Golden Ram Football Club: Game Report - West Chester 42

Sunday, September 26, 2021

The Golden Ram defense dominated once again as West Chester (3-1, 1-0) outlasted Millersville (1-3, 0-1) by a score of 42-14.

What went right:

The Golden Ram defense was generally dominant. Millersville was sacked eight times, was 0 for 14 on third down and 0 for 1 on fourth down. The Marauders had -64 yards rushing and just 169 total yards of offense.
Running backs Phil Poquie (101 yards, 1 TD) and Ja'Den McKenzie (68 yards, 1 TD) don't just consume the clock, churn yards, and score touchdowns, but routinely plow over or drag defenders in the process.
Punter John George continues to be effective as he dropped three of his four punts inside the Millersville 20-yard line.
Also on special teams, Nick Chapman blocked a punt which led to a West Chester touchdown.

What could have gone better:

Of the 169 yards that Millersville gained, 146 of those yards came on just three pass plays, including touchdowns of 77 ad 29 yards. Opposing receivers are getting behind the WCU defense for big plays too often.
Not only were penalties numerous, they had critical affects. On offense, three would-be first downs, two of them coming on third down, were negated by holding penalties. And the defense squandered advantageous situations by handing Ville 15 yards and a first down on at least two occassions.
Wide receiver Gabe Schappell suffered a serious leg injury and had to be carted off the field.
The Golden Rams elected to take a time out prior to a kickoff after a score. Sure it's a mistake not having kickoff personnel ready, but burning a timeout may have been a secondary error.

Other observations:

After running between the tackles so much, Millersville was left vulnerable to a pitch play that Poquie took for a 20-yard touchdown run.
Early in the game, on a fourth and eight from inside the redzone, quarterback Shane Dooley took a sack. Later in the game, in a similar situation, he "took a shot" at the end zone. Although the pass fell incomplete, it seemed like he learned from the earlier missed opportunity to make a play.
Quarterback Yahmir Wilkerson did not make the trip.