Game Report - West Chester 42 - Lock Haven 27

The Golden Rams (5-4, 3-3) exhibited their best offensive performance of the season as they knocked off the Lock Haven Bald Eagles (4-5, 2-4) on Saturday afternoon by a score of 42-27.

The first half was a back and forth affair with the lead changing hands five times, but West Chester took a 21-17 lead into the locker room. While each team got a touchdown in the third quarter, the Golden Ram defense controlled the fourth quarter while WCU tacked on two more touchdowns. Entering the game, turnovers looked to be a key concern, and that's an area where West Chester won the battle. The Golden Ram defense recovered two Lock Haven fumbles and the offense converted both of them into touchdowns.

Offensively, West Chester rotated both quarterbacks throughout the game and the approach proved successful. Ethan Kohler (9 of 11, 148 yards, 1 TD) connected with Daquan Robinson on a 20-yard touchdown pass to give WCU the lead just before halftime. And Cooper Jordan (7 of 11, 144 yards, 1 int) picked up 43 yards rushing including touchdowns of 19 and 5 yards. Having the best game of his young career was running back Dayshawn Jacobs (23 carries, 112 yards, 1 TD) who took a Jordan screen pass 49 yards. Receivers Rahiem Bowens (6 catches, 86 yards) and D'Shaun Seals (3 catches, 65 yards) continued to make tough and/or spectacular catches.

Defensively, cornerback Victor Pena (7 solo tackles, 1 fumble recovered), filling in for the injured Sterlen Barr, Jr., blocked a Lock Haven field goal attempt. He also briefly had a first quarter interception, but was called for defensive holding on the play which negated the pick. Linebackers Khalib Slaughter (7 TKL, 2.0 sacks, 1 FF) and Maurice Beverly (5 TKL, 1 TFL, 1 FR) spent a lot of time in the Bald Eagle backfield.

• The saga at right guard continues. Two weeks ago against East Stroudsburg, Bill Martelon left the game with a leg injury. Last week at Shepherd, Trey Wells, who moved from right tackle to right guard, left the game with a leg injury. Mike Darcy changed his number a couple of weeks ago in preparation for moving from tight end to right guard. He got the start at that position on Saturday but he was forced to leave the contest and was later seen on crutches. Redshirt freshman Jake Phipps took over and hopefully can withstand the last two weeks of the season.
• It was a mixed day for kicker Sean Henry. He made all six of his PAT's, but missed on field goals of 43 and 39 yards. In his defense, the 39-yarder was good from 34 yards, but an illegal procedure penalty pushed the ball back five yards and the longer attempt slipped wide right. So it was a costly penalty. Henry's one punt only went 31 yards, but three of his seven kickoffs went for touchbacks while two others were fair caught.
• Freshman defensive end Seamus McCain, who saw his first action last week at Shepherd, shared a sack with fellow lineman Daniel Hicks at Lock Haven.
• West Chester held the ball for over 21 minutes in the second half, leading to a 35-25 advantage in time of possession for the game. The Golden Rams converted 9 of 12 third downs which certainly extended drives.
• The Golden Ram defense continued to struggle against the run. Lock Haven rolled up 214 yards on the ground including bursts up the middle of 40 ad 65 yards.

Sortable Box Score   

West Chester Athletic Site - West Chester Pulls Away From Lock Haven in Second Half, 42-27

Lock Haven Athletic Site - Notable individual performances highlight Football’s effort vs. West Chester

Game Replay

Game Preview - Lock Haven

The Golden Rams (4-4, 2-3) take to the road for the final time in 2023 when they visit the Lock Haven Bald Eagles (4-4, 2-3) on Saturday. Kickoff in picturesque Hubert Jack Stadium is scheduled for 1:00 pm.

Series History:
West Chester holds a 27-6-1 lead in the series and current WCU head coach Bill Zwaan is undefeated in his previous 11 meetings against the Bald Eagles. Prior to the 2013 season, Lock Haven was in the PSAC West and replaced LIU Post in the PSAC East that year. Lock Haven head coach Dan Mulrooney is in his second season, after leading Anna Maria College to the NCAA Division III playoffs and being named Eastern Collegiate Football Conference Coach of the Year in 2021.

Last 10 Meetings:

Year	H/A	W/L	Score	Year	H/A	W/L	Score
2009	Away	Win	43-0	2017	Away	Win	35-14
2013	Away	Win	34-13	2018	Home	Win	48-14
2014	Home	Win	41-6	2019	Away	Win	56-14
2015	Away	Win	33-9	2021	Away	Win	35-13
2016	Home	Win	37-7	2022	Home	Win	58-10

Last Meeting:

10/29/2022 West Chester 58 - Lock Haven 10

The Golden Ram offense took a little while to get started, as their first points were a Sean Henry 26-yard field goal three minutes into the second quarter. But West Chester would score touchdowns on six of their next seven possessions to open a 51-3 lead and roll to a 58-10 win.

It was the defense that led the way for the purple and gold, as the Bald Eagles mustered only 178 yards of offense and 75 of those yards came on Lock Haven's touchdown run late in the third quarter. Cornerbacks Sterlen Barr, Jr. and Obi Anyatonwu led West Chester with four tackles each.

Big plays paced the Golden Ram offense, as Cooper Jordan (7 of 8, 220 yards, 1 TD; 7 carries, 52 yards, 1 TD) and Ethan Kohler (5 of 8, 70 yards, 1 TD) both put up big numbers. On the receiving end were D'Shaun Seals (4 catches, 101 yards, 1TD) and Thatcher Miller (3 catches, 38 yards, 1 TD). And the offensive line paved the way for 176 yards rushing.

Scouting the Opponent:

Stony Brook transfer Danny Sanchez (102 of 187, 1,254 yards, 12 TD's, 7 int) is the starting quarterback, although he hasn't thrown a touchdown since September. After he got sacked hard late in the second quarter against Shepherd, backup Kyle Zajack (21 of 36, 185 yards, 4 int), a transfer from Central Connecticut State, finished that game and played the entire Bloomsburg game the following week. The Bald Eagles have four receivers with 200+ yards receiving: Millersville transfer T'iar Young (19 catches, 345 yards, 3 TD's), tight end Chris Hicks (25 catches, 241 yards, 2 TD's), Buffalo transfer Chandler Baker (22 catches, 233 yards, 2 TD's) and Stonehill transfer DeAaron Lawrence (22 catches, 231 yards, 1 TD). The running game is paced by Wagner transfer Chris Collier (172 carries, 894 yards, 9 TD's), who leads the PSAC in rushing and scoring, and Carson-Newman transfer Mister Hogue (41 carries, 166 yards).

Brett Zachman does all the kicking for Lock Haven. He has five touchbacks on 34 kickoffs, averages 37 yards on 31 punts, is perfect on 25 PAT's, and is four of six on field goals with a long of 36 yards. Baker returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown against Shepherd.

Defensively, the Bald Eagles are led by their linebackers, including Penn State transfer Cody Romano (57 TKL, 10.5 TFL, 3 PBU), Monmouth transfer Jyair Thomas (30 TKL, 5 PBU), and Jaderian Johnson (39 TKL, 4.5 sacks). The line features Isiah Gonzalez (21 TKL, 5.5 TFL) and Justin Anderson (20 TKL, 7.5 TFL). Look for Darryl Pollard (26 TKL, 6 PBU) and Raymell Hester (38 TKL, 2 int) in the secondary.

Analysis:

Lock Haven didn't win a single game from 2008-2011 and hasn't won more than four games in a single season since 1982 when they finished 5-5. But with West Chester (4-4), Shippensburg (2-6) and Edinboro (2-6) on the Bald Eagles' remaining schedule, Coach Mulrooney sees the potential for their best season since 1979 when they captured the PSAC championship (by defeating Cheyney oddly enough).

West Chester and Lock Haven both won their non-conference game: West Chester defeated Bentley (4-3) while Lock Haven beat Post (1-6). They both split their PSAC crossover contests: West Chester lost to Slippery Rock (8-0) and defeated Gannon (4-4) while Lock Haven lost to Mercyhurst (2-6) and beat Clarion (2-6). A quick look at the records of each school's first three opponents shows that West Chester (16-3) faced a considerably tougher trio than Lock Haven did (5-18), however the Bald Eagles did defeat Millersville which is something the Golden Rams were unable to do.

Expect Lock Haven to run against West Chester's defense and the Golden Rams to throw against the Bald Eagles provided the WCU offensive line can offer sufficient protection. These two teams are very even statistically. Be concerned if the game comes down to turnovers where Lock Haven is +3 and West Chester is -7.

Versus Sports simulates a 30-24 Bald Eagle win while Massey Ratings predicts a 34-21 WCU victory. Either way, it's expected to be a high scoring affair.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Audio   Video

Coach Zwaan Podcast - Inside the Huddle Week 8

PSAC Site - PSAC Week 9 Football Notes

Lock Haven Athletic Site - Lock Haven Football: Game Day & Parking Information

D2football - PSAC Columnist - PSAC Week Nine Preview

Game Report - #22/#19 Shepherd 59 - West Chester 21

The Golden Rams (4-4, 2-3) were embarassed by the #22/#19 Shepherd Rams (7-1, 4-1) by a score of 59-21. The 38-point margin of defeat is West Chester's second worst Division II loss under head coach Bill Zwaan topped by only a 61-12 loss to Slippery Rock in the 2015 PSAC Championship game.

It was a familiar story for 2023. The Golden Ram defense surrendered 533 yards and was gashed for ten plays of at least 20 yards, seven of which came in the first half. Meanwhile, the offense opened the game with one of their five three-and-outs, and turned the ball over three times although only one led to a Shepherd touchdown. And special teams got into it as well. A Shepherd punt was bounding towards the end zone for an apparent touchback but instead nicked Victor Pena and was recovered by the Rams for a Shepherd touchdown. And a poor kickoff return was going to put the ball only at WCU's 19, but it was pushed back to the 11 due to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Golden Rams. It was one of the eight penalties for 73 yards in the game for West Chester.

D'Shaun Seals makes yet another great leaping catch (Photo Joan Gillen)

The game wasn't all bad for the purple and gold. After the Golden Ram defense held Shepherd's opening drive to just a 29-yard field goal, the offense was clicking. Cooper Jordan and Dayshawn Jacobs played a big role in marching West Chester 65 yards, finished by a seven-yard run by Jacobs to put West Chester up 7-3. But Shepherd would score four touchdowns to take a 31-7 lead into halftime.

Connor Noble had a 70-yard fumble return (Photo Joan Gillen)

Any thought of this potentially being a game of two halves was quickly put to rest when, on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, Shepherd busted a run up the middle for a 74-yard touchdown. Since Jordan turned the ball over on West Chester's final two possessions of the first half, it wasn't surprising that there was a change at quarterback in the second half. What was surprising is that it wasn't sophomore Ethan Kohler (18 of 27, 211 yards, 1 TD in 2023), but rather grad student transfer T.J. Pergine. In his first game action since 2019 when he played for Millersville (Pergine spent two seasons at Temple, but did not participate), he completed 6 of 12 passes for 73 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Redshirt freshman receiver Robby Longo, who had five catches coming into the game, made the most of two receptions against Shepherd as they were for 17- and 5-yard scores.

One of Robby Longo's two touchdowns on the day (Photo Joan Gillen)

• A host of players did not make the trip to West Virginia including running back Trey Blair, linebacker Khalib Slaughter, defensive end Charley Mininger and defensive tackle Tom Burns. Defensive back and team captain Sterlen Barr, Jr. made the trip but was not dressed.
• A week after getting his first collegiate touches on special teams, redshirt freshman Zack Gillen made two catches on offense. On one of them, he took a shot to the head which was ruled a targeting penalty against Shepherd. Although it appeared to only be a glancing blow and he briefly returned to the game, he later left the contest and did not return.
• Linebacker Connor Noble did his usual filling of the stat sheet with 6 tackles including a sack. This week he added a 70-yard fumble return which setup West Chester's second touchdown.
• Daquan Robinson finished with 69 yards rushing, although 61 yards came on one carry. Jacobs finished with 147 all-purpose yards and when two Shepherd defenders knocked him out of bounds, he was the only one of the three left standing.
• Ricardo Delgado and freshman Jaleel Davis-Shabazz each registered nine tackles. Defensive tackles Ayyub Dail and redshirt freshman Debrick Johnson each notched sacks for the Golden Rams.

The WCU offensive line provides a pocket for Cooper Jordan (Photo Joan Gillen)

Sortable Box Score   

West Chester Athletic Site - West Chester Falls at Shepherd, 59-21

Shepherd Athletic Site - Shepherd Football Tops West Chester

WCU Football Family - Photo Album - Shepherd

Game Replay

Game Preview - Shepherd

The Golden Rams (4-3, 2-2) travel to West Virginia to take on the #22/#19 Shepherd Rams (6-1, 3-1). Kickoff on Saturday for Shepherd's homecoming is set for noon.

Series History:
Prior to Shepherd joining the PSAC in 2019, these two teams first met in 2013 in the NCAA Division II Regional Championship when the Golden Rams came away with a 28-7 victory. The three PSAC East meetings were all won by Shepherd.

Shepherd head coach Ernie McCook is the reigning PSAC East Coach of the Year and AFCA Region One Coach of the Year. Midway through his fifth season, he has a record of 50-11 entering Saturday's game and has guided his Rams to the NCAA Division II playoffs in each of the past three seasons, and won the Super Region One title in both of the past two seasons.

Last Meeting:

10/22/2022 #3 Shepherd 47 - West Chester 14

Early on, the game was all West Chester. The offense penetrated deep into Shepherd territory on its first two possessions and scored a touchdown on its third. Meanwhile, the Golden Ram defense forced two three-and-outs, and the purple and gold were on their way to shocking the conference favorite. But Shepherd scored touchdowns on its next seven possessions and ran away with a 47-14 win.

Quarterbacks Cooper Jordan (6 of 13, 84 yards, 1 TD, 1 int) and Ethan Kohler (4 of 9, 21 yards, 1 TD, 2 int) both had rough games as they were each sacked twice. Jordan continued to dazzle with his running ability (11 carries, 73 yards). And speedy D'Shaun Seals (6 catches, 91 yards, 1 TD) had a breakout game. Defensively, Sterlen Barr, Jr. had 12 tackles and a pass breakup.

Scouting the Opponent:

This is certainly a different Shepherd team from last year. Quarterback and Harlon Hill Trophy winner Tyson Bagent is now with the Chicago Bears. All-American offensive tackle Joey Fisher is on the practice squad of the Pittsburgh Steelers. And All-PSAC East running back Ronnie Brown spent time in camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Receiver Marlon Cook is now with FCS #19 Tennessee at Martin. Yet the Rams are still 6-1.

Shepherd returns three All-PSAC East performers on their offensive line: right guard Ty Lucas, left guard Wyatt Pellicano, and left tackle Chandler Brown. They provide protection for quarterback Seth Morgan (141 of 219, 1,785 yards, 13 TD's, 4 int) who threw for 4,800 yards and 24 touchdowns while at FCS Virginia Military Institute. Primary targets in the passing game are Cameron Dorner (27 catches, 407 yrads, 4 TD's), Jeremiah Taylor (36 catches, 462 yards, 4 TD's), and Barry Hill (25 catches, 341 yards, 3 TD's) who are all among the top receivers in the PSAC. Listed as a wide receiver, Malakai Brown (116 carries, 572 yards, 3 TD's, 24 catches 159 yards) is fifth in the PSAC in rushing.

Defensively, All-PSAC East linebacker Dewayne Grantham (38 TKL, 2.5 TFL) is joined in the middle by JT Kouame-Yao (49 TKL, 6.0 TFL). Defensive tackles Matt Bednarski (16 TKL, 3.0 sacks) and Jack Baxter (23 TKL, 3.0 sacks) lead the Rams in sacks. Safeties Christian McDowell (26 TKL, 6 PBU, 2 int) and Enelio Pena (48 TKL, 3 PBU) along with defensive back Naeem Alexander (9 TKL, 5 PBU) challenge opponents' passing game. Kicker James Bozek (24 of 25 PAT, 5 of 5 FG) has a long field goal of 43 yards and has boomed 10 touchbacks on 36 kickoffs. Punter Ryan Barrick (38.9 avg) has dropped 12 of his 35 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line. The Rams have returned one punt and two kickoffs for touchdowns.

Analysis:

The Shepherd offense is among the top five in the PSAC in scoring, total yardage and passing offense, whereas West Chester's defense ranks among the bottom five in scoring, total yardage and rushing yards. However, Shepherd can give up their share of yards, especially through the air. Could this game turn into a shootout? Maybe, if the Golden Rams can stop turning over the ball.

Massey Ratings is projecting a 35-21 Shepherd win while Versus Sports simulates a similar 35-24 Shepherd victory.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Audio   Video  

Coach Zwaan Podcast - Inside the Huddle Week 7

PSAC Site - PSAC Week 8 Football Notes

The Panhandle News Network - Shepherd Football Mid-season Report Card

Game Report - East Stroudsburg 28 - West Chester 14

Going into Saturday's game against East Stroudsburg, West Chester was going to face the top rushing offense and one of the top rushing defenses in the conference. And those two factors proved to be the difference as the Warriors (6-1, 3-1) topped the Golden Rams (4-3, 2-2) by a score of 28-14.

When the Golden Rams forced a three-and-out on East Stroudsburg's first possession, punctuated by a nine-yard sack by Nate Desmond, there seemed to be some hope for WCU fans. And even though the Warriors would score on their next possession, West Chester answered right back on a Cooper Jordan (6 of 11, 66 yards, 1 TD, 2 int) to Rahiem Bowens 15-yard touchdown pass to knot the score. But the second quarter was all ESU. The Warriors would score touchdowns on drives of 73 and 58 yards while the Golden Rams went three-and-out four times and managed a total of 14 yards of offense.

Pat Methlie limited the All-American to three tackles (Photo Joan Gillen)

A discouraging finish to the first half spiraled downward when on the first offensive play of the second half, Jordan launched an indiscriminate pass that promptly got picked off. However, the Golden Ram defense prevented any damage. Starting at their own 19, quarterback Ethan Kohler (5 of 10, 55 yards) entered the game for WCU and marched the team the length of the field, including converting two fourth downs, to bring the score to 21-14. And when Izaiah McPherson intercepted a pass on East Stroudsburg's next possession, momentum seemed to shift to the purple and gold. But the West Chester offense could only muster one first down for the remainder of the game.

WCU prepares for a tush push touchdown (Photo Joan Gillen)

With two and a half minutes left, the Golden Ram defense had forced an apparent fourth-down field goal attempt. An East Stroudsburg miss in the steady rain would give WCU one last chance, but any hope was shredded when Tom Burns was whistled for an unsportsmanlike penalty which gave ESU a first down and an eventual touchdown. Although the Golden Rams were only called for six penalties, four of them gave the Warriors first downs.

Charley Mininger with one of his six tackles (Photo Joan Gillen)

While the passing yards were fairly even in the game, East Stroudsburg dominiated the running game 234-56 and thus the time of possession 34-25. Linebacker Connor Noble had a game-high 11 tackles, while Sterlen Barr, Jr. had nine tackles and a pass breakup. D'Shaun Seals (3 catches, 37 yards) was West Chester's leading receiver, but his catches continue to dazzle: a one-handed catch and run for a first down, and a leaping catch for a fourth-down conversion.

Cooper Jordan finds some running room (Photo Joan Gillen)

• Right guard Bill Martelon left the game with a lower leg injury. Trey Wells slid from right tackle to right guard and Cam McQueen finished the game at right tackle.
• In last week's game at Shippensburg, it was observed that Kaleb Brown (20 TKL, 1 int, 2 PBU in 5 games) was not at the game. Well he's no longer on the Golden Rams' roster.
• Running back Trey Blair (4 carries, 12 yards) left the game early in the third quarter with an injury. Two plays later, running back Daquan Robinson (3 carries, 12 yards) suffered the same fate.
• Zack Gillen got his first collegiate touches, returning three kickoffs for 53 yards in the game.
• After missing the past two games, Daniel Hicks (2 TKL, 0.5 sack) returned to action on the defensive line.

Sortable Box Score   

West Chester Athletic Site - East Stroudsburg Defeats West Chester, 28-14

East Stroudsburg Athletic Site - Defense, Rushing Attack Lifts Warriors to First Win over West Chester since 2012

Daily Local News - Offense sputters as WCU falls at home to division rival ESU

WCU Football Family - Photo Album - East Stroudsburg

Game Replay

Game Preview - East Stroudsburg

The Golden Rams (4-2, 2-1) host the East Stroudsburg Warriors (5-1, 2-1) on Saturday at noon.

Series History:
West Chester leads the overall series 64-22 and Golden Ram head coach Bill Zwaan is 17-3 against the Warriors, including the last nine meetings. In 2004, the Golden Rams blocked a PAT in overtime, then scored a touchdown and won the game on Dan Wilbourne’s converted PAT to hand then #7 East Stroudsburg their first loss of the season in front of a homecoming crowd of almost 6,000. The two schools met again that season on a frigid and blustery November afternoon in the NCAA regional finals. With a crowd of over 7,200 on hand, current West Chester running backs coach Osagie Osunde ran for 144 yards and three touchdowns as the Golden Rams handed East Stroudsburg their second and final loss of the season.

The following year, West Chester tipped the #6 ranked Warriors, 18-17, in muddy Farrell Stadium. 2005 was the last season that Farrell Stadium had natural grass. In 2009, East Stroudsburg ruined West Chester’s homecoming 21-20. The Golden Rams failed to convert a PAT early in the game and a 35-yard field goal late in the game. It's the only time that East Stroudsburg has won at West Chester in the past dozen years and the last time that the Warriors have reached the playoffs.

Former Warrior quarterback Jimmy Terwilliger (21-20) is in his fifth full season as head coach at his alma mater.

Last 10 Meetings:

Year	H/A	W/L	Score	Year	H/A	W/L	Score
2012	Away	Loss	35-28	2017	Home	Win	31-26
2013	Home	Win	34-20	2018	Away	Win	52-24
2014	Away	Win	35-24	2019	Home	Win	28-21
2015	Home	Win	41-27	2021	Home	Win	42-28
2016	Away	Win	41-14	2022	Away	Win	24-21

Last Meeting:

10/15/2022 West Chester 24 - East Stroudsburg 21

Tight end Thatcher Miller caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Cooper Jordan with 15 seconds left to give West Chester a 24-21 win and spoil East Stroudsburg's homecoming.

The Golden Ram defense was dominating as they held the Warriors to just 12 first downs and 47 yards passing. East Stroudsburg's first touchdown came on a short field after a blocked punt gave the Warriors the ball on the WCU 14. Kaleb Brown had six tackles and Obi Anyatonwu had two pass breakups.

Ethan Kohler (11 of 23, 119 yards) and Jordan (7 of 16, 62 yards, 2 TD's) split time at quarterback, although Jordan also ran for 133 yards and a score. D'Shaun Seals (4 catches, 46 yards, 1 TD) and Rahiem Bowens (3 catches, 22 yards) were the leading receivers.

Scouting the Opponent:

East Stroudsburg is led by All-American defensive end Deshawn McCarthy (18 TKL, 3.5 sacks). Defensive tackles Daryn Blackwell (15 TKL, 2.0 sacks) and Dasean Dixon (29 TKL, 5.0 TFL) also get into opponents' backfield. Linebackers Sergei Felizor (50 TKL, 5.5 TFL) and Noah Hambrick (33 TKL, 5 PBU) are the team's top tacklers. Eight different players have an interception, including TJ Harris (24 TKL) who had a pick-six against Seton Hill.

Similar to Shippensburg, East Stroudsburg took a few weeks to work through their quarterbacks but seem to have settled on one. Aaron Tobias (22 of 27, 230 yards, 4 TD's) started the season opener, moved on to Stoney Brook transfer Charlie McKee (26 of 35, 349 yards, 4 TD's), and Sean McTaggart (49 of 78, 748 yards, 10 TD's, 3 ints) is now the guy. McTaggart (48 carries, 130 yards) also poses more of a rushing threat than the other two. The running game is led by Tyriq Lewis (72 carries, 473 yards, 6 TD's) and Tahir Mills (27 carries, 173 yards without a loss, 2 TD's).

If a player dons the red and white, there'a good chance they'll catch a touchdown as ten different players have caught TD passes for the Warriors. Top targets are 6'3 John Siggins (21 catches, 337 yards. 5 TD's), Justin Cook (14 catches, 225 yards, 1 TD) and 6'5" New Hampshire transfer tight end Jonathan Post (3 catches, 39 yards, 2 TD's).

All-PSAC East kicker Devin Bartholomew does all the kicking for the Warriors. He's dropped 8 of 20 punts inside the opponents' 20 and has boomed 7 touchbacks on 35 kickoffs. Bartholomew has only made one field goal from 37 yards, since East Stroudsburg usually scores touchdowns (22 of 25 on PAT's).

Analysis:

East Stroudsburg got a 13-12 win at then #12 IUP, although the Crimson Hawks have since fallen to 3-3, and they also have a 38-17 win over Millersville which is something the Golden Rams can't say. Despite winning the past two weeks, West Chester struggled to beat two teams that were among the worst in the conference in offense. This week, the Golden Rams will be facing one of the best. The Warriors average 38 points and 412 yards of offense, which are first and third in the PSAC respectively, with Slippery Rock holding the top spot in both of those categories. And they lead the PSAC in rushing offense with 191 yards per game, whereas West Chester yields 202 yards per contest. And although East Stroudsburg is historically strong offensively, this season they also have one of the top defenses in the conference: allowing just 19 points and 287 yards, including the top rushing defense in the PSAC at 76 yards per game.

It's going to be a tall order for the Golden Rams to stop the balanced Warrior offense. East Stroudsburg does allow a lot of sacks, but can West Chester get to the quarterback with just their lineman? Offensively, Jordan had a day against them last season, and with how many interceptions East Stroudsburg has, he may be well advised to run against them again this year. If they let him.

Massey Ratings is expecting East Stroudsburg to win 30-27 and Versus Sports simulates a much more convincing 44-26 Warrior victory.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Audio   Video  

West Chester Athletic Site - West Chester Renews Old Rivalry With East Stroudsburg Saturday Afternoon at Farrell

Coach Zwaan Podcast - Inside the Huddle Week 6

PSAC Site - PSAC Week 7 Football Notes

East Stroudsburg Athletic Site - PREVIEW: ESU Football at West Chester

D2football - PSAC Columnist - PSAC Week Seven Preview