West Chester Lifts Lid on Home Slate Saturday Against Gannon at Noon

HOME GAME DAY INFORMATION

WEST CHESTER, PA - West Chester University opens its home slate Saturday afternoon against Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division rival Gannon University at John A. Farrell Stadium.

The Golden Rams split their first two games of the year with a season-opening thriller in Waltham, Mass., a 20-19 win over Northeast-10 power Bentley. Last week, a lackluster defensive performance led to a 49-24 defeat at Slippery Rock.

Today, West Chester welcomes Gannon to Southeastern PA. The Golden Knights are in search of their first win of the season after dropping their first two contests of 2023. Gannon fell on the road at Charleston (WV) in its opener two weeks ago, 22-13, before dropping its home opener last Saturday to Millersville

This afternoon, West Chester has an opportunity to put last week's clunker behind them and come out in front of its home crowd and get back to its winning ways. Today marks the final non-conference tilt of the regular season before the focal point of the campaign, the PSAC East schedule, begins in earnest next Saturday at Millersville. A team with a lot of new faces has seen its ups and downs in the first two games. Hopefully, some of those inconsistencies work themselves out today. West Chester has never lost to Gannon in its short history. The Golden Rams are 5-0 when they match up with the Golden Knights from Erie, Pa. The two did not play until Gannon made the move to the PSAC about 15 years ago.

FLOCK TALK
West Chester boasts the top offense in the conference heading into Week 3. The Golden Rams' 901 yards of total offense through two games is the most in the PSAC while its average of 450.5 yards per game is also No. 1 in the league. The team's 603 passing yards ranks third in the conference, and the Golden Rams' 64.3 completion percentage is fourth in the PSAC.

The bad news is that West Chester's defense ranks 14th out 16 teams in the PSAC. The stop unit averages allowing 432 yards of offense per game. It's 864 yards allowed in two games is the third-most in the league, and its nine touchdowns allowed also third most. It is the defense that has head coach Bill Zwaan most concerned heading into this week's clash with Gannon and the upcoming conference slate set to begin next Saturday.

These two schools met a year ago on the banks of Lake Erie with the Golden Rams coming away with a come-from-behind 29-23 victory. The Golden Knights scored all 23 points in the first half and led, 23-17, at the break. However, West Chester's 'D' pitched a shutout in the second half, and the offense mounted the comeback.

Ke'John Batiste and Sam East each caught for over 100 yards in the contest. But, it was not enough to get past the Golden Rams. Cooper Jordan was 2-for-5 for 23 yards in his first college start. He left the game in the second half with an injury and did not return. He also racked up 36 yards on 10 carries in the game.

MOVING THE BALL
West Chester put up 497 yards of total offense against the No. 15-ranked team in the country. Sophomore QB, Cooper Jordan, showed his flare once again while proving that he can move the ball against one of the top defensive units in the country. Unfortunately, he also showed his youth in throwing three interceptions with two of those coming deep in Slippery Rock territory.

Junior wide receiver, D'Shaun Seals, also enjoyed a productive day for the Golden Rams' offense. He tied a career-high with 101 yards receiving in the loss to Slippery Rock. He caught a team-best five passes in the game. He was one of eight different Golden Rams to catch a pass in the contest. He also rushed for 58 yards on six carries - most of those jet sweeps. Seals is averaging nearly 100 yards receiving per game. He leads the team with 196 yards on nine catches.

Another favorite target of Jordan's has been his namesake, a transfer from Wagner, Julian Jordan. He has seven catches for 115 yards in two games as a Golden Ram. The two have quickly developed a rapport with one another and have connected on some key pass plays that have led to scoring drives over the last two games.
    
ON THE HORIZON
West Chester will travel to Millersville next Saturday for the conference opener for both schools. The Marauders are 2-0 entering its visit to Slippery Rock this week. Zwaan has never lost to Millersville in his 20 years at West Chester.