Game Report - West Chester 44 - Bentley 6

The game started in hot and steamy conditions and ended in a cool summer breeze. Sandwiched in between was a whole lot of whoopass as the Golden Rams rolled to a 44-6 win over Bentley.

At halftime, it seemed ridiculous to see that the West Chester defense held the Falcons to just 38 yards of offense. But then they topped that by yielding just 25 yards in the second half. Dominating in every sense of the word. Granted Bentley was without All-American wide receiver Austin Ryan and lost fellow receiver Drew Mahoney at the start of the second quarter, but the Golden Rams registered 15 tackles for loss on Bentley's 49 offensive plays. And most impressive was when Bentley started a possession on the West Chester 10, the Golden Rams allowed just two yards and a field goal.

Shaquille James and Jaishan Thornton each had interceptions and Nate Barnes landed on a fumble forced by Ch'aim Smith. Thorton's interception was particularly impressive as his man was past him, but he timed his breakup perfectly and the ball popped up for him to snare the pick. Barnes led the team in tackles with seven, including 3.5 sacks.

Meanwhile, the Golden Ram offense was efficient. Quarterback A.J. Long was 10 of 14 for 184 yards and two touchdowns through the air, and picked up 54 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. An ill-advised throw - two receivers among six defenders - did result in an interception and a long return, but that was about the only blemish on his game. Running backs Mark Dukes (101 yards and a touchdown) and Mike Class (28 yards and a touchdown) were as expected, as was receiver Rasheem James (6 catches for 82 yards and two touchdowns).

Newcomers to the field for the Golden Rams made an impact on both sides of the ball. Redshirt freshmen Trael Seegers (7 carries for 46 yards), Darnell Ferrell (1 catch for 12 yards), Cole Zapf (six tackles including two for loss), and Bloomsburg transfer Ethan Price (1 catch for 54 yards) all saw significant time.

Notes - Dan Neuhaus did not dress which forced true freshman Zach Liggit into action. Liggit returned a kickoff for 11 yards...Brendan Paulison dropped two of his three punts inside the Bentley 20...West Chester committed only two penalties for a total of 20 yards...Tyler Morrissey and David Simmons each had a sack and Tyrone Barge had 2.5 tackles for loss...quarterbacks Zach Gilbert and Mike Piperno both made their first collegiate appearances.

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West Chester Athletic Site - West Chester Opens Season Impressively With 44-6 Win At Bentley

Bentley Athletic Site - West Chester Erupts for 27 in 2nd during 44-6 Season-Opening Win over Bentley University