Golden Ram Football Club: Game Report - #22 West Chester 14

Was there ever any doubt? For the first 59 minutes and 37 seconds there sure was. And c'mon, even after redshirt freshman running back Ja'Den McKenzie motored around the right side for a 30-yard touchdown run, did you really feel comfortable in that final 23 seconds? Games like these pioneered the phrase "a win is a win".

What went right:

George Lambritsios and the punt coverage team. WCU's first official punt went 40 yards and was caught at the 9, but Julian Trammell forced a Bentley fumble which pushed the ball to the 6. The next one was downed at the 4 and the third one went 57 yards. But the final kick was most impressive - Lambritsios' boot flew and rolled 73 yards and was downed at the Bentley 1.
McKenzie's first career touchdown was always going to be memorable for him, but the fact that it was a game-winner will lock it in everyone's mind. For the game the big back carried the ball ten times for 112 yards and didn't take a loss in the contest.
The Golden Ram defense was bend but don't break. Except for Bentley's first quarter 20-yard touchdown run, West Chester stifled Bentley in the red zone. Jordan Burney blocked a 21-yard field goal attempt as time expired in the first half and Nyeem Jones deflected a 32-yard attempt midway though the fourth quarter with the score still tied.
Sophomore tight end, er, defensive end Zach Liggitt has firmly embraced his new role. He finished the game with four total tackles including 1.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup.
It was Bentley's first game of the season. The Falcons had a first-quarter touchdown called back due to a holding call. Later in the frame, the Falcon receiver got behind the West Chester defense but failed to haul-in what would have been an easy touchdown.
It took until the second half, but Paul Dooley finally ran the ball like West Chester fans are used to seeing. While he finished with just 30 yards on seven carries, he had the play of the game. With under two minutes remaining in the game and facing third and 12 at midfield, Dooley was pressured back at least ten yards behind the line of scrimmage. But he scrambled out of the pressure and found his way to dive for the first down.

What could have gone better:

With the safeties providing help against the normally pass happy Falcons, the front four were given responsibility for stopping the run. Despite Tyrone Barge's game-high ten tackles, Bentley ran for 203 yards, often up the middle. The Golden Ram defense failed to record a sack or a turnover.
Meanwhile, the West Chester offense turned the ball over five times. Granted, two of them came on fourth down, but one came on first down, one in the end zone, and one deep in Golden Ram territory.
Bentley was definitely more physical throughout the game. It looked like West Chester was often physical after the whistle blew and were fortunate not to receive any penalties for it.
Defensive end Fulani Freeman only had one tackle, but was credited with a pass breakup and two quarterback hurries. Unfortunately he suffered what appears to be a serious leg injury. The other starting defensive end, Ch'aim Smith, had six tackles despite a heavily taped hand.
West Chester failed to score in the first half for the first time since the second round playoff loss at Indiana in 2017.

Other observations:

With so many players seeing their first collegiate action, there were a lot of firsts in the game.
As the contest progressed, it appeared that Shippensburg transfer Rashon Wiggins (4 tackles) was getting more snaps than starter Cole Zapf (3 tackles, including 1 TFL) at linebacker, and converted wide receiver Jalik Smith (4 tackles) had taken the place of starter Izaiah McPherson (2 tackles, 1 PBU) at corner.
We did see one wrinkle on offense when IUP transfer Yahmir Wilkerson came in at quarterback and Dooley was split out wide. Although the play didn't go as planned, Wilkerson lost two yards, Dooley connected with Dan Neuhaus on the next play for a 25-yard touchdown.
The game program indicated that Bentley and West Chester agreed to a two-year extension and will play each other in both 2020 and 2021.