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West Chester Golden Rams (11-1)
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Bloomsburg Huskies (10-1)
As members of the same conference division, West Chester and Bloomsburg collide every year, usually with championship and post season implications. For the third time since 2006, the Rams and Huskies will also meet in the Division II playoffs. Both of the previous playoff meetings occurred at Bloomsburg, in the second round, following a West Chester victory over a Northeast 10 team in the first round. In 2006, West Chester won at Bryant, then fell to #2 seed Bloomsburg 21-20. In 2008, the Rams defeated Southern Connecticut State at home, then traveled to #1 seed Bloomsburg, where they lost 28-21. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues. West Chester enters this game after thumping Northeast 10 Champ American International in round one.
Given the amount of history between the two teams, and the fact they played each other just three weeks ago, I think we have a pretty good idea of where they stand. So let’s look at what worked and didn’t work the first time to try to figure out what each teams needs to do better on Saturday.
Keys to a West Chester victory
Be ready from the opening kickoff…Bloomsburg simply outplayed the Golden Rams earlier this month. West Chester started sluggishly and never really hit their stride on offense. The sideline seemed to lack emotion and at times they looked a little bit stunned. They cannot allow that to happen again, and I don’t believe they will. The Rams were bitterly disappointed after losing that game, but the post season invitation gave them a new lease on life and the first round win should have them brimming with confidence.
Stay patient and stick to the plan…A quick start will really help this team, but if they don’t get it, they just need to stay calm and stick to their plan. Bloomsburg did a very good job against West Chester’s running game and the reality is that the Rams haven’t run the ball as well as they did earlier in the season. It won’t surprise me if the Rams struggle with the running game again on Saturday. They can’t panic if the running game isn’t working. They’ll need to stay patient and pick their spots.
Stretch the field…You can’t just line up and heave the ball down field every play, a defense will be able to adjust to that. But a few well-timed deep balls could be all they need to give themselves a chance to win.
Be creative…Along the lines of stretching the field, do it creatively. If you get the running game going, try a flea flicker at the right time. Throw a quick lateral to a receiver and let him hurl it deep. Have Rondell White pull up on a sweep and throw it.
Protect the quarterback…I don’t have all the right recommendations for how to do this, but they have to keep the pocket intact for Sean McCartney. He is a very accurate passer, but not especially great under pressure. Bloomsburg has a strong D-line, and even though they don’t blitz frequently, their pass rush can be formidable.
Keys to a Bloomsburg Victory
Don’t be satisfied…winning the PSAC East title and overall conference championship in consecutive weeks was, in a word, awesome. The Huskies got to hoist the championship trophy on their own field in front of all their families and friends, after a walk-off INT on the game’s final play. Short of a national championship, that will be the lasting image from this season that will stay with the players for the rest of their lives. But for the next couple of weeks, they need to forget all about that.
Make sure the week off was an advantage…A week off between the end of the season and the start of playoffs should be an advantage. It’s a chance to rest and allow some injuries to subside. It’s also a week to focus on fundamentals while waiting to see who the next opponent will be. However, the week off can also break up a team’s rhythm and routine. West Chester will come in to this game amped up from a playoff win last week and keen to avenge the loss from a few weeks ago. Bloomsburg will have to match their intensity level and if the week off took them out of their normal preparation routines, it could work against them.
Balance the attack…Bloomsburg was very successful moving the ball at West Chester in week 10. Yes, they ran the ball consistently and rolled up 310 yards, but they also passed 27 times and picked up a season high 262 yards through the air. The balanced attack kept West Chester from over committing to the run, and allowed the Huskies to hold the ball for more than 37 minutes.
Pressure the quarterback….If the Bloomsburg defense has a vulnerability, it’s getting beaten deep in the secondary. West Chester had success throwing the ball, especially late in the game when time was running short. The best way for Bloomsburg to combat this is to bring pressure on the quarterback. Sean McCartney is as accurate as anyone when he has time to get through his progression, but he isn’t especially dangerous moving out of the pocket and getting away from trouble. If the Huskies can get to him, that will be their key to stopping the deep ball.
Don’t get cute…Bloomsburg put All-Conference D-end Larry Webster on the field for nearly every third down passing situation in the PSAC Championship. Webster is a phenomenal athlete, but he doesn’t have enough experience as a receiver and expecting him to make big plays down field is unreasonable. Unless it’s a jump ball, he doesn’t have the experience to out-maneuver a defender, out play him for the ball or draw a pass interference call.
Final Analysis
These teams know all about each and they know what to expect. The coaches know how to plan for the other team so it will come down to execution. I think both teams left some opportunities on the field in the first game, and if both play a little better, this can easily go either way. I’ll give a slight edge to the home team, especially with the week off to re-charge.
Bloomsburg 34 West Chester 31
Winston-Salem State Rams (10-1)
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Shepherd Rams (10-0)
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Shepherd Rams (10-0)
A few things I’ll say off the bat…I haven’t had a chance to see either team in person this year, and have come up with only a few scraps of video. But I’ve seen Shepherd many times over the years, and saw WSSU up close and personal last year in Florence. Both teams are fairly similar to what they’ve looked like in recent years, and I have done quite a bit of reading on each team, so here goes…
The other game in this region involves two PSAC teams, one of them being my alma mater, so that is where I’ll be on Saturday. But I have to admit, there is a massive temptation to go see this one. Two of the best defenses in the entire country will be on display, and I think this will be a very physical battle. I’ve read some banter on the message boards about each team’s conference and the level of competition within it. My take is this…1) Between the MEC and CIAA it’s probably pretty even. Shepherd got through the MEC without a blemish, but the league has several solid teams and I think it will mature into a pretty deep conference. The CIAA certainly has some bottom feeders, but from the middle to the top, the competition was pretty good this year, especially in the south 2) it’s meaningless. Both teams are the class of their league. If they’d swapped schedules at the start of the season, they’d probably be in the same places right now.
Winston-Salem State is among the most talented teams in the country. The Rams have elite athletes at every position and they definitely do have more team speed than anyone else in the region. But Shepherd is a team that doesn’t have many weaknesses either. Shepherd is always fundamentally sound and Monte Cater, who is one of the best in the Division II, has always had a perfect blend of old-school mentality with modern touches.
Winston-Salem may be able to exploit the speed advantage but I think this game will be won at the line of scrimmage. Shepherd has the best rush defense in all of college football, and if they can continue that success and force Winston-Salem to win with the passing game, they may be able to force some interceptions or pick up some sacks. If Winston-Salem can run the ball with reasonable success and allow Rudy Johnson to do damage running and throwing, I like their chances. When Shepherd has the ball, they like to win with the running game, but it will be tough to move the ball on the ground against Winston-Salem State. That will put a lot pressure on young quarterback Jeff Ziemba to execute a passing game that will help loosen up the WSSU defense.
Winston-Salem is more talented, but Shepherd’s coaching staff has an ability to get their team to play up to the level of their competition. In 2007, they beat IUP at home in the first round of the playoffs, then went on the road and scored 38 points against a California defense that was the best in the nation (no one else scored more than 24 on the Vulcans that year). In 2010 they went to Erie and destroyed PSAC Champ Mercyhurst 49-14 and then put in a very respectable performance at Delta State in the semi-finals. Those are just a few recent examples to illustrate that Shepherd can prepare a solid game plan for any team out there. Their home field is one of the toughest to play on in SR1 and WSSU’s only road / neutral site playoff game in the last three years did not go well.
It should be a very tough ball game and it could be decided by which team minimizes mistakes. Through penalties and turnovers, Winston-Salem State did everything they could to let Slippery Rock hang around last week. Meanwhile, for all that they do well, Shepherd was the second most penalized team in the MEC this year. They both need to play clean football in order to win on Saturday.
It’s hard to bet against Shephed at home, and I do think they have a good chance to win this game. But in a defensive struggle, I’ll give the edge to the more balanced offense.
Winston-Salem State 28 Shepherd 20
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