Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
WCU wins battle of unbeatens
Golden Rams snag huge road win at Kutztown, clinch spot in PSAC title game
It was an all-hands-on-deck kind of outing for the West Chester football program Saturday, but that’s to be expected when you’re playing an unbeaten opponent on the road in the midst of inclement weather conditions. And, don’t forget, a championship was on the line.
Successfully deploying two quarterbacks and introducing a couple new receiving threats into the mix – all in addition to its usual ball-hawking defense – the Golden Rams topped Kutztown 38-21 in a top-15 matchup of unbeaten rivals at Andre Reed Stadium with just one game left in the regular season.
“This feels wonderful,” said defensive end Diquan Gilbert. “This was our biggest game of the season, by far, and now we only have bigger games coming up.”
Any way you look at it, Saturday’s clash was one of the biggest regular season outings of the 16-year Zwaan Era. With the win, WCU secured at least a share of its third PSAC East crown in four years, and earns a berth in the PSAC Championship Game on Nov. 10th at Slippery Rock regardless of what happens in the home finale next weekend.
“It’s rare you get two undefeated teams this late into the season,” Zwaan acknowledged. “That made it such a big game, and obviously this was for all of the marbles. Plus it was on the road and along with the weather conditions – you start adding all of those pieces up and this was a huge game.”
Playing in its third straight road game, and its first against an opponent with a winning record, 12th ranked West Chester (5-0, 8-0 overall) has now won 24 PSAC East titles all-time. And on Saturday, the Rams ended the Golden Bears ninegame winning streak dating back to the 2017 campaign. Ranked 15th nationally heading in, Kutztown falls to 4-1, 7-1.
“When we come out and play like this, we expect results like we had (Saturday),” said quarterback A.J. Long, who returned from a hip injury that forced him to miss a game a week earlier.
“It means a lot with the amount of disrespect we’ve gotten. For us to be No. 12 in the country and be sixth (the NCAA Super Region 1 poll), we came out and had something to prove. And that doesn’t change with this week.”
Long was brilliant running the football for WCU, gaining a game-high 133 yards and helping the Rams establish a commanding 295-54 edge on the ground. He chipped in with three touchdown passes, and was strategically relieved a couple times by Paul Dooley, who saw his first action of the season after being the starter in 2017.
“(Dooley) will probably play more next week,” Zwaan said. “We are trying to bring him back, but you throw him into a game like this and you wonder if he can handle the situation. Well, he did.
“He provided a spark, but you see that A.J. is such a playmaker, don’t really want to take him off the field too often. Now with this mix, it will make it a little harder on defenses.”
Played in a fierce northeast wind of between 15-25 miles per hour, with gusts up to 40, WCU relied on its emerging ground game to win the all-important time of possession and turnover battles. It was so windy, in fact, that Zwaan gave Kutztown the football to start both halves in order to have the wind advantage.
“Throwing against the wind wasn’t impossible, but you couldn’t make a living off of it,” Zwaan said. “We had to run the ball, and this is two weeks in a row that we had to do it and our offensive line and runners have really stepped up – including our quarterbacks.”
Trailing 13-10, losing the field position battle, and facing a stiff headwind, the WCU defense turned the game around by forcing back-to-back turnovers late in the second quarter. The first, a fumble recovery by safety Jordan Burnley with KU in the red zone, set the stage for Dooley’s season debut.
The junior, who missed the first half of the season with an NCAA recreational drug suspension, provided a huge spark. He accounted for 35 rushing yards and then culminated a season-defining nineplay drive with a 27-yard strike to diving tight end Cody Boozel.
And then on the next possession, tackle Shaquille Ryder forced fumble by KU quarterback Collin DiGalbo that was recovered by linebacker Nate Barnes. And with Long back under center, the Rams embarked on another seminal march that ended with fullback Marcus Wilson covering the final yard with just 36 seconds on the clock.
“The offense needs us to get the mojo going. We have to step up and be the big-dogs sometimes,” said Gilbert, who led the way with 2.5 sacks on the day.
“That was really the game,” Zwaan said of the two turnovers and scores. “At that point we were on our heels and we needed a big stop. And for the offense to score twice against the wind, that was the game.”
The Bears had two fourth down conversions to start the second half and cut the lead to 24-21, but WCU scored the game’s final 14 points on a 15-yard strike from Long to tight end Dan Neuhaus, and a 10-yarder from Long to 6-foot-3 wideout Gabe Schappell, who made his season debut following a series of injuries.
“We knew we had to come out and play our best game, and I think we did that,” said Schappell, a sophomore.
“Our main goal to win the PSAC Championship, and then move on to the NCAAs, so we had to beat Kutztown,” Schappell said. “This was a huge step toward what we want to do this season.”
Opening the game with the wind at its back, West Chester scored on its first two possessions, including a 55-yard opening march that ended with a 13-yard screen pass from Long to runner Mark Dukes. Kicker Andrew Chegia added a 33-yard field goal.
The Bears did manage a touchdown going into the wind thanks to a 46yard reception, but missed the extra point. Kutztown then briefly grabbed the lead with a march aided by a WCU defensive holding penalty in the end zone on third-and-15 in the second quarter.
“This was one of the tougher winds we’ve ever played in,” Zwaan said about the decision to trade a possession for the wind advantage. “We talked at the half and we wanted the wind in the fourth quarter in case we needed a field goal or something, plus they would have to go against the wind. And it ended up working out.
“With our defense, I felt comfortable making a decision like that.”
Overall, the Rams nearly doubled Kutztown’s total offense numbers, won the turnover battle 2-0, and had a 5-1 edge in sacks.
“With the wind as crazy as it was, I had faith in my guys up front and I have faith in our defensive front seven to do what they did,” said Long, who finished with 221 of total offense.
“There is a reason our defense is one of the best in the country, and today they proved it. They stepped up in big moments when our offense needed them to. Those plays gave us a spark.”
Dukes chipped in with 81 yards on 15 carries. And despite playing sparingly, Dooley added 48 on the ground and 43 through the air.
“I am very happy,” Zwaan said. “I thought our kids hung tough and made some plays when we needed to make them.”