Series History:
West Chester leads the overall series 54-29, and these two schools historically have played big games. They 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 eight games have been decided by a total of 20 points, including last year's triple overtime thriller.
Former Bloomsburg All-American linebacker Frank Sheptock is in his sixth season as head coach of his alma mater with a record of 25-38 there.
Last 10 Meetings:
|
Year |
H/A |
W/L |
Score |
Year |
H/A |
W/L |
Score |
2015 |
Home |
Win |
33-22 |
2021
|
Home |
Win |
21-20 |
2016 |
Away |
Win |
27-7 |
2022 |
Away |
Loss |
21-16 |
2017 |
Home |
Loss |
20-19 |
2023 |
Home |
Win |
24-21 OT |
2018 |
Away |
Win |
17-14 |
2024 |
Away |
Loss |
23-21 |
2019 |
Home |
Win |
20-17 |
2025 |
Home |
Win |
46-44 3OT |
Last Meeting:
10/31/2025 West Chester 46 - Bloomsburg 44 3OT
The Golden Rams squandered a 28-14 fourth quarter lead, but looked to secure a win when Rylan Zuk converted a 34-yard field goal to give West Chester a 31-28 lead with 1:06 left in the game. And after the Huskies navigated 55 yards, their 47-yard, game-tying field goal attempt failed with no time left on the clock which appeared to give WCU the win. But the Golden Rams were flagged for roughing the kicker and Bloomsburg's subsequent 32-yard field goal was true to send the game into overtime. The two teams battled into the third overtime when West Chester converted its two-point attempt while Bloomsburg's attempt failed and the Golden Rams escaped with a 46-44 win.
The Huskies had 31 first downs, including converting on 9 of 13 third down attempts, which led to a three-minute advantage in time of possession. Dylan McKenzie made six catches for 133 yards. On the ground, Future Robertson had 79 yards and a touchdown while Mikhail Johnson had 35 yards and a score. Defensively, linebacker Ricardo Delgado made ten tackles while Ronnell McCorn had four tackles and a sack.
Scouting the Opponent:
Defensively, Bloomsburg's top two tacklers are linebackers Garrett Garcia (59 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 2 int, 3 QBH) and Nahzier Booker (57 tackles, 5.0 sacks, 1 int, 3 QBH). Defensive end Ian Donohue (26 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 13.0 TFL) is a problem up front. Defensive backs Cole Turner (30 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 2 int, 3 PBU) and Zay Pusateri (28 tackles, 7 PBU) patrol the secondary.
Danen Lorusso (18 punts, 34 yd avg, 5 FC, 3 I20) started the season as Bloomsburg's punter, but freshman Cole Richards (12 punts, 40 yd avg, 3 FC, 2 I20, 2 50+) has been more productive over the past three weeks. Peter Kashynski (23 of 24 PAT, 7 of 11 FG, long of 41) has been effective as two of his four field goal misses have come beyond 50 yards. In the return game, Zimmerman (15 yds/return) is second in the PSAC in punt returns and returned a kick 76 yards for a touchdown against Shippensburg.
Analysis:
Prior to the season, the Golden Rams were picked by the coaches to finish fourth in the division. A loss in Bloomsburg would mean that West Chester could finish no better than fifth. While Bloomsburg is 6-2 this year, both losses came in Redman - a 9-6 setback to Edinboro and a 34-0 shutout to East Stroudsburg. More significantly, their two wins were struggles - a 33-27 overtime victory of Gannon (now 1-7) and 20-14 win over Millersville (0-8) last week in a game that the Marauders had two shots to tie the game in the closing seconds from the Bloomsburg 24. So the Huskies aren't sporting a real home field advantage.
From a scoring and overall offense perspective, these two teams are very similar. The primary difference comes in the running game. While the Huskies aren't as dominant in that area as they have historically been, their running game is still very good while West Chester's rush defense is poor. Expect Bloomsburg to exploit the WCU run defense and set up opportunities for effective play action passes. On the other side of the ball, Bloomsburg's rush defense is second in the PSAC only to Kutztown, so West Chester will likely be looking to throw. But that appraoch comes with its own challenges as the Huskies are among the leaders in the PSAC in interceptions with 10 and sacks with 18.
A Golden Ram victory is attainable, but WCU can't afford turnovers and foolish penalties. Massey Ratings is expecting a 24-21 Husky win while Versus Sports simulates a similar 23-21 Bloomsburg victory.
Game Coverage:
West Chester Athletic Site - West Chester Heads to Bloomsburg For a Halloween Showdown With the Huskies
PSAC Site - PSAC Football Weekly Notes: Week 9
No comments:
Post a Comment