Game Preview - Bloomsburg

The Golden Rams (3-1, 1-0) travel to Danny Hale Field at Redman Stadium to take on the Bloomsburg Huskies (1-3, 0-1) on Saturday in a PSAC East matchup. Due to the PSAC tennis championships being held at Bloomsburg, kickoff for is scheduled for 6:00pm .

Series History:
West Chester leads the overall series 52-27 and these two schools often play big games. The two schools have met twice in playoffs - in 2008 and again in 2013 - with both postseason games played in Bloomsburg. The Huskies took the 2008 contest while the Golden Rams won in 2013 en route to the NCAA Division II semi-finals. There was the homecoming debacle in 2011 when West Chester took a 35-0 second quarter lead only to see the Huskies rattle off 55 straight points and steal a 55-42 win. The past four games have been decided by a total of ten points.

Former Bloomsburg All-American linebacker Frank Sheptock is in his second season as head coach at his alma mater after going 3-8 in 2021.

Last 10 Meetings:

Year	H/A	W/L	Score	Year	H/A	W/L	Score
2012	Away	Loss	24-23	2016	Away	Win	27-7
2013	Home	Loss	31-28	2017	Home	Loss	20-19
2013	Away	Win	40-38	2018	Away	Win	17-14
2014	Away	Loss	41-10	2019	Home	Win	20-17
2015	Home	Win	33-22	2021	Home	Win	21-20

Last Meeting:

10/02/2021 West Chester 21 - Bloomsburg 20

In front of another huge homecoming crowd at John A. Farrell Stadium, West Chester took a narrow 14-13 lead into halftime due to a missed Husky PAT. Bloomsburg scored a touchdown on their first drive of the fourth quarter to take a 20-14 lead and they had an opportunity to extend that lead on their next possession, but their 28-yard field goal attempt sailed wide. This was enough to spark the Golden Ram offense as Ja'Den McKenzie and Phil Poquie accounted for 73 yards in three minutes and the tieing score. Sean Henry's PAT gave West Chester the 21-20 lead which was later preserved by a Golden Ram interception at the one with 14 seconds left.

McKenzie finished with 121 yards and two touchdowns while Poquie rushed for 107 yards and a score. Linebacker Jackson Taylor tallied seven tackles while Obi Anyatonwu and Elijah Beard each made six stops.

Scouting the Opponent:

Over the past few games, the Huskies have been struggling on offense (sound familiar?) and in Saturday's 31-17 loss to Shippensburg, they made a change at quarterback (sound familiar?). True freshman KJ Riley (34 of 58, 476 yards, 5 TD's, 3 ints) has started every contest, but last season's starter David LePoidevin (7 of 13, 145 yards, 1 TD, 1 int) entered last week's game midway through the third quarter and led Bloomsburg on two touchdown drives. Last year, LePoidevin (106 of 188, 1,428 yards, 16 TD's, 6 int's) played in ten games and started the final six. So like West Chester, who plays quarterback will be a game time surprise. Running back Kaleb Monaco (64 carries, 202 yards) was All-PSAC East as a freshman last season. Riley (37 carries, 117 yards, 1 TD) and LePoidevin (10 carries, 25 yards, 2 TD's) run as necessary.

At 6'3 240, H-back Matthew Bowes (10 catches, 161 yards, 2 TD's) is Bloomsburg's leading receiver and poses matchup problems. Wide receiver Tyshaun Pollard (6 catches, 118 yards, 1 TD) and 6'4 tight end John Mack (6 catches, 92 yards, 1 TD) are also top targets, although ten different players have made at least one catch for the Huskies this season.

Defensively, All-PSAC East safety Quentin Gaskill (37 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 8 PBU's) leads the team in tackles and leads the PSAC in pass breakups. Cornerbacks Chris Monaco (16 tackles, 5 PBU's) and Jake Davis (8 tackles, 5 PBU's) are also among the conference leaders in pass breakups.

Defensive tackles Kenny Yurkonis (15 tackles, 2.0 sacks) and Joseph Kahn (10 tackles, 2.0 sacks) lead the Huskies in sacks. The linebackers in Bloomsburg's 4-2-5 alignment are Adam Burkhart (13 tackles, 2.0 TFL's) and Tom Goetz (9 tackles, 1 FR).

Place kicker Brendan McGonigle is 6 of 7 on field goals including two from 44 yards. Kickoff specialist Kevin Carrigan has booted three touchbacks, but has also kicked two out of bounds.

Analysis:

Bloomsburg's offense, despite its recent challenges, is still slightly better than West Chester's, however the Golden Ram defense holds the edge over the Huskies. Iffy weather doesn't bode well for either offense. West Chester has an advantage in the punting game, and hopefully the inclement weather won't nullify that advantage. Expect a close game between two young squads.

Massey Ratings is expecting a 5-point West Chester win and Versus Sports simulates a similar 26-20 West Chester victory.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Audio   Video  

PSAC Site - PSAC Football Notes, Week 5

Bloomsburg Athletic Site - Game Five Notes - Bloomsburg vs West Chester

FOX 56 - Bloomsburg football better in 2022

D2football - PSAC Columnist - PSAC Week Five Preview