Game Report - West Chester 44 - Edinboro 24

The Golden Ram offense was solid all day and the defense had a stellar second half as West Chester (2-1) strolled to a 44-24 win over Edinboro (2-1) at Sox Harrison Stadium. When Jack Corrigan only comes on the field to hold for place kicks, you know the offense had a good game. West Chester had a total of ten possessions that ended with five touchdowns, three field goals, a fumble and the end of the game.

Miles Goodwin with one of his five solo stops (Photo Chuck Greco)

Edinboro opened the game by running right through the West Chester defense ending the ten-play, 76-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run. The Golden Ram offense responded with their own clock draining drive, going 83 yards in seven minutes to tie the game on Future Robertson's (8 carries, 32 yards, 1 TD) one-yard run. After a quick Edinboro three-and-out, West Chester went on another 83-yard touchdown drive capped by Mitch Ragni's one-yard plunge. Edinboro then consumed almost eight minutes of the clock, but West Chester's defense stiffened and only allowed a 25-yard Fighting Scot field goal.

Blake Thomas spins away from tacklers on one of his catches (Photo Chuck Greco)

In the waning minutes of the first half, the Golden Rams incurred some significant adversity. An ill-advised kickoff return was compounded by a block in the back penalty giving West Chester the ball at their own three-yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, Mic Johnson (21 carries, 83 yards; 1 catch, 29 yards, 1 TD) lost a fumble. The Golden Ram defense stood tall, but on fourth-and-goal, Edinboro pushed it across the goal line and took a 17-14 lead into the locker room. It wasn't a good way to end what was otherwise a solid half of football.

Golden Ram blocking creates a huge hole for Mic Johnson (Photo Chuck Greco)

But the second half was all West Chester. Quarterback Colin O'Sullivan (14 of 19, 231 yards, 2 TD's; 3 carries, 10 yards, 1 TD) connected wth Johnson on a 19-yard touchdown pass. Then Debrick Johnson registered a strip sack of the Fighting Scot QB giving the Golden Rams the ball at the Edinboro 35-yard line, which setup an O'Sullivan one-yard touchdown score. A three-and-out by the WCU defense led to a Tommy Pajic 20-yard field goal. Another three-and-out by the Golden Ram defense led to a Pajic 31-yard field goal to put West Chester up 34-17. If the situation wasn't already out of hand for Boro, they muffed the ensuing kickoff which was recovered by Ronnell McCorn. On the first play from scrimmage, O'Sullivan connected with Blake Thomas (5 catches, 113 yards, 1 TD) for a 24-yard touchdown. Pajic later tacked on a 45-yard field goal to end West Chester's scoring blitz.

Anthony Delle Donne bats down an Edinboro pass (Photo Chuck Greco)

There were lot of superlatives in this game:

• In the second half, the West Chester defense allowed a total of 90 yards with 80 of them coming on one touchdown pass play against reserves.
• Maine transfer Blake Thomas had a tremendous Golden Ram debut, using his 6'4" frame and speed to be West Chester's first 100-yard receiver this season.
• On West Chester's opening drive, head coach Duke Greco was aggressive going for it on fourth-and-one from the 50-yard line. The Golden Rams were successful on all three of their fourth down attempts.
• Ragni, mainly known for his blocking, had two carries in the game - converting the aforementioned fourth-and-one and the one-yard touchdown run.
• The West Chester defense had three critical sacks in the contest: Debrick Johnson's strip sack; a solo sack on fourth down from Solo Bambara; and Jack Fry turned a second-and-one into a third-and-12 which led to an Edinboro shanked punt.
• With the Golden Rams facing a third-and-five, O'Sullivan, who usually only runs when he has to, scampered six yards on a designed run play for the first down.
• The West Chester offensive line didn't allow a single sack in the contest and the Golden Rams lost only ten yards rushing in the entire game.
• With kicker Rylan Zuk not making the trip, Pajic, who normally only handles kickoffs, was perfect on the day with five PAT's and field goals of 20, 31 and 45 yards. He also had three touchbacks on his nine kickoffs.
• Defensive back Miles Goodwin made a game-high five solo stops and a total of eight tackles.
• The Golden Rams held a 13 minute advantage in time of possession which is a testament to both sides of the ball.

James Fisher had 31 yards on the ground (Photo Chuck Greco)

While West Chester was five-for-five in the red-zone, that area of the field is still a challenge for the offense. The first touchdown took three plays from the Edinboro four-yard line. Midway through the third quarter with first-and-goal from the one, O'Sullivan's TD run came four plays later. And a first-and-goal from the six resulted in a field goal.

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West Chester Athletic Site - West Chester Gets Offensive in 44-24 Win Over Edinboro

Edinboro Athletic Site - Football Falls to West Chester

Golden Rams Review - Photo Album - Edinboro

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