Game Preview - Shepherd

For the first time ever, the #3/#6 Shepherd Rams (7-0, 4-0) will travel to John A. Farrell Stadium. Although the Golden Rams (4-3, 2-2) have faced Shepherd thrice, all three games were played in Shepherdstown, WV. Kickoff is set for noon.

Series History:
Prior to Shepherd joining the PSAC in 2019, these two teams first met in 2013 in the NCAA Division II Regional Championship when the Golden Rams came away with a 28-7 victory. The two PSAC East meetings were both won by the Rams - 35-23 in 2019 and 42-38 last season.

Shepherd head coach Ernie McCook has a record of 38-8 entering Saturday's game and has guided his Rams to the NCAA Division II playoffs in both 2019 and 2021. Last year, Shepherd finished 13-2 after losing in the national semi-finals.

Last Meeting:

10/23/2021 #11 Shepherd 42 - West Chester 38

In front of almost 6,000 fans in Shepherdstown, West Chester battled the #11 ranked team in the nation and actally took a 38-35 lead into the fourth quarter. But eventual Harlon Hill Trophy winner Tyson Bagent led Shepherd to a touchdown early in the final quarter. West Chester had subsequent drives stall at the Shepherd 32 and 29, but were not able to cross the goal line. The Golden Rams had a significant advantage in first downs (25 - 14) and time of possession (39 - 20) and a narrow edge in total offense (433 - 429), but a blocked punt gave Shepherd a very short field and Shepherd had several big plays on scoring drives.

Quarterback Shane Dooley (20 of 30, 276 yards, 5 TD's) actually outdueled his counterpart. Ja'Den McKenzie had 83 yards rushing and 18 yards receiving and Phil Poquie had 105 all-purpose yards. Jackson Taylor led the team with seven tackles and Oscar Uduma had an interception in his first collegiate game.

Scouting the Opponent:

As mentioned earlier, quarterback Tyson Bagent won the Harlon Hill Trophy after last season. Well he was only a junior then, so he's back at the helm for the Rams and is among the top five players in the country in a host of categories (181 of 286, 2,267 yards, 20 TD's, 4 int's). Fourteen different players have caught passes for the Rams, but top targets are wide receiver Marlon Cook (41 catches, 755 yards, 5 TD's), wide receiver Ryan Beach (39 catches, 304 yards, 5 TD's), and tight end Brian Walker (30 catches, 400 yards, 2 TD's). Also look for former Golden Ram wide receiver Kenny Edelin (10 catches, 119 yards, 2 TD's). All-PSAC East running back Ronnie Brown (86 carries, 854 yards, 9 TD's, 27 catches, 298 yards, 1 TD) is versatile in both the running and passing game. Right tackle Joey Fisher was an All-American last season and is a pro pospect.

Linebackers Dewayne Grantham (46 tackles, 3 int) and Devon Lynch (38 tackles, 4.5 TFL) are the team's top tacklers. Defensive end Kyle Smith (29 tackls, 10.5 TFL), tackle Malik Holloway (22 tackles, 6.0 TFL) and defensive end Isaiah Farmer (12 tackles, 6.0 TFL) cause problems up front. Cornerback Klayton Batten (21 tackles, 2 int) and freshman defensive back Donte Harrison (11 tackles, 2 int) each have two picks in the secondary. Harrison is also the reigning PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week after scoring a pair of defensive touchdowns against Millersville.

Since Shepherd scores so much, punter Ryan Barrick (16 punts, 40 avg, 6 I20) doesn't get much work, but is effective when he plays. Bagent has also punted twice as an element of surprise. Kicker Jacob Haynie (37 of 41 PAT's, 3 of 7 FG's, long of 42) has six touchbacks this season. Ronnie Brown returned a kickoff for a touchdown against Kutztown.

Analysis:

At first glance, this would appear to be a fairly lopsided affair. Consider where Shepherd ranks in various categories in all of Division II, not just the PSAC:

1 - Total offense (526 yards per game)

4 - Scoring offense (45 points per game)

19 - Scoring defense (15 points per game)

4 - Passing offense (336 yards per game)

7 - Passing efficiency (163.56)

7 - Rushing defense (55%)

4 - Red zone defense (45 points per game)

7 - Turnover margin (+1.29 per game)

But the situation last season was similar. West Chester was a .500 team and Shepherd was a team that would go on to advance to the national semi-finals. Yet, in West Virginia, the Golden Rams fell by a mere four points, and some, even the Shepherd broadcasters, would argue that a late Shepherd fumble deep in their own territory was wrongly ruled an incomplete pass (fast forward to 3:19:25). So the Shepherd Rams escaped with the win. How will the situation play out in Farrell Stadium?

Massey Ratings is projecting a 35-21 Shpeherd win while Versus Sports simulates a 38-19 Shepherd victory.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Audio   Video  

West Chester Athletic Site - West Chester Welcomes No. 4 Shepherd University To Farrell Stadium Saturday at Noon

PSAC Site - PSAC Football Notes, Week 8

Shepherd Athletic Site - 2022 Ram Press Box Report - Week 8

The Journal - Rams make first visit to West Chester

D2football - PSAC Columnist - PSAC Week Eight Preview