The #9 Golden Rams (9-0) travel to
Slippery Rock (9-1) on Saturday in pursuit of their first PSAC title since the championship was resurrected in 2008. Both teams swept their division foes for the right to compete for the conference crown. Kickoff at
Mihalik-Thompson Stadium is scheduled for 1:00pm.
This is West Chester's second consecutive trip to the PSAC championship game and third in the last four year, however the Golden Rams
fell to IUP last season and
dropped the game to Slippery Rock in 2015. Both of those games were played at Farrell Stadium.
Series History:
The Rock narrowly leads the series between the two schools 10-8. Head coach
Bill Zwaan is 3-4 against Slippery Rock while his counterpart
Shawn Lutz is closing his third season as head coach there.
In the final game of the regular season in 2006, with both teams owning a 7-3 record and the winner destined for the NCAA playoffs, West Chester won by a score of 21-20 when the Rock's 48-yard field goal attempt drifted wide left in the pouring rain in Slippery Rock. In 2010 also in Slippery Rock, Shawn Leo kicked a field goal to put the Golden Rams up 27-24 with two and a half minutes left. But the Rock converted a 47-yard field goal of their own with 31 seconds left to send the game into overtime. The Rock quickly scored a touchdown in overtime, but Nick Garcia blocked the point after giving West Chester hope. Although the Golden Rams picked up a first down, they were unable to get into the end zone and fell 33-27.
West Chester crushed the Rock in the first round of the
2014 NCAA playoffs at Farrell Stadium. The 2015 PSAC championship game pitted these two schools against each other, but Slippery Rock
humiliated the Golden Rams in that game. The Rock has also won the past two games as these two teams faced each other in the early season crossover mathcup in 2016 and 2017.
Last 10 Meetings:
|
Year
|
H/A
|
W/L
|
Score
|
Year
|
H/A
|
W/L
|
Score
|
1974
|
Away
|
Loss
|
20-7
|
2011
|
Home
|
Win
|
20-17
|
1996
|
Home
|
Win
|
31-21
|
2014
|
Home
|
Win
|
46-20
|
1997
|
Away
|
Loss
|
27-14
|
2015
|
Home
|
Loss
|
61-12
|
2006
|
Away
|
Win
|
21-20
|
2016
|
Home
|
Loss
|
36-28
|
2010
|
Away
|
Loss
|
33-27 OT
|
2017
|
Away
|
Loss
|
49-42
|
Last Meeting:
09/09/2017 Slippery Rock 49 - West Chester 42
Despite outgaining the Rock by over 100 yards, the Golden Rams dropped a 49-42 decision in Slippery Rock. West Chester was doomed by 17 penalties resulting in 162 yards and the Rock's big plays. Slippery Rock touchdowns included a 96-yard kickoff return, a 43-yard run, a 37-yard pass, a 47-yard punt return, and a 90-yard pass. But after West Chester tied the game at 42 with six minutes left, Slippery Rock executed a 9-play, 81-yard drive for the final score.
Quarterback
Paul Dooley was 19 of 38 for 261 yards and three touchdowns, primarily targeting
Rasheem James (7 catches, 95 yards, 2 TD's).
A.J. Long had four carries for 15 yards, but did not attempt a pass.
Jarey Elder and
Shaquille James each had an interception and
Jordan Burney recovered a fumble. All three turnovers led to West Chester touchdowns. Linebacker
Tyler Morrissey had a game-high ten tackles and
Brendan Paulison averaged 58 yards on seven punts.
Scouting the Opponent:
For the fourth consecutive year, the Rock has turned to a transfer for their quarterback. Unlike the previous three which came from FCS schools with just one year of eligibility left, dual-threat
Roland Rivers III (144 of 235, 1,987 yards, 21 TD's, 6 int's; 91 carries, 437 yards, 7 TD's) is a junior from Gulf South Conference power
Valdosta St. He is the Rock's third signal caller as the first two encountered injuries early in the season.
Eight different receivers have double-digit receptions, topped by
Henry Litwin (37 catches, 617 yards, 6 TD's),
Jermaine Wynn Jr. (36 catches, 494 yards, 7 TD's) and
6'3"
Austin Scott (18 catches, 376 yards, 2 TD's).
At 6'2, 218lb, Delaware transfer running back
Wes Hills (147 carries, 1,113 yards, 12 TD's; 20 catches, 141 yards) is a big threat in the offense. The line is anchored by All-PSAC right tackle
Steve Gaviglia.
The Rock's top tacklers are their three linebackers:
Canisius transfer LB
Brad Zaffram (61 tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss),
Tim Vernick (57 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss), and
Trysten McDonald (53 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 3 fumble recoveries).
The secondary is led by
free safety
Kyle Hall (50 tackles, 5 interceptions),
Ohio State transfer
Eric Glover-Williams (29 tackles, 2 interceptions, 5 pass breakups), and
defensive back
Tyree Spearman (16 tackles, 8 pass breakups).
Defensive end
Chad Kuhn (40 tackles, 7.5 sacks) and Indiana State transfer defensive end
Trey Blandford (34 tackles, 7.0 sacks) put the pressure on the quarterback.
Glover-Williams and
Jermaine Wynn Jr. handle the bulk of the punt and kick returns. All-PSAC Kicker
Jake Chapla is only 12 of 21 on field goals, but that includes 2 of 4 from 50+. He's only missed one PAT in 54 attempts. Chapla also does the punting and kickoffs and has been named PSAC West Special Teams Athlete of the Week four times this season.
Analysis:
Slippery Rock’s only loss this season came at Shippensburg in a manner that you almost have to see to believe. The Rock was leading 21-18 and had just thwarted a Shippensburg drive by intercepting the ball at the two-yard line with a minute left. But with only needing to run out the clock, on their second play, the Rock quarterback wasn’t ready for the snap which bounced off him and was recovered by the Raider defense in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown. Despite being down 25-21 with just 56 seconds remaining, Slippery Rock drove down to the Shippensburg 30-yard line, but their second down pass was intercepted to end the threat.
These two teams are among the top four in the PSAC in most offensive and defensive categories. Both teams have dual-threat quarterbacks, a balanced offensive attack, a defense that likes to get after the quarterback, and solid special teams. Both teams protect the ball well with West Chester being +10 and Slippery Rock being +6. If you can believe it, the Rock is actually penalized more often than the Golden Rams, so as long as West Chester doesn't get into retaliation, that may play into WCU's favor. And what impact will the freezing winds have on the game? This is expected to be the most challenging opponent that either will have faced thus far this season, and that's to be expected for a conference championship game.
Massey Ratings gives the Rock a one-point edge in the game while
Atomic Football favors the Rock by four.
Game Coverage:
Two-time PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year Tyler Morrissey
Head Coach Bill Zwaan was named PSAC East Coach of the Year
Omar Peterkin and Frank Tranzilli square off in the spring game
The 2018 PSAC Champions (Photo Ron Hockman)
Lex Rosario got up to make the catch and score (Photo Ron Hockman)
Jarey Elder on one of his two picks (Photo Ron Hockman)
Omar Peterkin and Ch'aim Smith squash the Rock running game 
A.J. Long scores with the entire Rock defense in pursuit (Photo Ron Hockman)
