WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Playing in its first triple overtime game since a 39-37 setback to C.W. (LIU) Post in October 2010, the West Chester University football team(4-5, 2-4) got back in the win column on Saturday with a thrilling 46-44 victory over Bloomsburg (2-7, 1-5).
Cooper Jordan (Downingtown, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) returned to the field against Bloomsburg this week and completed 16-of-22 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns, including the 41
st of his career late in the first quarter to
Matthew Iuvara (Haddon Heights, N.J./Haddon Heights), which matched Paul Dooley for ninth on the all-time list.
This 22-yard connection opened the scoring and capped off a five-play, 75-yard drive to give West Chester the early lead. This touchdown was the first of two scoring connections between Cooper and Iuvara on a perfect Saturday afternoon in Farrell Stadium as the senior also found his favorite target for a two-point conversion in the third overtime, which lifted West Chester to the 46-44 victory.
Bloomsburg answered West Chester's first touchdown immediately as the Huskies marched down the field and eventually scored when KJ Riley found Jerry Griffen Batchler for a 33-yard strike to cap a nine-play, 68-yard drive and tie the score at 7-7.
Jordan and the Golden Rams had an answer again when the senior found
Kahlil Owens (Germantown, Md./Northwest) on a pass out of the backfield from eight yards out to cap a 71-yard drive, which took just four-and-a-half minutes, restoring a 14-7 Golden Ram lead. This touchdown strike to Owens also moved the senior running back over the 3,000 all-purpose yard mark for his career, which includes stops at both Seton Hill and Clarion.
Bloomsburg had an answer just before halftime, tying the score at 14-14 with a four-yard rush by Justin Wolfe.
West Chester held its guests scoreless in the third quarter and appeared to seize control of the game with a pair of scores in the third quarter as
Future Robertson (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic) and
Mikhail Johnson (Darby, Pa./Monsignor Bonner-Prendergast) found paydirt from one and four yards out to give the hosts a 28-14 lead.
Bloomsburg battled back in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit in half with a 10-yard strike from Riley to Gabe Brower for one of his team-best six catches on the afternoon with 11:58 to play. Bloomsburg completed tying the game at 28-28 with 5:26 to play when Wolfe scored his second touchdown of the day, this time with a 17-yard reception from Riley, which finished off a seven-play, 80-yard drive, which took just under three-and-a-half minutes.
The Golden Rams went to work from this point, marching down the field thanks in part to a 23-yard reception from
Dylan McKenzie (Oreland, Pa./Springfield) and a 28-yard rush from Robinson, which got the Golden Rams down to the 17-yard line with just over two minutes to play. McKenzie's 23-yard reception was a part of a career day for the junior receiver as he had six catches for a career-high yards, including a long of 38 yards, which was second best on the team, trailing only a 39-yard reception by Iuvara.
The drive stalled a bit out of the two-minute timeout and forced West Chester to settle for a 34-yard field goal, which
Rylan Zuk (Telford, Pa./Souderton) drilled to give West Chester a 31-28 lead with 1:06 to play.
With the drive starting on its own 25, no timeouts, and 1:06 to play, Bloomsburg went to work, first converting a third and 10 with a 14-yard reception before using another 15-yard pass into the boundary to cross midfield. Bloomsburg had one more third-down conversion up its sleeve as Riley found Gabe Brower across the middle of the field on third and 10 to get the ball down to the Golden Ram 30 with under 10 seconds to play. The Huskies spiked the ball to stop the clock and were forced to try a 47-yard field goal to force overtime.
This 47-yard attempt fell well short, but the Golden Rams were whistled for roughing the kicker, which moved the ball 15 yards closer and gave the Huskies another chance to tie the game. Johnson made good on this attempt from 32 yards out as time expired, forcing overtime with the score tied at 31-31.
In the first overtime, Bloomsburg needed just one play to take its first lead of the day as Declan Clancy raced in for a 25-yard touchdown to make the score 38-31 Bloomsburg.
After another 23-yard grab by McKenzie set West Chester up with first and goal at the two, Jordan used his legs for the score for the first time on Saturday as he surged in for a two-yard score, which, after a successful extra point by Zuk, forced a second overtime.
In the second OT, Jordan was forced out of the pocket on third-and-11 and somehow managed to find the capable and waiting hands of
Troy Corson (Wernersville, Pa./Wilson) to give West Chester a 44-38 lead. West Chester's two-point conversion attempt failed, thus giving Bloomsburg the chance to win the game with its possession.
Riley, who was 19-of-35 through the air for 254 yards and four scores with an interception in the loss, found Alex Achenbach but failed to convert the two-point conversion as the game continued on into a third overtime.
In the third and final overtime, Jordan gave West Chester the lead with a successful conversion pass to Iuvara for their aforementioned second connection of the day to give West Chester a 46-44 lead.
The ensuing Bloomsburg attempt fell incomplete as the Golden Rams escaped with a triple overtime victory over the upset-minded Huskies.
McKenzie's career day led the Golden Rams in receiving, while Iuvara caught three passes for 71 yards, including his first-quarter score and the eventual winning conversion.
Robinson led West Chester in rushing with 79 yards on 13 carries, averaging 6.1 yards per carry and a score. Jordan ran for 53 yards as well, and Johnson, who was playing his second game in as many weeks, rushed for a career-best 35 yards and his first career touchdown.
Jimmy Wright (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) led West Chester in tackles with 12 (four solo/eight assisted), including a tackle for loss, while
Ricardo Delgado (Warminster, Pa./Archbishop Wood) and
Connor Noble (Chester Springs, Pa./Downingtown East) finished with 10 (four solo/six assisted)and nine (two solo/seven assisted), respectively. Noble's nine tackles moved the veteran linebacker over 300 for his career, making him the 10th player in school history to do so and only the fourth to do so in three seasons.
Kaleb Brown (Reading, Pa./Wilson) was credited with four tackles, including a tackle for loss, while also coming away with an interception, his third of the season, which he returned for 20 yards. Brown is now tied with teammate
Jamir Reyes (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter) for the team lead in interceptions, as the duo ranks third in the PSAC, tied with Will Johnson of Shepherd, Keith Charney of California (Pa.), and Markel Morgan of Lock Haven.
Today's victory was the Golden Rams' first overtime win under head coach
Duke Greco, the first OT game and win since a 2023 victory over Bloomsburg (24-21), and the first time West Chester has won a game that went multiple overtimes since a 44-43 victory in double overtime over Shippensburg on October 7, 2010.
Today's 46-point effort is also the most points scored under head coach
Duke Greco, surpassing a 41-point effort in a win over Millersville on Homecoming a season ago.
Up Next
West Chester will play its final road game of the season next Saturday at Shippensburg, beginning at 1 p.m., before returning home on November 15 to host Assumption at 12 p.m.
