Game Report - West Chester 31 - Gannon 7

#23 West Chester overcame a dreadful opening 90 seconds to handle Gannon 31-7 on a cloudy afternoon in West Chester. The Golden Rams move to 2-0 on the young season while the Golden Knights drop to 0-2.

West Chester's Rasheem James decided to forego a fair catch of the opening kickoff at the goal line which would have given the Golden Rams the ball at its own 25-yard line. Instead he elected to return the kick, but only made it to the 16-yard line. Aggressive? Maybe. Wise? No. Then on the first play from scrimmage, quarterback A.J. Long appeared as though he was not ready for the snap from center Connor Walsh. Gannon flopped on the resulting fumble and three plays later led the game 7-0. It was certainly not the start to the 2018 home opener that everyone was anticipating. Little did we know, it was the last time that Gannon would nudge the scoreboard.

Lex Rosario shakes a tackle en route to a 33-yard touchdown (Photo Ron Hockman)

James' second kickoff return made it to the 20, but then two incomplete passes and a sack forced the Golden Rams to punt. The inauspicious started continued. The exchange of punts ensued until midway through the first quarter when Long found tight end Cody Boozel on a little dump pass. However, Boozel had a lot of running room and some great downfield blocking from Lex Rosario to move the ball down to the Gannon 19. Unfortunately, Boozel was flagged for an unsportsmanlike call on the play which pushed the Golden Rams back to the 36. But four plays later, Boozel shook off a Gannon pass interference penalty to haul in Long's pass for a 15-yard touchdown.

Cody Boozel rolls up the sideline with Lex Rosario blocking (Photo Ron Hockman)

West Chester scored on each of their next two possessions as well - a 28-yard Andrew Chegia field goal and a Long 7-yard touchdown run. Long would later complete a 33-yard touchdown pass to Rosario to stretch the West Chester halftime lead to 24-7.

Diquan Gilbert takes advantage of a blocked field goal to carry the ball
(Photo Ron Hockman)

The final scoring play of the game happened on West Chester's first possession of the second half when Long connected with James on a 40-yard catch and run. After that, many of the disinterested fans went home. As did the Golden Ram offense. The final five possessions went for 15 yards (due to a pass interference penalty against Gannon), 1 yard, -9 yards, 8 yards and 0 yards resulting in four punts and an interception. Fortunately, the West Chester defense continued to play hard, highlighted by two interceptions by Jarey Elder and sacks by both Diquan Gilbert and David Simmons. Gilbert and Ch'aim Smith also shared in a sack.

Jarey Elder makes a leaping interception (Photo Ron Hockman)

Notes - Long finished 18 of 29 for 300 yards passing and 14 carries for 47 yards rushing. He accounted for all four West Chester touchdowns - three in the air and one on the ground. James (7 catches, 121 yards, 1 TD), Rosario (5 catches, 72 yards, 1 TD) and Boozel (3 catches, 72 yards, 1 TD) all had big days receiving... Unfortunately, West Chester's three running backs managed only eight yards on 13 carries...Nate Barnes had a game-high 13 tackles while Gilbert totaled nine stops...the Golden Ram defense shut down Gannon's All-American running back Marcus Jones. Consider that last season Jones averaged 8.1 yards per carry and 111 yards per game rushing and scored a total of 29 touchdowns on the ground. On Saturday, West Chester held him to just 62 yards on 20 carries before he was disqualified from the game for a targeting call early in the fourth quarter...reigning PSAC East Special Teams Athlete of the Week Chegia was perfect on four PAT attempts and a 28-yard field goal...Jaishan Thornton blocked a Gannon 42-yard field goal attempt...cornerback Shaquille James made three pass breakups and two tackles...Zach Demarchis and Ryan George made their first career tackles...Mike Wojcik did the long snapping as Shane Griffin did not dress...Jordan Burney did not play, so Thorton moved to safety and Quintin Smith got the start at cornerback.

Sortable Box Score    Coaches Box Score

West Chester Athletic Site - No. 23/25 West Chester Holds Down Gannon, 31-7

Gannon Athletic Site - Gannon Football Falls In PSAC Crossover Tilt At West Chester

Daily Local News - West Chester University football shuts down Gannon for second win

GoErie.com - Long day for Gannon in blowout loss to West Chester

Ron Hockman - WCU Football vs Gannon - First Half Photos

Ron Hockman - WCU Football vs Gannon - Second Half Photos

Game Preview - Gannon

The Golden Rams' (1-0) schedule of unfamiliar foes continues as it takes on the Gannon Golden Knights (0-1) for just the third time ever. Saturday's contest at John A. Farrell Stadium will commence at noon.

Gannon is coming off a 35-32 loss to Southern Connecticut on Thursday leaving head coach Brad Rzyczycki with a career record of 34-33. In that game, the Golden Knights outgained the Owls, but were hurt by inopportune turnovers and 13 penalties. Meanwhile, West Chester is coming off a 44-6 pasting of Bentley.

Series History:

West Chester won the previous two meetings, at Farrell Stadium in 2012 by a score of 21-17 and in Erie in 2013 by a 56-41 tally.

Last Meeting:

09/15/2013 West Chester 56 - Gannon 41

Although the Golden Rams never trailed in the game, they were also never really able to put the contest out of reach. After West Chester shot out to a 21-0 first quarter lead, Gannon closed the gap to just one point twice, at 21-20 and 28-27 late in the second quarter. The offensive fireworks led to over 1,000 total yards in the game - 612 for the Golden Rams and 469 for the Golden Knights. The two teams also combined for 23 penalties for 208 yards. For the Golden Rams, Rondell White did everything - 32 carries for 245 yards and two touchdowns, seven receptions for 87 yards, in addition to throwing an 18-yard touchdown pass.

Scouting the Golden Knights:

Everyone in the stadium should be focused on Gannon running back Marcus Jones. Last year, Jones led all of Division II in rushing touchdowns with 29 and rushing yards with 2,176 (the next best rusher had 1,740 yards). As a result, he was the runner-up for the Harlon Hill award and is a consensus All-American coming into the 2018 season. In last week's loss, Jones ran for 160 yards and a score.

Besides Jones, the offense returns eight other starters including quarterback Jimmy Keefe (112 of 206 for 1,477 yards, 10 TD's, 11 int's in 2017; 14 of 32 for 212 yards, 3 TD's, 2 int's last week). Joey Cox was the Golden Knoghts top receiver last week with seven catches for 87 yards and a score after making only eight catches in all eleven games in 2017.

The Gannon defense is not the strong point for the team, but defensive end Noah Harris-Lyles (53 tackles including 17.5 tackles for loss in 2017) and linebacker Anthony Howard (93 tackles including 9.5 tackles for loss in 2017) were both All-PSAC after last season. Linebacker Geremy Paige registered 11 tackles against Southern Connecticut last week while defensive back Tre McNeill notched eights stops and recovered a fumble.

Analysis:

Gannon is historically among the top scoring teams in the PSAC and this year figures to be no different. How their offense matches up against West Chester's defense is going to be the intriguing part of the contest. The Gannon defense usually yields a lot of points, so the Golden Rams should have no problem scoring as long as they take care of the ball. The Gannon kicking game was one of the worst in the PSAC last year (5 of 12 on field goals, 43 of 43 on PAT's). One final area that the Golden Rams need to focus on is keeping their cool and not committing or getting drawn into major penalties.

Atomic Football is predicting a double digit victory for West Chester while Massey Ratings projects a touchdown margin.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Audio   Video

West Chester Athletic Site - Depth Chart - West Chester vs. Gannon

West Chester Athletic Site - Nos. 23/25 West Chester Hosts Gannon In Home Opener Saturday

PSAC Site - Football - Week 2 Notes

Gannon Athletic Site - Gannon Football Hits Road To Face West Chester

KYW Newsradio - West Chester hosts Gannon Saturday in home opener

GoErie.com - Gannon’s Jones, Edinboro’s Fletcher are back

D2football - PSAC Columnist - PSAC Week 2 Preview

Club News - September 6 Meeting

The Golden Ram Football Club will be meeting on Thursday at 7:45pm at Timothy's in the Parkway Shopping Center in West Chester. The meeting will begin immediately following the Bill Zwaan Football Show which is also held at Timothy's starting at 7:00pm. Golden Ram fans unable to attend the show can listen to it live on WCHE1520AM.COM. The meeting will not be broadcast.

According to the Bill Zwaan Football Show, senior running back Mark Dukes and sophomore linebacker Nate Barnes will be the special guests on Coach Zwaan's show. In addition, defensive line coach Joe Walsh will join the show.

In West Chester's 44-6 win at Bentley, Barnes led the team in tackles with seven, including 3.5 sacks for a total loss of 22 yards. He also recovered a fumble that led to the Golden Rams' first touchdown of the season. In the second quarter, Barnes broke up a third-down pass in the end zone to force a Bentley field goal. For his effort, he was named PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week. Meanwhile Dukes ran for 115 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. Last season, Dukes amassed 367 yards and three scores on 45 carries.

Come out to Timothy's at 7:00pm to participate in the show live. Or send your questions for coach or the players to Bill Zwaan Show.

Mark Dukes
(Photo Ron Hockman)
Nate Barnes
(Photo Ron Hockman)

Team News - Golden Rams #23 in AFCA Poll

After throttling Bentley by a score of 44-6, West Chester has moved into the top 25 of the coaches' poll. The Golden Rams are ranked #23. West Chester last appeared in the top 25 one year ago when they were #24 on September 4, 2017 prior to falling to Slippery Rock. The Golden Rams were receiving votes prior to the start of this season. West Chester also appears at #25 in the D2football.com poll.

West Chester's next action is Saturday at noon when they host Gannon (0-1).

American Football Coaches Association - Division II Coaches’ Poll – September 3, 2018

D2Football.com - Top 25 Poll - September 4, 2018

West Chester Athletic Site - Football Breaks Into AFCA Top 25

Player News - Barnes Named PSAC East Defensive POW

For his efforts in West Chester's 44-6 win over Bentley, sophomore linebacker Nate Barnes has been named PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week. In the contest, Barnes led the Golden Rams with seven tackles. He also registered 3.5 sacks, broke up a pass and recovered a fumble that led to West Chester's first touchdown.

Nate Barnes (Photo Ron Hockman)

PSAC Site - PSAC Athletes of the Week - 1

West Chester Athletic Site - Pair of Golden Rams Take Home Weekly Honors In Week 1

Player News - Chegia Named PSAC East Special Teams POW

For his efforts in West Chester's 44-6 win over Bentley, sophomore kicker Andrew Chegia has been named PSAC East Special Teams Athlete of the Week. In the contest, Chegia was four of five on PAT's. And when West Chester's opening drive of the second half stalled at the Bentley ten, he nailed a 28-yard field goal. His seven points after one game game this season is best among all PSAC East kickers.

Andrew Chegia (Photo Ron Hockman)

PSAC Site - PSAC Athletes of the Week - 1

West Chester Athletic Site - Pair of Golden Rams Take Home Weekly Honors In Week 1

Game Report - West Chester 44 - Bentley 6

The game started in hot and steamy conditions and ended in a cool summer breeze. Sandwiched in between was a whole lot of whoopass as the Golden Rams rolled to a 44-6 win over Bentley.

At halftime, it seemed ridiculous to see that the West Chester defense held the Falcons to just 38 yards of offense. But then they topped that by yielding just 25 yards in the second half. Dominating in every sense of the word. Granted Bentley was without All-American wide receiver Austin Ryan and lost fellow receiver Drew Mahoney at the start of the second quarter, but the Golden Rams registered 15 tackles for loss on Bentley's 49 offensive plays. And most impressive was when Bentley started a possession on the West Chester 10, the Golden Rams allowed just two yards and a field goal.

Shaquille James and Jaishan Thornton each had interceptions and Nate Barnes landed on a fumble forced by Ch'aim Smith. Thorton's interception was particularly impressive as his man was past him, but he timed his breakup perfectly and the ball popped up for him to snare the pick. Barnes led the team in tackles with seven, including 3.5 sacks.

Meanwhile, the Golden Ram offense was efficient. Quarterback A.J. Long was 10 of 14 for 184 yards and two touchdowns through the air, and picked up 54 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. An ill-advised throw - two receivers among six defenders - did result in an interception and a long return, but that was about the only blemish on his game. Running backs Mark Dukes (101 yards and a touchdown) and Mike Class (28 yards and a touchdown) were as expected, as was receiver Rasheem James (6 catches for 82 yards and two touchdowns).

Newcomers to the field for the Golden Rams made an impact on both sides of the ball. Redshirt freshmen Trael Seegers (7 carries for 46 yards), Darnell Ferrell (1 catch for 12 yards), Cole Zapf (six tackles including two for loss), and Bloomsburg transfer Ethan Price (1 catch for 54 yards) all saw significant time.

Notes - Dan Neuhaus did not dress which forced true freshman Zach Liggit into action. Liggit returned a kickoff for 11 yards...Brendan Paulison dropped two of his three punts inside the Bentley 20...West Chester committed only two penalties for a total of 20 yards...Tyler Morrissey and David Simmons each had a sack and Tyrone Barge had 2.5 tackles for loss...quarterbacks Zach Gilbert and Mike Piperno both made their first collegiate appearances.

Sortable Box Score   

West Chester Athletic Site - West Chester Opens Season Impressively With 44-6 Win At Bentley

Bentley Athletic Site - West Chester Erupts for 27 in 2nd during 44-6 Season-Opening Win over Bentley University

Game Preview - Bentley

The Golden Rams travel to Waltham, MA to open the 2018 season when they take on the Bentley Falcons on Thursday evening. This will mark the third year in a row that these two teams have faced each other to open the season. Kickoff in Bentley University Football Stadium is scheduled for 6:00 pm.

Series History:
West Chester holds a 2-0 lead in the series against the Falcons with the Golden Rams winning in Waltham in 2016 by a score of 31-24 before last season's 51-9 throttling at John A. Farrell Stadium. Bentley head coach Bill Kavanaugh enters his fifth season at the helm with a record of 21-22. Meanwhile, Golden Ram head coach Bill Zwaan starts his 16th season with an overall record of 125-58, including 9-2 against Northeast-10 opponents and 2-0 against Bentley.

Last Meeting:

08/31/2017 West Chester 51 - Bentley 9

The final score reflected exactly how the Golden Rams dominated in all facets of the game in the season opener. The West Chester defense kept the Falcons out of the endzone until the very last play of the game. Meanwhile, the Golden Ram offense scored on seven of its first nine possessions in rolling up almost 500 yards of offense.

Tyler Morrissey had two sacks among his four solo tackles while Jordan Burney led the team with five total tackles. Quarterback Paul Dooley paced the offense with 183 yards and three touchdowns passing, plus 42 yards rushing. Running back Mark Dukes had 82 yards and a score rushing, while Rasheem James had two catches including one for a touchdown.

Scouting the Opponent:

After falling to West Chester in the season opener last year, Bentley went 6-3 in the Northeast 10 finishing in third place in their conference. The Falcons were picked to finish third in their conference again this season.

Despite playing in only seven games last season, sophomore quarterback Stephen Sturm (95 of 130 for 1,375 yards, 12 TD's, 2 int's) led the team in almost all passing categories. His top target will likely be classmate Austin Ryan (49 catches, 1,237 yards, 16 TD's). Besides being named first team All-NE10 last season, Ryan was also named NE10 Rookie of the Year and Football Gazette Division II Freshman of the Year. Prior to this season, he has received multiple Division II All-American recognitions. All five of the Falcons' top receivers from a year ago return, including Drew Mahoney (51 catches, 485 yards, 6 TD's in 7 games), Jordan Zlogar (18 catches, 241 yards, 1 TD in 7 games), Michael Correia (19 catches, 228 yards), and Ryan McCarthy (17 catches, 158 yards). Sophomore Andrew Brazicki (99 carries, 481 yards, 6 TD's) returns as the team's leading rusher while Mahoney also chipped in 123 yards last year. Returning offensive linemen that received NE10 All-Rookie honors are Tim Leonard and Sean Mitchell.

Cornerbacks Nick Athy (76 tackles, 3 interceptions) and Pete Thorbahn (52 tackles, 3 interceptions) were the Falcons' top two tacklers and both received All-NE10 honors. Linebackers Andrew Carmichael (34 tackles, 4 tackles for loss) and Travis McGee (19 tackles) return in the middle while Frank Damata (15 tackles, 1 sack) and Matt Yanes (10 tackles) are part of the Falcon three-man front.

Junior kicker Grant Buchanan connected on 7 of his 12 field goal attempts with a long of 39, but converted 37 of 39 PAT's.

Analysis:

The Bentley offense is young, but the skill players are all very talented. The Golden Ram front six needs to get some pressure to disrupt the Falcon passing game. Meanwhile, Bentley's defense was 106th in the country in sacks and 130th in rushing in 2017, so West Chester should use the running game and attacking underneath which should open the downfield passing game. This is likely to be a tougher game than last year's whitewashing at Farrell Stadium.

Atomic Football is predicting a ten-point win for West Chester while Massey Ratings projects a five-point margin.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Audio   Video  

West Chester Athletic Site - Depth Chart - West Chester vs. Bentley

West Chester Athletic Site - Football Kicks Off 97th Season Thursday Night At Bentley

PSAC Site - PSAC Football Notes: Week 1

Bentley Athletic Site - Bentley Football Returns to Campus Sunday for Preseason Camp

Bentley Athletic Site - Bentley Set to Kick Off the 2018 Season under the Thursday Night Lights

Bentley Athletic Site - Bentley Football Parking Information

KYW Newsradio - College football preview: West Chester University Golden Rams

Wicked Local Waltham - Bentley University football team returns to the field

The Sun Chronicle - Foxboro's Ryan earns preseason honors

D2football - PSAC Columnist - PSAC Preseason Story Lines / Power Rankings

D2football - PSAC Columnist - PSAC Week 1 Preview

D2football - Northeast-10 Columnist - Week 1 in the NE-10

Team News - West Chester-Kutztown Part of NCAA Showcase Schedule

The NCAA has announced that the Golden Rams' October 27 game at Kutztown will be part of their showcase schedule. The game is one of only 19 regular season games and the only PSAC contest that will be featured on ESPN3 or NCAA social media as part of a new media agreement intended to promote the division on several platforms throughout the academic year.

NCAA - Division II announces football showcase schedule

West Chester Athletic Site - West Chester Featured In NCAA Showcase Football Schedule This Fall

Alumni News - O'Donnell Takes New Coaching Role

John O'Donnell

Former Golden Ram defensive back John O'Donnell '13 has taken an assistant coaching position with Franklin & Marshall College. O'Donnell spent the last four seasons with Widener. While at West Chester, he was a four-year letterwinner, a second team All-PSAC selection and Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area selection. For the Diplomats, he will focus on coaching the defensive backs with fellow Golden Ram alumnus and defensive coordinator Mark Fetterman '88.