Box Score Box Score
SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Matt Carroll went 11 of 17 for 233 yards and four touchdowns in his first start at quarterback in a West Chester uniform to lead the Golden Rams to a 52-17 victory over Shippensburg on the road at sun-splashed Seth Grove Stadium Saturday afternoon.
Carroll hooked up with Tim Keyser twice and hit Eric Brundidge on a 58-yard TD pass as West Chester (3-3, 2-1 PSAC East) racked up 470 yards of total offense against Shippensburg (3-3, 1-2). It marked the Golden Rams’ first road victory of 2011 and just their second in their last 10 contests away from home. The Raiders put up 417 yards on 101 plays from scrimmage, but could muster just 17 points against West Chester’s defense.
Rams running back Rondell White carried the ball 19 times for 112 yards and a TD to lead West Chester’s ground game. White, who was originally injured against East Stroudsburg two weeks ago and then had to leave last week’s game at C.W. Post with an injury, accounted for 177 all-purpose yards in the game.
So., WR LaRonn Lee caught a 39-yard TD pass from Carroll, rushed 32 yards for a touchdown on a reverse and recovered a fumble by White in the end zone for a third score, accounting for all three of West Chester’s TDs after halftime.
Carroll, a transfer from Northeastern University who sat out all of 2010, was impressive in his first start in almost two full years. He added nine carries for 40 yards, which included three sacks, to his 233 yards passing.
“I thought Matt played really, really well today,” WCU head coach Bill Zwaan commented. “We were moving the ball around a bit and mixing the run and pass. And that is really when we are at our best. We hit a couple of big plays as well. That helped a lot too.”
Despite being on the field for 101 plays from scrimmage, West Chester’s defense stood tall and surrendered 17 points to an offense that pasted 49 points on the scoreboard against nationally ranked Kutztown just one week ago.
“When we held (Shippensburg) to a field goal after fumbling the opening kickoff, I think that really set the tone for the day,” Zwaan said. “That, and when we stopped them on their first two possessions of the second half after they had made their run. Our kids responded well and then settled in the rest of game and shut them down.”
West Chester had opened a 28-3 advantage late in the first half when Shippensburg scored a pair of touchdowns to crawl back into it at, 28-17, heading into the locker room at half. However, it was the Golden Rams, namely Brundidge, who forced a fumble on the opening kickoff of the half that West Chester recovered and turned into six points.
When the Raiders muffed the ensuing kickoff from Rich Bruno, the Rams pounced on the ball again and Carroll found Lee open for a 39-yard score to push the visitor’s lead to 42-17. The next two Shippensburg drives ended with interceptions. West Chester defensive end Lew Esposito picked off one pass, and safety John O’Donnell intercepted the other.
“The kids came out ready to play today,” Zwaan added. “They understood what this game meant as far as the league standings, and they came out ready to go.”
West Chester’s three-game road swing concludes next Saturday at cross-town rival Cheyney for a scheduled 1 p.m. kick.
NOTES: PK Shawn Leo was a perfect 7-for-7 on extra points and kicked a 37-yard FG ... he accounted for 10 points in the game ... he now has 23 career field goals - seven shy of the school's all-time record ... LaRonn Lee registered 18 points on three TDs ... WCU is averaging 37.3 points per game over its last three outings, along with 490.0 yards of total offense over that same period ... WCU's offense has racked up 1,470 yards of total offense in the last three games combined ... So, QB Matt Carroll has not thrown an interception yet this season (74 attempts) ... John O'Donnell's INT was his third of the season and establishes a new single-season high ... he has six picks in his career ... Esposito's INT was the first of his career ... R-Fr. LB Mike Labor recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass ... Carl Barnes registered a career-high 10 tackles ... WCU forced a season-high five turnovers (2 FB; 3 INT) in the contest ... the two teams combined for 18 penalties for 198 yards
