Three of the five turnovers can be directly equated to points. On West Chester's very first possession, quarterback Shane Dooley fumbled at the 15-yard line. And on the Golden Rams' second possession of the game, Dooley's interception at midfield was returned to the two-yard line. Finally, on the first play of the fourth quarter, quarterback Desman Johnson fumbled into the end zone. If West Chester converted both of their red zone fumbles into touchdowns and didn't essentially hand Lock Haven a touchdown, that's a 21-point swing in the net score. West Chester's other two turnovers - a fumble by Ja'Den McKenzie and another Dooley interception - came on the second and first play of the Golden Ram possessions, meaning the West Chester defense was thrust back onto the field far too quickly.
Two of Dan Neuhaus's six catches were touchdowns (Photo Gina Chapman)And it was another game of Dooley running for survival. Dom Carey played for the first time in several weeks taking over for left tackle Brendan Ruskowski who traveled but did not dress. Dooley was sacked four times for a total of 23 yards, yet he managed a net positive 45 yards rushing in the game. And when he did buy time to throw, he completed 11 of his 17 passes for 189 yards and three touchdowns. Tight end Dan Neuhaus was the biggest beneficiary as he made six catches for 127 yards and two scores. McKenzie had a 32-yard catch and, without Phil Poquie on the trip, had 16 carries for 160 yards and a touchdown.
Zach Liggitt and friends make a tackle (Photo Gina Chapman)But it wasn't until the fourth quarter, with West Chester clinging to a 21-13 lead, that the turnover issue finally went their way. Linebacker Jackson Taylor made an interception deep in Golden Ram territory and the offense quickly rolled the 82 yards for a touchdown. On Lock Haven's next possession, a blitzing Nyeem Jones had a strip sack that was recovered by Joe Janick. This time it was quarterback Yahmir Wilkerson, who was helped by a nice block by Mari Wright, that ended a two-play possession with a 39-yard touchdown run to set the final score.
Shane Dooley rolls out before tossing a TD (Photo Gina Chapman)Overall the WCU defense played well, surrendering just 315 yards and holding Lock Haven to 3 of 12 on third down and 0 of 2 on fourth down. Besides the interception, Taylor had 12 total tackles including 2.5 tackles for loss. Jones had five solo tackles incluing 2.0 sacks for 20 yards while Cole Zapf made six total tackles.
Tight end Jalen Jackson scores a touchdown against his former team 
Kendall Singleton makes an open field tackle (Photo Gina Chapman)West Chester Athletic Site - West Chester Tops Lock Haven, 35-13
Lock Haven Athletic Site - Football drops PSAC East clash as West Chester pulls away late
Lock Haven Express - Lock Haven loses to West Chester despite five defensive takeaways
WCU Football Family - Photo Album - Lock Haven
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