WEST CHESTER, PA – West Chester's defense and special teams play carried the Golden Rams into extra time, sparking a second-half comeback, but 14th-ranked Indiana (Pa.), pulled out a 27-21 victory in double overtime at Tomlinson-Fillippo Field at John A. Farrell Stadium Saturday evening in the first home game at night for West Chester since 2022.
 
West Chester (1-1) found itself down 14-0 at the half and used outstanding defensive play down the stretch to not only stymie the high-powered IUP offense, but also eventually force overtime after a pair of defensive scores in the fourth quarter.
 
"There's no question our defense and special teams played spectacular tonight," third-year head coach Duke Greco said afterwards. "It's a shame that we got the ball in the red zone in the first half and turned it over, and then the roughing the punter play killed us."
 
Jack Fry (Norristown, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) scored the first touchdown of the game for West Chester when he tipped and then intercepted a Mason Maggs pass at the 5-yard line and dove across the goal line, which cut the deficit to 14-7 with just under nine minutes to play in the game.
 
The Golden Rams' comeback bid continued later in the fourth when defensive tackle, Nick Rogers (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan), and Joey Zack (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy), teamed up to block a field goal try by IUP (2-0), and Bryan Anderson (Woodbridge, N.J./Woodbridge) scooped up the blocked kick and raced 66 yards to tie the game at 14-all with three minutes to play.
 
The game eventually went to overtime, and West Chester struck first, scoring on its first possession of overtime when Ryan Johnston (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Colin O'Sullivan (Fort Washington, Pa./Upper Dublin) to give the Golden Rams a 21-14 lead.
 
IUP countered with a score of its own on a 19-yard pass, before scoring first in the second overtime period, which after a failed two-point conversion attempt gave the Crimson Hawks a 27-21 lead.
 
On its second possession of overtime, West Chester picked up an important first down, but saw back-to-back passes fall incomplete as the Crimson Hawks escaped South Campus avoiding the upset.
 
"IUP is a really good team," Greco continued. "We just didn't make some plays in the red zone tonight. But, I'm proud of our guys. This team is tough, they play together, and they have character. These types of outcomes will change in the future."
 
It was the tail of two halves inside John A. Farrell Stadium on Saturday night as the Crimson Hawks racked up 190 yards of offense and 14 points in the first half before being limited to just six first downs and 101 yards of offense in the second half, including one first down and 29 yards of offense in the third quarter.
 
West Chester put together multiple long drives on Saturday evening, including a 15-play, 76-yard drive in the first half, which saw West Chester get down to the IUP 1-yard line in the first quarter, before a fumble gave the Crimson Hawks the ball.
 
That turnover eventually led to the Crimson Hawks' second score of the night as Mason Maggs led his offense on a 13-play, 99-yard drive over the course of nearly seven-and-a-half minutes, capped off by a touchdown pass, which gave the 14th-ranked visitors the two-score first half lead.
 
O'Sullivan finished the day 27-for-55 through the air for 229 yards and his overtime touchdown.
 
Mikhail Johnson (Oreland, Pa./Springfield Twp.) led West Chester on the ground with 16 carries for 70 yards, including a game-best 22-yard scamper.
 
Dylan McKenzie (Oreland, Pa./Springfield (MONTCO) led West Chester in receiving, catching seven passes for 76 yards, including a team-best 25-yard catch.
 
Defensively, Fry had the tip-drill interception and was also credited with five assisted tackles, including half a tackle for loss. Luke Trunell (Yardley, Pa./Conwell-Egan) led West Chester in tackles with 12 (5 solo/7 assisted), including two tackles for loss with one sack.
 
For IUP, Maggs was 19-for-31 through the air for 228 yards and four scores, while also throwing one interception. Leon Parson led IUP on the ground, carrying the ball 20 times for 91 yards, averaging 4.6 yards per carry.
 
IUP finished the game with 341 yards of offense on 67 plays, while West Chester covered 322 yards on 85 plays. 
 
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action next weekend at Edinboro, before returning home to open PSAC East play against Millersville on September 26 at 2 p.m. on what will also be Homecoming in West Chester.