On his radio show this past Thursday, Coach Bill Zwaan indicated that some of the passing woes endured against Shippensburg were due to an injury to quarterback Paul Dooley. But it didn't change the Golden Rams' starting personnel against Bloomsburg.
West Chester ran the ball on seven of its first nine plays. Redshirt freshman running back Ja'Den McKenzie rattled off 26 yards on four straight carries. And receiver Lex Rosario expanded a short catch into a 21-yard gain for a key third-down conversion along the way. But when the drive turned into first and goal from the five, West Chester fans shuttered. This hasn't been a good spot for the Golden Ram offense recently, and this time was no different. Three plays later, West Chester was attempting a 20-yard field goal, but a bad snap and hold resulted in no points. West Chester usually rides on the confidence of points resulting from their opening possession, and without them, the offense was shaken.
After the WCU defense limited the Huskies to just five yards, the offense was ready to roll again. However, Dooley's limited ability to throw the ball was noticeable and hampered the game plan. And Bloomsburg, which apparently didn't listen to Thursday's radio show, finally figured it out too. After an exchange of possession, senior safety Jarey Elder made an incredible leaping interception to give West Chester a chance on offense for a third time. But unlike the first two possessions which moved the ball and consumed the clock, this would be a quick three-and-out. Bloomsburg put together a nice drive - 67 yards on nine plays in over five minutes - which resulted in a touchdown on a quarterback keeper.
Finally, Mike Piperno was called on to lead the offense. And lead it he did. Even though Piperno was only 2 of 3 on the drive, just the threat of a passing game forced the Huskies to change their defensive approach. The possession ended when Piperno patiently waited for Elijah Hall to clear the defense for a six-yard touchdown catch. Unfortunately, Andrew Chegia's PAT attempt clanged off the right upright and the score was 7-6 in favor of Bloomsburg into halftime.
The coaches must have offered some "significant encouragement" at halftime. West Chester sent the Bloomsburg offense back eight yards including a sack by Ch'aim Smith and Joe DeSanto. But after the ensuing punt, the offense seemed to sputter when Seth Degree fumbled an end around run and lost nine yards. He made amends two plays later when Piperno hit Degree on a long pass that resulted in an 80-yard touchdown, giving West Chester a 13-7 lead. Bloomsburg responded with a nice drive, but the Golden Ram defense held the Huskies to a 25-yard field goal.
Piperno quickly guided the offense down the field, but on a third-and-one from the eight, rather than just using the effective running game to get the first down, the play call was for a little dump pass which was intercepted in the end zone. After the defense forced another quick three-and-out, Piperno, with more room to work with, connected on a perfect pass to Dan Neuhaus for a 40-yard touchdown.
Tension grew after the Huskies scored a touchdown to cut the score to 20-17 and a Piperno pass bounced out of his receiver's hands and into a Bloomsburg defender's arms. And the game wouldn't be settled until the final play of the game with the Huskies at midfield. Linebacker Jackson Taylor had a strip sack which was recovered by James Bell as clock went to zeros.
Notes - McKenzie finished with 89 yards on 19 carries...After being held without a catch last week, Rosario had a team-high six receptions for 75 yards...Special teams had plenty of snafu's - the botched field goal attempt, a missed PAT, offsides on a kickoff, a holding on one punt return and a block in the pack on another one. But George Lambritsios had another great day punting and Chegia's kickoffs were effective....West Chester was without receiver Kenny Edelin and defensive tackles Omar Peterkin and A.J. Perez...Smith finished with 2.5 sacks and linebacker Cole Zapf had a perfectly timed blitz for an eight-yard sack for one of his team-high nine tackles...the offensive line held an opponent without a sack for the first game since the season opener against Bentley.
West Chester Athletic Site - West Chester Remains Unbeaten With 20-17 Win Over Bloomsburg
Bloomsburg Athletic Site - Football's Upset Bid At #12 West Chester Falls Just Short Saturday Afternoon
Daily Local News - West Chester holds off Bloomsburg to stay perfect on the season
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