WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Trailing by 13 points heading into the fourth quarter, West Chester erased one of its largest fourth-quarter deficits in school history to earn a 17-16 victory over Millersville at Tomlinson-Fillippo Field at John A. Farrell Stadium on Homecoming Saturday afternoon.
 
Held scoreless and to just 58 yards of total offense in the first half, West Chester (3-1) outgained Millersville (0-4) 231-99 in the second half and held the Marauders scoreless as the Golden Rams sent their rain-soaked Homecoming crowd home with a thrilling 17-16 victory.
 
Saturday's comeback, which included a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns by RB Mikhail Johnson (Darby, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie), is thought to be one of the team's largest fourth-quarter comebacks since the Golden Rams erased a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit against American International College (AIC) in October 1974.
 
Johnson scored his first touchdown of the game on a 10-yard pass from quarterback Colin O'Sullivan (Fort Washington, Pa./Upper Dublin) with 8:45 to play to finish off a 10-play, 76-yard drive that took just over four minutes and cut the Marauders' lead to 16-10. Johnson capped the comeback with a three-yard touchdown rush with just under three minutes to play, finishing a five-play, 47-yard drive that saw West Chester pick up a first down on every play and take its first lead of the game at 17-16.
 
O'Sullivan, the reigning PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week, finished the comeback victory 19-for-29 with 217 yards through the air and the touchdown pass to Johnson, which helped keep the comeback bid alive. Dylan McKenzie (Oreland, Pa./Springfield (MONTCO)) did not score a touchdown Saturday afternoon but was crucial to the comeback bid, catching four passes for 77 yards, including a game-long 38-yard reception in the third quarter. McKenzie picked up 42 yards after the catch, leading all receivers.
 
Future Robertson (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic) led West Chester in catches with five receptions for 32 yards and carried the ball nine times for 23 yards.
 
Johnson led West Chester on the ground with nine carries for 48 yards and a score, including a game-long 18-yard rush.
 
The Golden Rams' defense continued to come up big following the go-ahead score, forcing a three-and-out on the ensuing drive thanks in part to a tackle for loss by Seamus McCain (Philadelphia, Pa./Penn Charter) and an Eddie Bowen (Chalfont, Pa./C.B. South) sack, before holding Millersville to just seven yards on four plays with under a minute to play to finish off the victory.
 
West Chester got its first points of the afternoon with 5:28 to play in the third quarter when Tommy Pajic (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) drilled a 25-yard field goal to cap off a 12-play, 60-yard drive, which cut the Marauders' lead to 16-3.
 
After a three-and-out, West Chester drove deep into Millersville territory, thanks in part to a 38-yard catch-and-run as O'Sullivan found McKenzie over the middle to get the ball down to the Marauder 15 late in the third quarter. Millersville's defense forced another Golden Ram turnover as the Marauders intercepted O'Sullivan in the end zone, thwarting the Golden Rams offense and carrying a 16-3 lead into the fourth.
 
West Chester's fourth-quarter comeback began with a crucial fourth-and-four play on the Marauder 20. O'Sullivan rolled out and found Reese Clark (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Joseph's Prep) in the flat for a 10-yard gain and a first down. West Chester scored on the next play when O'Sullivan connected with Johnson – which cut the deficit to 16-10.
 
After getting the ball back following a six-play Marauder drive, West Chester needed just five plays to move 47 yards and take a 17-16 lead. Johnson got West Chester from the 16-yard line down to the three with a 13-yard reception before punching it in from the three-yard line for his first rushing touchdown of the afternoon and second of the season.
 
Bowen's fourth-quarter sack helped West Chester silence the Marauder offense in the fourth, holding Millersville to just 56 yards and two first downs in the fourth quarter.
 
Luke Trunnell (Yardley, Pa./Conwell-Egan) and Ricardo Delgado (Warminster, Pa./Archbishop Wood) tied for the team lead with 12 tackles each. Jack Fry (Norristown, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) notched 10 stops on the day. Elijah Motley (Newark, N.J./Weequahic) had a team-best six solo tackles and nine total in the victory.
 
For Millersville, Eddie Corkery was 15-for-27 through the air for 113 yards and a score, while also carrying the ball four times for 10 yards. Mekhi Ashby made things difficult for West Chester throughout the first half, finishing his day with 32 carries for 126 yards and a score, despite being limited to just 26 yards in the second half.
 
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action next Saturday at East Stroudsburg beginning at 1:05 p.m.