West Chester opened its 2012 home campaign with a fourth-quarter comeback victory over the Golden Knights of Gannon, 21-17.
Receiver Erick Brundidge caught a 29-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Mike Mattei with 5:10 remaining, capping off a 7-play, 70-yard drive by the Golden Rams. Defensive back John O’Donnell’s second interception of the day gave the ball back to the Rams with just under nine minutes to play, setting up the game-winning drive. West Chester (1-1) and PSAC West rival Gannon (1-1) met for the first time in the two schools’ history as Gannon was one of three teams to join the PSAC in 2008; the other two were LIU-C.W. Post and Mercyhurst.
O’Donnell got the Golden Rams’ defense on the board first with 13:09 remaining in the first, as he ran an interception back 48 yards for a touchdown on Gannon’s first possession. It was one of three interceptions thrown by Gannon quarterback Liam Nadler on the day. West Chester doubled its lead just over halfway through the first as Mattei hooked up with LaRonn Lee for a 23-yard touchdown pass. With that reception, Lee went over 1,000 career receiving yards.
Gannon was not going to go down quietly as they responded with 10 points of their own in the second quarter off of a 45-yard field goal in the first minute, and a 31-yard pass with 24 seconds remaining in the half. Even though West Chester took a 14-10 lead into the locker room, Gannon was certainly holding the momentum going into the second half. With 2:22 to go in the third, Gannon struck again with the big play as Nadler connected with Justin Caliste on a 66-yard touchdown pass to give the Golden Knights the 17-14 lead heading into the final 15 minutes.
The fourth quarter presented two opportunities for the Golden Knights in West Chester’s side of the field, but two costly turnovers did them in. Gannon was down to the 12-yard line, but senior safety Carl Barnes intercepted Nadler to keep West Chester alive.
Following O’Donnell’s second interception of the day, Mattei found a wide open Brundidge at the goal line as the cornerback slipped and fell on the play for the go-ahead score. Gannon had two more tries to get something done, but the defense was there just as it was all day long, sealing the first victory of the year.
Mattei had a very solid day, making his first start under center since November 2010. He went 15-for-31 for 184 yards and two touchdowns. More importantly, he protected the ball, throwing zero interceptions to Gannon’s three. Running back Rondell White was held down very well by Gannon’s front seven. He managed only 45 yards on 18 carries, but as a team, West Chester accumulated 127 yards on the ground. Brundidge and Lee led the receiving corps, racking up 66 and 36 yards respectively and a touchdown apiece. On defense, it was the two linebackers, Ronell Williams and Mike Labor who led the tackling, managing 12 and 11 tackles respectively. The three sacks for the defense were provided by defensive linemen Andrew Cohen and Eric Edwers.
For Gannon, the passing attack was led by Nadler who went 18-for-35 for 267 yards and two touchdowns, but throwing three costly picks. Alex Papson and Jansen Jones shared the workload in the backfield, combining for only 74 yards on 24 carries. Caliste pulled in five passes for 116 yards and a touchdown, while Abraham Ocasio snagged seven balls for 123 yards and a score. Ian Jeffers led the defense with eight tackles, including half a sack.
While the Golden Rams held the ball for almost 33 minutes, compared to Gannon’s 27, the Golden Knights out-gained the Rams 351 to 279. The turnovers were the difference in deciding this game, as they are in most cases. The three interceptions for Gannon, along with two lost fumbles were just too much for the Knights to overcome. West Chester committed only a single turnover: a fumble late in the fourth quarter.
In the opening week of the season, the Golden Rams faced the Blue Hens of Delaware for a Thursday night showdown, their final matchup ever in a rivalry that dates back to 1941. Delaware leads the series 47-6-2, and has won the last 19, dating back to 1992.
The No. 15 Blue Hens easily won the game 41-21, but there were a few bright spots for the Golden Rams. White exploded for 209 yards on 28 carries, averaging 7.5 yards per carry.
Riding White’s success on the ground, the Rams found themselves still within striking distance going into the fourth quarter, down 24-14. A field goal and a 63-yard touchdown pass for the Blue Hens sealed the deal. A big loss for the Golden Rams was the injury to starting quarterback Sean McCartney who will miss the remainder of the season with a broken ankle.
With the win Saturday over Gannon, the Golden Rams improved to 68-21-2 all-time in home openers. While the Golden Rams were picked to finish fourth in a very competitive PSAC East by the coaches’ preseason poll, the Golden Knights were picked to finish sixth in the PSAC West.
Next Saturday, West Chester will be at home again, only this time it will be under the lights at John A. Farrell Stadium at 6 p.m. They will be opening PSAC East play against the Millersville Marauders (1-1). The Marauders are coming off a disappointing 45-7 thumping by Mercyhurst and will be looking to turn the page against the Rams.
Riley Wallace is a fourth-year student majoring in communication studies with a journalism minor. He can be reached at RW718681@wcupa.edu.