Once again, West Chester's opponent took their opening possession the length of the field and scored a touchdown while the Golden Rams offense responded with no more than scuffling. Fortunately, wide receiver D'Shaun Seals livened the packed homecoming crowd when he returned a punt 60 yards to knot the score at 7 before the end of the first quarter. With West Chester's first two possessions totaling just 49 yards and three first downs, the offense got a jolt when Ethan Kohler was inserted at quarterback. Kohler immediately led the team down the field, connecting on all three passes for 39 yards while Jayden Williams (15 carries, 81 yards) picked up 28 yards on the ground to get to the three. From there, Brody McAndrew (4 carries, 14 yards, 1 TD) entered in the wildcat and got into the end zone to put West Chester up 14-7. However the Huskies responded with a four-play, 64-yard drive to even the score entering halftime.
Alex Sciarrino gets the final block on D'Shaun Seals TD (Photo Joan Gillen)The Golden Rams opened the second half with the ball on their own 40. Williams and Cooper Jordan made quick work of the short field with Jordan capping the drive with a nine-yard touchdown run. On the ensuing possession, Bloomsburg got to the West Chester 27 when Obi Anyatonwu forced and recovered a fumble. Already leading 21-14, a West Chester score could have swung momentum, but it was not to be as the Golden Rams only moved the ball nine yards before punting. However, the 21-14 lead would hold up into the fourth quarter.
Brody McAndrew battles his way into the end zone (Photo Joan Gillen)West Chester had another chance to put the game away when they went on an eight-and-a-half minute drive to consume half of the final frame. Unfortunately they came away with no points when the 15-play drive stalled and Henry's 46-yard field goal attempt sailed right. This time, Bloomsburg responded with a handful of running plays and a play action touchdown pass to the tight end. Who could have seen that coming? With the score knotted at 21, West Chester maintained their poise and started at their own 29. Jordan managed the team into a first and goal from the three, and even a running play for no gain and a sack for a five-yard loss seemed inconsequential as Henry lined up for a 30-yard attempt with three seconds left. But alas, that kick also slid right of the goal posts to force overtime.
Dayshawn Jacobs leaves two would be tacklers in the turf (Photo Joan Gillen)In general, the winner was going to be the team that could overcome its own mistakes better. To open the second half, Bloomsburg was successful on an onside kick, but the play was negated due to an offside penalty. They then kicked it out of bounds giving West Chester possession on the 40. The Huskies forced West Chester into a fourth-and-three, but were whistled for encroachment gifting the Golden Rams a first down. The Huskies were not able to complete passess on a couple of occassions when the receiver was wide open.
Connor Noble pounces on a Bloomsburg fumble (Photo Joan Gillen)And the Golden Rams had their fair share of miscues. Besides the missed field goals, Henry kicked the opening kickoff out of bounds. During the contest, the WCU offense earned three first downs only to give them back. On the opening possession, West Chester picked up 14 yards on a second-and-eight only to have it called back due to an illegal formation. They never recovered and punted on that series of downs. On West Chester's long drive to open the fourth quarter, the Golden Rams picked up 16 yards on a third-and-three, only to have the play wiped due to an ineligible receiver downfield. Later on the same drive, they successfully converted a fourth-and-two, but the play was negated due to an illegal shift penalty which forced the 46-yard field goal attempt. The West Chester offense fumbled three times, although only one was recovered by the Huskies. Two unsportsmanlike penalties against the purple and gold accounted for 30 of the 55 penalty yards. One of them came on a WCU PAT which was assessed on the kickoff, giving Bloomsburg good field position which led to a touchdown.
Charley Mininger stands up the Husky ball carrier (Photo Joan Gillen)Other observations:
One of West Chester's three fumbles (Photo Joan Gillen)- The Golden Rams got almost no pressure on the Bloomsburg quarterback. Besides the sack on the last play of the game, Noble (10 TKL) was also credited with a quarterback hurry, but no one else was credited with a pressure.
- Running back Trey Blair and defensive lineman Daniel Hicks were in attendance but not dressed for the game. Thatcher Miller played, but did not factor into the offense.
- The Golden Rams ran the screen play quite effectively multiple times.
- Darrell Brown, sporting #13 today, stayed at safety and made a touchdown saving tackle.
- Kohler finished 5 of 5 for 55 yards. While Jordan finished only 9 of 17 for 100 yards, he did pick up 60 yards on the ground with most of that coming on the final drive of regulation.
- Besides the 60-yard punt return for touchdown, Seals made six catches for 61 yards.
West Chester Athletic Site - Henry’s 34-yard Field Goal in OT Helps West Chester Escape on Homecoming Weekend, 24-21
Bloomsburg Athletic Site - Football Edged Out By West Chester in Overtime, 24-21, Saturday Afternoon
Daily Local News - Making Amends: WCU needs OT to slip past Bloomburg
WCU Football Family - Photo Album - Bloomsburg
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