West Chester Welcomes Shepherd to Farrell Stadium Saturday

WEST CHESTER vs. SHEPHERD
Game Details: 12:00 p.m. | Saturday, Oct. 12
Location: West Chester, Pa. | John A. Farrell Stadium
Game Links: Watch | Listen | Live Stats
Web Stream: Sports Fan Base Network (SFBN)
Radio: 95.3 WCHE
Digital Game Program: LINK
West Chester Links: News | Roster | Schedule
Shepherd Links: News | Roster | Schedule 

GOLDEN RAMS BACK HOME FOLLOWING FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON
• West Chester (1-4) is back home at John A. Farrell Stadium Saturday coming off a 28-10 win over Shippensburg last Saturday. It was the first win of the 2024 season and the first win for new head coach Duke Greco.  
• West Chester welcomes one of the top teams in the PSAC East in Shepherd University. The two schools have only met five times and just once in West Chester (2022). The Golden Rams' lone win over the Rams came in the Super Region 1 finals in 2013 in Shepherdstown, WV.
• Quarterback Lek Powell completed 18-of-27 passes for 228 yards and two scores and running back Jordan Barnett rushed 19 times for 96 yards and a pair of  touchdowns to lead Shepherd (4-1, 2-0 PSAC East) to a 45-38 win over Lock Haven in PSAC East football action last Saturday.
 
COOPER JORDAN ENJOYS BREAKOUT DAY
• West Chester junior QB Cooper Jordan enjoyed a spectacular day under center last week, rushing for 119 yards and three TDs while throwing for 123 yards and another score. Jordan busted off an 84-yard run for a TD to open the scoring early in the second quarter. That was the longest rush from scrimmage for a Golden Ram since Brandon Monk ran 93 yards to the house against Millersville in 2013. It was the third-longest run from scrimmage for the Golden Rams in the last 20 years. D'Andre Webb ran 87 yards for a score in 2008 against Millersville. Long rushes for a quarterback are not kept on the books, so it is unknown where that rush stands among West Chester QBs. It was also Jordan's first 100-yard rushing effort in a game this fall.
 
CONNOR NOBLE NAMED PSAC EAST DEFENSIVE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
West Chester University linebacker, Connor Noble, was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division Defensive Athlete of the Week it was announced Monday afternoon. Noble registered a season-high 17 tackles, tying a personal career high, while also posting one sack and one interception. His INT came just after Shippensburg had scored to draw within one score, and it led directly to a West Chester touchdown that put the game out of reach. That INT turned the momentum in the game. Noble currently leads the Eastern Division in tackles and ranks second in the PSAC overall with 55 stops. He has 19 solo tackles and 36 assisted tackles. He also ranks sixth in Division II in tackles.

GOLDEN RAMS vs. SHEPHERD ALL-TIME
• West Chester is 1-4 all-time against Shepherd in a series that dates back only to 2013. That year, the Golden Rams traveled to Shepherdstown, WVa., and defeated the Rams in the Super Region 1 Final on the Rams' home field. The Golden Rams have not beaten the Rams since Shepherd came into the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Ironically, today's matchup is just the second time that the two schools have played in West Chester, Pa., at John A. Farrell Stadium.
 
LAST TIME vs. SHEPHERD (Oct. 21, 2023 – SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV.)
• Shepherd University ran out to a 31-7 lead by halftime and never looked back as the host Rams defeated visiting West Chester University Golden Rams, 59-21, at Ram Stadium.
 
West Chester dropped its second straight contest while Shepherd won its fourth straight game with the Homecoming win. The 59 points allowed by West Chester marked the first time an opponent put up more than 50 points in a game since a 54-51 overtime loss at Edinboro in 2016. It is the most points the Golden Rams have allowed in a game since a 61-12 defeat to Slippery Rock in the 2015 PSAC Championship Game.
 
WEST CHESTER - LAST TIME OUT
Junior QB Cooper Jordan rushed for over 100 yards and three touchdowns while also throwing for a score as host West Chester picked up its first win of the Duke Greco era with a 28-10 victory over visiting Shippensburg Saturday.
 
West Chester ended a four-game losing streak to open the season and handed first-year head coach Duke Greco his first win as a Golden Ram. Shippensburg dropped its third straight contest on the year.
 
Jordan finished the day with 119 yards rushing on 12 carries and the three TDs. His 84-yard TD scamper at the beginning of the second quarter opened up the scoring. Five minutes later, he connected with Rahiem Bowens on a 33-yard bomb to put the home team up 14-0.