Game Day Information
Game Day Program
West Chester University welcomes Eastern Division rival Kutztown University at John A. Farrell Stadium Saturday afternoon in the regular-season conference finale. The Golden Rams enter the contest with a 3-3 showing against the rest of the Eastern Division. Head coach Bill Zwaan has never finished below .500 in conference play in his 20 years at the helm. To avoid that distinction this season, he will have to upset the division-leading Golden Bears who have already wrapped up a spot in the PSAC Championship Game next weekend.Â
West Chester did, in fact, pull off an upset one year ago at Andre Reed Stadium and came away with a 28-9 victory over Kutztown in a similar situation. A win today would leave the Golden Rams at 4-3 in conference play for the third straight season. West Chester only threw the ball nine times in last year's upset win. Quarterback
Cooper Jordan ran the ball 20 times for 129 yards and a touchdown. The Golden Rams racked up a total of 247 yards rushing overall. They will need to duplicate that effort again today to be successful against the Golden Bears.
Though West Chester is not going to any postseason, the Golden Rams do have an opportunity to spoil a special season by Kutztown. The Golden Bears enter Farrell Stadium riding a seven-game winning streak, after dropping the first two contests of the season by an identical score of 30-21. Three losses could be enough to knock Kutztown out of the NCAA Tournament. Â
FLOCK TALK
Red-shirt freshman RB
Dayshawn Jacobs turned in West Chester's first 100-yard rushing performance of the season last week against Lock Haven in a 42-27 victory over the Bald Eagles. He also scored three times to boot. It was by far the best rushing performance of the year by a WCU running back. Add
Cooper Jordan's two TD runs to that, and West Chester ran for a combined five touchdowns on the road. Something like that had not been done since a win over Lock Haven in 2022. Jacobs showed the coaching staff exactly what they knew he had in him all along. Some nagging injuries at the start of the season kept him out of the backfield, and some stellar performances by other backs limited his carries. But, last week, Jacobs came into his own as a runner and stated his case as the featured back very emphatically.
Cooper Jordan and
Ethan Kohler split time under center, which was the plan all along entering the season, and both showed signs of brilliance. Jordan used his legs to scramble for two touchdowns while Kohler executed the two-minute drill at the end of the first half to march 72 yards in 88 seconds. Both threw for just over 140 yards. Kohler threw a TD pass.
Defensively, CB
Victor Pena keeps getting better and better. He tied for the team lead in tackles, forced a fumble and had an interception called back on a defensive hold. He made plays all over the field.
HONORING THE PAST
West Chester University welcomes back five former Golden Rams, who will be inducted into the Killinger Foundation Football Hall of Fame Saturday night. Among the honorees are a pair of All-Americans and three stars who spent some time in professional football camps. Four of the five were multi all-conference selections while one was a major contributor to the program for more than three decades. Ryan Devlin, Lonnie Duckett, Emil Messikomer III, Al-Hajj Shabazz and Rondell White will all be introduced to the Purple & Gold faithful. Duckett spent three years in different NFL training camps in the early 1970s, Shabazz played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, appearing in a playoff game, and "Delly" spent some time overseas playing professionally after graduation.
Also on tap for Saturday is Military Appreciation Day. Veterans and current members of the U.S. Armed Forces will be admitted free of charge and a recognition before the game at the coin toss ceremony will take place.
ON THE HORIZON
West Chester returns home for a non-conference tilt against PSAC West foe Clarion University. The two teams met in the season finale a year ago out west. The Golden Rams beat the Golden Eagles, 36-27.
