Game Preview - Bloomsburg

The Golden Rams (5-0, 2-0) travel to Danny Hale Field at Redman Stadium to take on Bloomsburg (2-3, 1-1) on Saturday in a PSAC East matchup on homecoming day for the Huskies. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 pm.

Series History:
West Chester leads the overall series 49-27 and these two schools often play big games. The two schools have met twice in playoffs - 2008 and again in 2013 - with both postseason games played in Bloomsburg. The Huskies took the 2008 contest while the Golden Rams won in 2013 en route to the NCAA Division II semi-finals. Although both schools have traditionally strong defenses, contests between these two have been fairly high scoring. Bloomsburg head coach Paul Darragh is in his fifth season and is 3-3 against the Golden Rams.

Last 10 Meetings:

Year	H/A	W/L	Score	Year	H/A	W/L	Score
2009	Home	Win	30-14	2013	Away	Win	40-38
2010	Away	Loss	45-21	2014	Away	Loss	41-10
2011	Home	Loss	55-42	2015	Home	Win	33-22
2012	Away	Loss	24-23	2016	Away	Win	27-7
2013	Home	Loss	31-28	2017	Home	Loss	20-19

Last Meeting:

10/14/2017 Bloomsburg 20 - West Chester 19

Despite the Golden Rams making a host of mistakes, they were still leading by five points with less than three minutes left to play. But the next West Chester mistake, a pass interference penalty on a Husky fourth-down, negated a turnover on downs and led to the Bloomsburg game-winning touchdown. West Chester would then throw interceptions in its final two possessions in the waning two minutes of the game. Other miscues in the contest included a blocked PAT, a missed 21-yard field goal, and a third interception.

Linebacker Tyler Morrissey had 15 tackles including a sack, safety Jarey Elder had eight tackles and two pass breakups, and reserve defensive back Nate Barnes had five tackles and a sack. Wide receiver Rasheem James had five of West Chester's eight receptions.

Scouting the Opponent:

As usual, Bloomsburg has more yards rushing than passing, but so far this season, they're struggling to do either particularly well. Senior Hakeem Sillman (65 carries, 333 yards) and junior Qmac Quiteh (40 carries, 229 yards) are the leading ball carriers, but neither has scored a touchdown. The Huskies rely on quarterback Erik Benjamin (28 carries, -22 yards, 5 TD's) to cross the plane of the end zone. After missing the first two games of the season, Alex Gooden (41 carries, 209 yards, 1 TD), who was All-PSAC last year, may be the "go to" guy.

Benjamin (63 of 132, 669 yards, 4 TD's, 5 int) has more incompletions than completions and more interceptions than touchdowns. Top receivers are Michael Allen (22 catches, 213 yards, 2 TD's), Jay Popson (16 catches, 208 yards), and Duffy Gilhool (5 catches, 61 yards, 1 TD). Perhaps one of the challenges to the Bloomsburg offense is the line, as left tackle Travis Krall is the only returning all-conference performer.

Punter Kieron Smethers only averages 36 yards per punt, but he has forced 11 fair catches on 24 punts. Kicker Jaco Sattamini is 4 of 5 on field goals and 10 of 11 on PAT's. Cameron Shollenberger handles the kickoffs.

Defensive tackle Jake Klinger (16 tackles, 4 TFL's) and 5'8" defensive end Chris Gary (22 tackles, 5.5 TFL's) were both All-PSAC East last year. Linebackers Nate Monroe (43 tackles, 1.5 TFL) ) and Alex Annan (38 tackles, 3.0 TFL) are the Huskies' top tacklers. Cornerback Marquis Seamon (20 tackles, 3 int, 7 PBU's) was All-PSAC East a season ago.

Analysis:

Bloomsburg has one of the worst passing offenses in the PSAC, which is not unusual. However, their running game isn't nearly as dominant as it has been in the past. As a result, the Huskies are struggling to score. Prior to getting blown out by Kutztown last week, Bloomsburg's games have been low-scoring and close.

West Chester likes to get out on top early and would be wise to do so in this game as well. However, the Golden Rams have to continue to keep their foot on the pedal. West Chester has a losing record against the Huskies over the last ten years and long-time fans still twitch when the 2011 game is mentioned. For newer fans, 2011 is when West Chester held a 35-0 lead midway through the second quarter before falling 55-42. It's also homecoming for Bloomsburg, so expect a trick play or two.

Both Atomic Football and Massey Ratings favor the Golden Rams by 14.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Audio   Video  

West Chester Athletic Site - No. 13/19 West Chester Travels To Bloomsburg For Showdown With Huskies

PSAC Site - PSAC Football Notes - Week 6

Bloomsburg Athletic Site - Football Entertains #13/#19 West Chester On Saturday During Homecoming Weekend

KYW Newsradio - West Chester opens key road stretch Saturday at Bloomsburg

D2football - PSAC Columnist - PSAC Week 6 Preview