - with Lostracco and Shipp getting the start as redshirt freshman.

Scouting the Opponent:

Temple transfer quarterback Lenny Williams (170 of 251, 2,154 yards, 23 TD's, 6 ints) was All-PSAC West last season and leads the PSAC in passer efficiency. And although he's also added 250 yards on the ground on 55 carries, All-PSAC West running back Samir Bullock (155 carries, 992 yards, 11 TD's) and Justice Evans (105 carries, 601 yards, 6 TD's) get the bulk of the carries. The receiving corp is led by Allen Wright (59 catches, 587 yards, 3 TD's) and Dom McNeil (26 catches, 493 yards, 3 TD's).

Joining All-PSAC West center Jeff Arnold on the offensive line are transfers from Rutgers, Wake Forest and Delaware State.

Linebacker Damon Lloyd (78 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 2 int) is the team's top tackler with fellow linebacker Nick Amendola (72 tackles, 3.5 TFL) close behind. Defensive ends Deandre Easterling (25 tackles, 5.5 sacks) and Dondrea Tillman (37 tackles, 4.5 sacks) headline a team with 23 sacks this season. Two-time All-PSAC West and All-Super Region One defensive tackle Jemal Averette (37 tackles, 7.0 TFL) plugs up the middle.

In the secondary, cornerback JR Stevens (30 tackles, 6 int) leads the PSAC in passes defended. The Crimson Hawks have Temple transfer Anthony Davis (37 tackles, 3 int) at the other corner position. The free safety is Takhi Turner (57 tackles, 2 int) and the strong safety is Max Redfield (65 tackles, 3 int) who played 36 games, and started in 23 of them, in three years at Notre Dame before transferring to IUP.

Kicker Dillon Sarka (10 of 14 FG, 44 of 50 PAT) is second in the PSAC in field goals made and has a long of 46 yards while the punter is East Stroudsburg transfer Nico Ruiz (37.7 avg, 7 I20, 3 50+). McNeil is the primary kick returner while Mike Pietropola returns punts.

Analysis:

These two teams are among the top five in the PSAC in scoring offense and defense, total offense and defense, and rushing offense and defense. While the passing offenses and defenses are not as good as the other areas, they are still above average. One area of significant concern is Indiana leads the PSAC with 19 interceptions. And an area where "something has to give" is when the Crimson Hawks are passing the ball - the West Chester defense leads the PSAC with 31 sacks while the Indiana offense has only allowed seven. And believe it or not, Indiana has more penalties and penalty yards than West Chester.

Since this game was not on the original schedule, neither Atomic Football nor Massey Ratings has a prediction for this game. However, using Massey's Matchup Tool shows an Indiana 35-24 win.

Game Coverage:

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