Player News - Colin O'Sullivan Named PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the Week

For his efforts during West Chester's 44-24 defeat of Edinboro, redshirt junior quarterback Colin O'Sullivan has been named PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the Week.

Of his 19 pass attempts, O'Sullivan completed 14 of them to seven different receivers for 231 yards and two touchdowns. He also had three carries for ten yards including a touchdown.

Colin O'Sullivan accounted for three touchdowns (Photo Chuck Greco)

PSAC Site - PSAC Football Athletes of the Week: Week 3

West Chester Athletic Site - Pair of Golden Rams Pull Down Athlete of the Week Honors in the PSAC East

Player News - Tommy Pajic Named PSAC East Special Teams Athlete of the Week

For his efforts during West Chester's 44-24 defeat of Edinboro, redshirt sophomore kicker Tommy Pajic has been named PSAC East Special Teams Athlete of the Week.

Pajic, who accounted for 14 points, was perfect on the day connecting on all five PAT's and field goals of 20, 31 and 45 yards. His nine kickoffs averaged 58 yards with three going for touchbacks.

Tommy Pajic nails a 45-yard field goal (Photo Chuck Greco)

PSAC Site - PSAC Football Athletes of the Week: Week 3

West Chester Athletic Site - Pair of Golden Rams Pull Down Athlete of the Week Honors in the PSAC East

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 creats 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.

Sortable Box Score   

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

Game Replay

Game Preview - Edinboro

The Golden Rams (1-1) head to the northwest corner of the commonwealth to take on the Edinboro Fighting Scots (2-0). Kickoff at Sox Harrison Stadium is scheduled for noon on Saturday.

Series History:
West Chester leads the all time series 7-5 with the last meeting coming in 2021.

Although these two teams play infrequently, Edinboro has a habit of spoiling significant events for the Golden Rams. In 2006 on the first game played on Farrell Stadium's new FieldTurf, the Fighting Scots prevailed 28-14. And then in the 2010 home opener, on Michael Horrocks Day, when the statue of the former Golden Ram quarterback and United Airlines pilot was unveiled, Edinboro tipped West Chester 16-14.

After earning a share of the division title last year in his only season at Edinboro, head coach Matt Scott was named PSAC West Coach of the Year and then departed to become the defensive coordinator at the University at Albany. Fighting Scot's defensive coordinator Eric Crandall was named Edinboro's interim head coach in December.

Their most famous recent football alumnus is Trevor Harris who is in his 14th season in the Canadian Football League. He was a member of the Grey Cup winning Ottawa Redblacks in 2016 and Toronto Argonauts in 2012. Last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Harris not only won the Grey Cup again, he was named the game's most valuable player after completing a record 85.2% of his passes in the contest.

Last 10 Meetings:

Year	H/A	W/L	Score	Year	H/A	W/L	Score
1986	Home	Win	37-9	2007	Away	Win	32-16
1987	Away	Win	49-28	2010	Home	Loss	16-14
2000	Home	Loss	13-6	2016	Away	Loss	54-51 2OT
2001	Away	Win	30-26	2017	Home	Win	62-28
2006	Home	Loss	28-14	2021	Home	Win	41-37

Last Meeting:

9/18/2021 West Chester 41 - Edinboro 37

Midway through the fourth quarter, sophomore defensive end Michael Gobora intercepted an Edinboro potential game-tying two-point conversion attempt and returned it 98 yards to extend West Chester's lead to 34-30. The Fighting Scots scored a touchdown with just over three minutes left to take a 37-34 lead, but the Golden Rams answered with a Ja'Den McKenzie one-yard touchdown of his own to give West Chester a 41-37 advantage. However, it wasn't until WCU defensive back Obi Anyatonwu intercepted Edinboro in the end zone on the last play of the game, that West Chester was able to breathe easily again. For the game, the West Chester defense had four sacks, forced four turnovers and held Edinboro to just 108 yards on the ground.

Scouting the Opponent:

All-PSAC West offensive tackle Dylan McWilliams entered the transfer portal after last season. He reportedly turned down offers from Robert Morris, Albany, Tennessee Tech, Indiana State and Bryant to return to the Fighting Scots. McWilliams provides protection for IUP transfer Nico Marchitelli (32 of 60, 374 yards, 1 TD) who tends to be the throwing quarterback and Bo Swartz who runs more (9 carries, 39 yards, 2 TD's) but is very efficient in the passing game (6 of 8, 57 yards, 2 TD's). Running backs Jerry Dinkins III (38 carries, 159 yards, 1 TD) and Antwan Ceasar (20 carries, 89 yards) carry most of the load in the backfield. Tight end Jeremiah Neeley (8 catches, 131 yards, 2 TD's) is Edinboro's top returning pass catcher while receivers Jacob Coburn (11 catches, 145 yards), Evan Low (3 catches, 44 yards) and tight end Clayton Bezon (4 catches, 40 yards, 1 TD) provide additional big targets.

On special teams, Ethan Schlief averages 34 yards on his 15 punts, with 2 going at least 50 yards. Kicker Tanner Bruzda has converted just one of his four field goal attempts (33 yards) but has been successful on all four PAT's.

All-PSAC West safety Nate Deanes (1 tackle, 2 PBU) returns to lead the Edinboro defense, but it was fellow safety Ty Reali (16 tackles, 1 int) who captured PSAC West Defensive Player of the Week for his 12 tackle, 1 interception perfomance in a week one win over Ohio Dominican. Linebacker Wyatt Wallick (12 tackles, 1 sack) has Edinboro's only sack this season, but redshirt freshman defensive lineman Montrice Webster (13 tackles, 3.0 TFL) is becoming a force up front after he won PSAC West Defensive Player of the Week last week. Linebackers Jaden Branch (10 tackles, 1.5 TFL) and Parker Hoff (10 tackles, 1.0 TFL) are always around the ball.

Analysis:

With just one sack and one turnover, the Edinboro defense doesn't appear to be high intensity, however, they held Bloomsburg to just two field goals last week and allow just 257 yards per game. If the Golden Ram offense puts forth a solid, balanced approach, and minimizes mistakes, they should be able to score. The Fighting Scot offense has only one turnover this season, and their two-headed quarterback approach is working. Swartz has four touchdowns in just 17 touches, so hopefully the West Chester defense pays attention when he enters the game. Perhaps West Chester's advantage in special teams will come into play as well.

Massey Ratings is expecting a 28-21 Edinboro win and Versus Sports simulates a similar 29-20 Fighting Scot victory.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Video

West Chester Athletic Site - West Chester Heads to Edinboro for Crossover Tilt Saturday Afternoon

Edinboro Athletic Site - Football Hosts West Chester on Saturday

D2football - PSAC Columnist - PSAC Week Three Preview

Player News - Bryan Anderson Named PSAC East Special Teams Athlete of the Week

For his efforts during West Chester's 27-21 setback to Indiana, redshirt freshman defensive back Bryan Anderson has been named PSAC East Special Teams Athlete of the Week.

With the Golden Rams trailing 14-7 with less than four minutes left in regulation, Anderson scooped up a punt blocked by Nick Rogers and raced 66 yards to the end zone. Rylan Zuk's ensuing PAT tied the game thus sending the game to overtime. Defensively, Anderson accounted for five total tackles, two of which were solo stops.

Bryan Anderson had his first career touchdown (Photo Chuck Greco)

PSAC Site - PSAC Football Athletes of the Week: Week 2

West Chester Athletic Site - Bryan Anderson Named PSAC East Special Teams Athlete of the Week

Game Report - #14/#19 Indiana 27 - West Chester 21 2OT

The Golden Rams (1-1) fought hard for over 60 minutes but eventually succumbed to the #14/#19 Indiana Crimson Hawks (2-0) by a score of 27-21 in two overtimes.

West Chester got off to a slow start. Their first possession was a three-and-out and while the second one went 86 yards, it ended when Adrien Mosley (4 catches, 29 yards) lost a fumble on the one-yard line. The Golden Ram defense looked equally sluggish giving up touchdown drives of 73 and 99 yards. Early in the second quarter, Indiana led 14-0 and it felt like the game could get out of hand.

Miles Goodwin had several open field tackles (Photo Chuck Greco)

But the WCU defense stiffened. After amassing 172 yards on their first two drives, the Crimson Hawks managed a total of just 31 yards on their next six possessions including four three-and-outs. And then with nine minutes left in regulation, with Indiana backed up in their own end of the field, defensive tackle Jack Fry batted a Crimson Hawk pass up in the air, caught it, and fell into the end zone to put West Chester on the board. Indiana's next possession stalled at the WCU 26, but with the score 14-7, the Crimson Hawks were looking to extend their lead by two scores with a 47-yard field goal attempt. Nick Rogers would have none of it as he blocked the kick and Bryan Anderson returned it 66 yards for the touchdown. Rylan Zuk's PAT tied the game at 14 with just three minutes remaining. Each team had one more shot, but the game went to overtime.

Bryan Anderson had his first career touchdown (Photo Chuck Greco)

The teams traded touchdowns on their first possession of overtime, and Indiana scored in the second OT, but West Chester couldn't get closer than the 9-yard line to end the game.

Linebacker Luke Trunell had a big game with 12 total tackles including a 10-yard sack. Fellow linebacker Jayden Trace worked through some growing pains to register six tackles including a 7-yard sack. Defensive end Debrick Johnson had two pass breakups and a quarterback hurry to go along with three tackles.

Ricardo Delgado makes a solo tackle for loss (Photo Chuck Greco)

In a game where the offense only scored one touchdown, and that didn't come until overtime, it's odd to say that they were much improved over last week, but they were. Quarterback Colin O'Sullivan (27 of 55, 229 yards, 1 TD, 2 int) looked a lot like last season - making fast decisions and getting rid of the ball quickly. But also like last year, he was often under duress (9 QB hurries) which resulted in two sacks and one of the interceptions. However, unlike last season, O'Sullivan had two 12-yard carries that converted third-and-longs into Golden Ram first downs. Mic Johnson (16 carries, 70 yards) carried the load at running back with Isaiah Wright not dressed. Dylan McKenzie (7 catches, 76 yards) and Ryan Johnston (3 catches, 35 yards, 1 TD) both had nice games receiving. One thing that was noticeably different was the passing game to the running backs - Johnson (4 catches, 25 yards) and Future Robertson (5 catches, 35 yards). This is an area worth watching going forward to determine if this was merely a function of the game plan against Indiana or how O'Sullivan surveys the field to generate offensive production.

Dylan McKenzie with one of his tough receptions (Photo Chuck Greco)

For the game, West Chester had 26 first downs to Indiana's 19, despite the Crimson Hawks having a five-minute advantage in time of possession. The glaring deficit for the offense was converting only one of their four trips into the redzone, with two of those trips, including the successful one, coming from the short field in overtime. Joey Svoboda rotated with Drew O'Connor at left guard throughout the game.

Mic Johnson had 119 all-purpose yards (Photo Chuck Greco)

Sortable Box Score   

West Chester Athletic Site - No. 14 IUP Escapes West Chester With 27-21 Double OT Victory

Indiana Athletic Site - No. 14 IUP Survives Late West Chester Rally, Wins 27-21 in Overtime

Indiana Gazette - Maggs throws for 4 touchdowns as Hawks win double-OT thriller 27-21 over Golden Rams

Golden Rams Review - Photo Album - Indiana

Game Replay

Game Preview - #14/#19 Indiana

The Golden Rams (1-0) host the #14/#19 Indiana Crimson Hawks (1-0) in a PSAC crossover contest. Kickoff at Tomlinson-Fillippo Field at Farrell Stadium is scheduled for 6:00pm on Saturday.

Series History:
Indiana leads the overall series 15-7 . The teams faced each other twice in both 1987 and 2017. In 2017, the first meeting was in the PSAC championsip game while the second game was in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs. The Golden Rams won at Indiana in 2014 in a game that vaulted West Chester into the playoffs. West Chester has lost three straight to IUP overall and four straight at Farrell Stadium with the last home victory coming in 2005.

Head coach Paul Tortorella entered his tenth season at IUP with a record of 68-23 and has led the Crimson Hawks to the Division II playoffs four times including a trip to the national semi-finals in 2017.

Last 10 Meetings:

Year	H/A	W/L	Score	Year	H/A	W/L	Score
1998	Home	Loss	19-10	2011	Home	Loss	34-7
1999	Away	Loss	12-9	2014	Away	Win	28-17
2005	Home	Win	30-20	2017	Home	Loss	24-7
2007	Home	Loss	45-35	2017	Away	Loss	44-10
2010	Away	Loss	27-10	2021	Home	Loss	31-24

Last Meeting:

11/13/2021 Indiana 31 - West Chester 24

The Golden Rams held a 24-10 lead midway through the fourth quarter, but the Crimson Hawks outscored West Chester 21-0 to snatch yet another win from WCU at Farrell Stadium. West Chester's final three offensive possessions consisted of four sacks, including a lost fumble, and a total of -2 yards. For the game, the Golden Rams had a 50-yard advantage in total offense and a ten minute advantage in time of possession, but IUP had an 8-0 edge in quarterback sacks. The two teams combined for 26 penalties for 254 yards.

Ja'Den McKenzie amassed 112 yards and three touchdowns rushing while Rasheem James had six catches for 115 yards. Linebackers Cole Zapf (6 tackles, 1 QBH) and Jackson Taylor (5 tackles, 2 QBH) led the way for the Golden Ram defense.

Scouting the Opponent:

Ohio State transfer quarterback Mason Maggs (25 of 36, 264 yards, 2 TD) had a big day in Indiana's season-opening win at Ashland. His top targets in that game were 6'4 redshirt freshman JC Wilson (6 catches, 69 yards) and 6'3 Cal PA transfer D'Avay Johnson (4 catches, 59 yards, 1 TD). Running back Leon Parson (9 carries, 44 yards, 1 TD, 2 catches, 48 yards, 1 TD) is effective in both the run, pass and kick return game. Redshirt freshman Eric Doerue (14 carries, 52 yards) led the ground game. Tight end Connor Shamany didn't factor much into last week's game, but he was All-PSAC West last season. The Crimson Hawks were not adversely affected by the loss of All-PSAC West wide receiver Devin Whitlock who is now at Eastern Illinois.

The Indiana defense lost All-PSAC West defensive end Logan Goodwin. The West Chester Henderson product is now at Buffalo. All-PSAC West linebacker Tai'Don Strickland (4 solo tackles, 1 TFL for 10 yards, 1 PBU, 1 QBH last week ) and defensive back Noah Johnston (5 total tackles) return to lead the defense. Defensive end Braeden Walker had a 9-yard sack and an interception last week at Ashland.

True freshman Preston Rathway was perfect on his four PAT's and field goals of 30 and 34 yards. Redshirt freshman Gavin Mentzer handles the punting (46-yard avg) and kickoffs.

Analysis:

This game is going to be a steep uphill climb for the Golden Rams. At #12/#13 Ashland last week, Indiana possessed the ball for 37 minutes of game time, converting 7 of 16 third-down attempts and their only fourth-down try. Will West Chester be able to run the ball well enough to keep the Crimson Hawks off the field? Probably not as Indiana held Ashland to just 64 rushing yards and 2.9 yards/carry. And the Golden Ram defense will be taxed trying to slow down the Indiana passing game.

Massey Ratings is expecting a 34-17 Indiana win while Versus Sports simulates a similar 32-22 result.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Video

West Chester Athletic Site - West Chester Welcomes No. 14 IUP For Home Opener

Indiana Athletic Site - Crimson Hawks at West Chester

Daily Local News - WCU quarterback, a 9/11 pilot, honored on 25th anniversary of attacks

D2football - PSAC Columnist - PSAC Week Two Preview