Notre Dame College, a Catholic liberal arts school of about 1,100 undergraduate students, started their football program in 2009. They played as an independent NAIA school in 2010 and 2011 before becoming a member of the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. They then became a charter member of the MEC when it was formed in 2013 which consisted mostly of members of the former West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Falcons finally had a breakthrough year when they defeated perennial MEC power and then 16th ranked Shepherd to open the 2018 season. They finished the regular season undefeated and captured the top seed in Super Region 1 of the NCAA Division II playoffs. After a first round bye, they defeated Hillsdale and Slippery Rock to win the region championship. The Falcons lost in the national semi-finals to eventual national champion Valdosta St.
Former Ohio State offensive lineman Mike Jacobs has served as the Falcons' head coach since 2016 and boasts a 40-7 record over those four seasons.
Series History:
This is the first meeting on the football field between Notre Dame College and West Chester University.
Scouting the Falcons:
Quarterback Chris Brimm (148-242, 1,844 yards, 17 TD's, 6 int's) is also only a sophomore. His favorite target his 5'9 senior Marvelle Ross (47 catches, 772 yards, 5 TD's), but he'll also look for 6'7 tight end Zaire Mitchell (28 catches, 339 yards, 4 TD's), Andrew Turski (19 catches, 201 yards, 2 TD's), and Tay Johnson (13 catches, 159 yards, 1 TD).
Defensively, Notre Dame is 20th in the country in quarterback sacks with 33 led by defensive tackle Sha'haun Williams (47 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 8 QB hurries), defensive end Derrick Brumfield (28 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 8 QB hurries), and defensive tackle Jack Kosko (42 tackles, 5.5 sacks). While they only have ten interceptions on the season, led by safeties Bryce Sheppert (38 tackles, 3 int) and Nik Cotton (25 tackles, 2 int, 3 PBU), they have 47 pass breakups. Notre Dame's top two tacklers are Nathan Moore (92 tackles) and Guam Lee (85 tackles, 11.0 TFL).
Punter Dominic Buttazzoni is averaging 38 yards per punt and has dropped ten inside the opponent's 20-yard line, but he's also had one blocked. Kicker Tanner Harding is 54 of 59 on PAT's and is 13 for 17 on field goals. His long is from 45 yards and he's 10 of 11 from inside 40 yards. Ross does most of the kickoff returns and he broke one for a touchdown in their 63-53 win over Charleston. Ross also does most of the punt returns, but Sheppert, Dylan Spaeth, and Nik Pelligrino have each returned a punt to the end zone.
Analysis:
One of the good things about this game is that it wasn't last year. Due to newness of Notre Dame's football program and the fact that they play in a conference that is not necessarily considered very strong, there might be a tendency to overlook this opponent. But their success in the playoffs last year over Hillsdale and Slippery Rock, and then gave Valdosta St their closest game of the season to that point, should cause West Chester to take this team very seriously.
Massey Ratings projects a 29-23 Notre Dame win.
Notes:
For those going to Notre Dame College, note that seating is very limited. The bleachers on the home side have a capacity of just 942 persons, yet their attendance has averaged almost 1,800 this season.
Game Coverage:
Notre Dame Athletic Site - Football Notes: NCAA First Round vs West Chester
papreplive.com - West Chester Univ. ready for tough road test in NCAA opener
D2football - PSAC West Columnist - PSAC First Round Playoffs Preview
D2football - PSAC East Columnist - PSAC East - Week 12 Preview
D2football - The Countdown - Games of the Week - Playoffs
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