Game Preview - Bentley

The #22 Golden Rams open the 2019 season when they host the Bentley Falcons on Saturday. Kickoff in John A. Farrell Stadium is scheduled for noon. This will mark the fourth and final year of opening the season against the Falcons.

Series History:
West Chester holds a 3-0 lead in the series with the Golden Rams winning in Waltham in 2016 by a score of 31-24 before hammering Bentley at home in 2017 by a score of 51-9. West Chester also secured a dominating victory last season in Waltham. Bentley head coach Bill Kavanaugh enters his sixth season at the helm with a record of 25-28 after going 4-6 last year. Meanwhile, Golden Ram head coach Bill Zwaan starts his 17th season at West Chester with an overall record of 135-59, including 10-3 against Northeast-10 opponents and 3-0 against Bentley.

Last Meeting:

08/30/2018 West Chester 44 - Bentley 6

West Chester had a 27-point second quarter outburst, and exhibited a stifling defensive effort en route to a 44-6 romp in Waltham, MA. The Falcons were held to just 63 total yards and seven first downs. The Golden Ram defense also registered seven sacks and forced three turnovers.

Cole Zapf had six total tackles while Ch'aim Smith had four tackles including 1.5 sacks. Jordan Burney returned an interception 15 yards. Lex Rosario had two catches for 36 yards and Andrew Chegia converted 4-5 PAT attempts and a 28-yard field goal.

Scouting the Opponent:

After falling to West Chester in the season opener last year, Bentley went 4-5 in the Northeast 10 finishing in sixth place in their conference. The Falcons were picked to finish fourth in their conference this season.

Perkiomen Valley product Stephen Sturm (136 of 256 for 1,681 yards, 9 TD's, 7 int's) starts his junior season at quarterback with 13 starts under his belt. He should get a big boost from the return of receiver Drew Mahoney (51 catches, 485 yards, 6 TD's in 7 games in 2017) who was lost for the year due to an injury incurred in the first half of last year's game against West Chester. Sophomore Noah Neville (29 catches, 394 yards, 4 TD's) is the top returning receiver while classmate Isaiah Collins (4 catches, 13 yards, 11 carries, 22 yards) was named to the Northeast-10 All-Rookie Team for his efforts as a kick returner (25 returns, 633 yards). Junior running back Andrew Brazicki (142 carries, 537 yards, 4 TD's) was Bentley's leading ground gainer last year while right guard Matt Boyle earned third-team All-Northeast-10 honors after starting all ten games in 2018.

The defense is led by defensive back and team captain Pete Thorbahn (76 tackles, 6 interceptions) who was the Falcons' top tackler and received first team All-NE10 honors. Linebacker Marc Doran (56 tackles, 5.5 TFL) and defensive backs Derek Perkins (28 tackles, 5 int's, 7 PD's) and Tom Sullivan (50 tackles, 1 TFL) are among the top returning tacklers. Sophomore defensive linemen Cedric Dashiell II (28 tackles, 4 TFL) and Steven Paulino (17 tackles, 2 TFL) were both named to the Northeast-10 All-Rookie Team last season.

Senior kicker Grant Buchanan (22 of 23 PAT's, 8 of 12 FG, 46 long) returns for his final season.

Analysis:

Bentley was young last year and returns a good portion of its nucleus. Meanwhile, West Chester is inexperienced on defense and lacks depth at a lot of positions. The two-deep for the season opener shows 14 freshman or redshirt freshman. This game will be a good measuring stick for the Golden Rams for the remainder of the season.

Atomic Football is predicting a 26-point win for West Chester while Massey Ratings projects a similar 22-point margin.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Audio   Video  

West Chester Athletic Site - Depth Chart - West Chester vs. Bentley

West Chester Athletic Site - West Chester Football Opens Season Saturday Against Bentley

PSAC Site - PSAC Football Notes: Week 1

Bentley Athletic Site - Bentley Kicks Off 2019 Season Saturday at No. 22 West Chester

Bentley Athletic Site - Kavanaugh previews the 2019 season

Daily Local News- With James ineligible, Zwaan needs West Chester receivers to step up

D2football - PSAC East Columnist - PSAC East Week 1 Preview

D2football - Northeast-10 Columnist - Week 1 in the NE-10