Game Preview - Bentley

The West Chester Golden Rams host usual season-opening opponent the Bentley Falcons on Saturday at noon in John A. Farrell Stadium.

Series History:
The Golden Rams lead the series 6-1, although four of West Chester's wins required late game heroics. The Golden Rams had dominating wins in 2017 and 2018, while the Falcons won handily in 2021 in Waltham, MA.

Bentley head coach Saj Thakkar (6-4) returns for his second season, while the Golden Rams will be introducing a new leader for the first time in over 20 years as Duke Greco will make his West Chester debut after going 91-15 in 10 seasons at nearby Delaware Valley University.

Last 10 Meetings:

Year	H/A	W/L	Score	Year	H/A	W/L	Score
				2018	Away	Win	44-6
				2019	Home	Win	14-7
				2021	Away	Loss	14-7
2016	Away	Win	31-24	2022	Home	Win	17-16
2017	Home	Win	51-9	2023	Away	Win	20-19

Last Meeting:

09/02/2023 West Chester 20 - Bentley 19

Bentley held an early 14-0 lead and took a 19-10 lead into the final quarter, but Sean Henry's PAT after a Jayden Williams seven-yard touchdown run with 53 seconds left lifted the Golden Rams to a 20-19 win to open the season.

Most of the West Chester offense came from quarterback Cooper Jordan who threw for 292 yards and rushed for 84 yards to account for 376 of the Golden Rams' 404 yards. His performance earned him PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the Week honors. There was good distribution in the passing game among D'Shaun Seals (4 catches, 95 yards), Raheim Bowens (2 catches, 55 yards), Thatcher Miller (3 catches, 42 yards, 1 TD) and Jonathan Haynes (3 catches, 38 yards).

The Golden Ram defensive effort was led by two players making their debut for the purple and gold: Connor Noble (14 tackles, including 1.5 TFL) and Shane Mosley (13 tackles, 1.0 TFL and 2 PBU). Nate Desmond registered four tackles including a sack and Daniel Hicks forced a fumble to accompany his two tackles.

Henry had a stat-filled season opener. He converted both PAT's and both field goals that he attempted, accounting for eight points including the game winner. Two of his six kickoffs went for touchbacks, and he averaged 38.5 yards on two punts, dropping one of them inside the 20.

Scouting the Opponent:

Last season's starting quarterback, Youngstown State transfer Mark Waid (153 of 274 for 1,445 yards, 14 TD's, 9 int, 712 yards and 6 TD's rushing last season), has departed leaving a question mark at the position for Bentley. Graduate student Brett Pullman (27 of 49 for 291 yards, 2 TD's 2 int) was the only other player to throw a pass for the Falcons last season. Juniors Billy Osborn and Nick Battoni are other potential candidates. Top targets will likely be All-NE10 wide receiver Rashon Bradford (31 catches, 261 yards, 5 TD's) and big tight end Nayvon Reid (23 catches, 228 yards, 2 TD's). Graduate student running back Vinnie Holmes (174 carries, 846 yards, 3 TD's) returns after receiving first-team All-NE10 honors last year. Junior Joe LoChiatto is considered one of the top offensive guards in the country.

Graduate student Mason Campbell is a two-time first team all Northeast-10 kicker and last season converted on 26 of 29 PAT's and 15 of 24 field goals with a long of 49 yards. Punter Matt Richardson (34 yrd avg) returns. Look for Bradford to handle kick returns.

Defensively, Bentley is attempting to fill the hole left by first team AFCA All-American linebacker and NE10 MVP Salvatore Lupoli Jr. The strength appears to be on the line with a pair of first team All-NE10 performers and now graduate students in Zachary Goodwin (22 tackles, 1 TFL) and Herve Tshibamba (37 tackles, 5.5 TFL). Graduate student Nick Pucillo (33 tackles, 1 TFL) is the returning linebacker. The secondary is led by cornerback Rene Nunez (42 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1 int) and safety Mike DiPlacido (41 tackles, 1 int, 5 PBU).

Analysis:

Bentley lists 15 graduate students and 20 seniors on their roster, so they are certainly coming in with plenty of experience. And the Falcons were picked to finish second in the NE10 Football Coaches’ Poll. While the Golden Rams look to be rather intact from a personnel perspective on offense, how well the unit adapts to a new scheme will be key. Defensively, West Chester will have to get acclimated to a new scheme as well as a lot of new personnel in the secondary. It's Coach Greco's first game leading the purple and gold, so there's a lot of anticipation for that as well.

Oddly enough, the Bentley opener has served as a barometer for the season. West Chester had big wins over the Falcons in 2017 and 2018 and in both of those years, went on to capture a share of the PSAC East and qualify for the NCAA Division II playoffs. The past three contests consisted of a loss and two one-point wins and WCU ended those seasons barely above .500. Will this game foretell the 2024 season as well?

Versus Sports simulates a 24-23 Golden Ram victory while Massey Ratings projects a similar 24-21 outcome.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Audio   Video   Game Program  

West Chester Athletic Site - Gridiron Gang Ready To Lift Lid on 102nd Season Saturday at Home

West Chester Athletic Site - Saturday Brings Football Season Opener at 12 Noon

PSAC Site - 2024 PSAC Football Week 1 Notes

Bentley Athletic Site - Bentley football ready to take the next step in 2024

KYW Newsradio's 1-On-1 with Matt Leon - 2024 College Football Preview - West Chester Golden Rams