WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Cooper Jordan (Downingtown, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) rushed for a career-high 225 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns and threw for 131 yards and three more scores to help lead the West Chester University football team (3-5, 3-2) to a 41-23 victory over Millersville (0-8, 0-5) on Homecoming in Farrell Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Jordan eclipsed the 100-yard plateau for the third time this season as West Chester improved to 3-0 when its junior quarterback runs for 100 yards or more. Jordan became the first West Chester player to rush for over 200 yards since Jarel Elder scampered for 247 against Seton Hill in 2015.
Jordan was not the only Golden Ram to eclipse 100 yards rushing in the victory on Saturday afternoon as
Juke Peaker (Philadelphia, Pa./Northeast) rushed for 110 yards and a score, marking the first time since October 16, 2021, against East Stroudsburg that West Chester finished the game with two players over 100 yards rushing. It is also the first time since October 28, 2017, against East Stroudsburg that one of the two players over 100 yards rushing was the Golden Rams quarterback. Paul Dooley and Jarel Elder were the combination that accomplished this feat in 2017.
D'Shaun Seals (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter) caught three passes for 73 yards and a pair of scores, while
Raheim Bowens (Lansdowne, Pa./Pennwood) made the most of his one catch on the afternoon, catching a 36-yard touchdown pass early in the second half.
All six of the Golden Rams touchdown drives covered over 50 yards on Saturday afternoon, and only one of the five took over four minutes, with that being the team's opening second-half drive, which ended in a touchdown pass to Bowens after going 75 yards in four minutes and six seconds. The Golden Rams quickest score of the game was their final score as they needed just three plays and 25 seconds to go 64 yards to score on what was Jordan's last touchdown rush of the afternoon late in the fourth quarter.
Peaker started the scoring early for West Chester, surging in from four yards out with 8:19 to play in the first quarter, capping off a six-play, 62-yard drive, which gave the Golden Rams an early 6-0 lead.
Awest Chester doubled its lead before the end of the first quarter when Seals reeled in his first of two touchdown catches of the afternoon, catching a 21-yard pass from Jordan for Jordan's first score of the day as well.
Early in the second quarter, Millersville cut into the West Chester lead with a field goal just nine seconds into the quarter, capping off a seven-play, 61-yard drive, which had started late in the first quarter.
Trent McDowell's 30-yard field goal was the lone score of the second quarter as the contest went to the half with West Chester holding a 13-3 advantage.
Raheim Bowens (Lansdowne, Pa./Penn Wood) started the second half scoring with 10:48 to play in the third quarter as he collected a 36-yard touchdown pass from Jordan, and
Sean Henry (Reading, Pa./Exeter) converted his second extra point of the day to make it a 20-3 lead.
The Marauders appeared to be in a position to cut the deficit in half when Jaheim Morris rushed in from two yards out to cap a 56-yard drive, but McDowell pushed the attempt, keeping the Golden Rams' 11-point (20-9) lead intact.
West Chester answered this with Jordan's third touchdown pass of the game. He hit Seals for his second touchdown reception of the afternoon from 47 yards, capping off a drive that saw West Chester go 65 yards in just two minutes and 55 seconds.
The Marauders scored two more times in the fourth quarter, using a pair of long drives engineered by Robert Footman, who threw for 178 yards and two scores in the loss to try and remain in the game down the stretch.
Unfortunately for Millersville, Jordan rushed for 107 yards and both of his scores in the fourth quarter, scoring on a 47-yard rush with 6:02 to play and scoring from 60 yards out with 2:52 to play to cap off a dominant 41-23 victory in front of a robust Homecoming Crowd on Saturday afternoon.
As an offense, West Chester racked up 357 yards of rushing on 43 attempts, which is tied for the ninth most rushing yards in a single game in program
history. West Chester finished the game with 488 yards of total offense after picking up another 131 through the air as Jordan went 5-for-12 throwing the ball.
Connor Noble (Chester Springs, Pa./Downingtown East) led West Cheser in tackles once again with 14 (four unassisted; 10 assisted) and one sack, while
Johnny Pergine (Norristown, Pa./Archbishop Wood) and
Shane Mosley (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) finished with 10 each.
Abdul Stewart (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) had the lone takeaway of the day for West Chester, coming away with that interception in the waning moments of regulation when backup quarterback Brett Nye, who had entered for the final drive, was picked off deep in Golden Ram territory with mere seconds remaining in regulation to bring the game to its conclusion.
Up Next:
West Chester will be back in action next Saturday afternoon for its regular-season home finale against Lock Haven beginning at 12 p.m. Fans are encouraged to arrive early next Saturday afternoon as it will also be Senior Day for the West Chester football team, band, and cheerleading squad members.
