Box Score
EAST STROUDSBURG - Joe Wright threw two touchdown passes to Mike Washington and West Chester scored the final 21 points of the game to hand East Stroudsburg University its first loss of the season, 34-24, on Homecoming on Saturday at Eiler-Martin Stadium.
Redshirt freshman tailback Jackson Fagan ran 25 times for 178 yards as West Chester (4-2, 3-0) had 475 yards of total offense and held the ball for more than 37 minutes in the contest.
Wright was 12-of-23 for 259 yards and also ran for a touchdown. Washington had four catches for 126 yards and set the PSAC record with 51 career touchdown passes, surpassing the previous mark of 50 held by ESU All-American Evan Prall.
The lead changed hands three times in the first half, with ESU holding a 17-13 advantage at halftime after a 75-yard fumble return for a touchdown by defensive end Matthew Faas after a fumbled snap on a field goal midway through the second quarter.
Redshirt senior quarterback Tim Roken hit redshirt senior Doug Ogden for a pair of scores for the Warriors (5-1, 2-1), the second from 17 yards to complete an 81-yard drive that gave ESU a 24-13 lead early in the second half.
West Chester pulled within 24-20 on a 13-yard touchdown run by fullback Pat McDermott on its next possession and trailed by that margin entering the fourth quarter.
The ESU defense came up with two fourth-down stops in the second half, including a fourth-and-five at the 33-yard line with 12:41 remaining, but Dan DePalma intercepted a pass by Roken and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown that put the Golden Rams ahead for good.
ESU went three-and-out and senior Nick Krut, the nation's leading punter, hit a career-long 67-yarder that rolled dead at the five-yard line. West Chester embarked on a 10 play, 95-yard drive that included 63 all-purpose yards from tailback Jackson Fagan - a 26-yard screen pass to jump start the drive, an eight-yard screen pass to convert third-and-seven in WCU territory, and four carries for 29 yards.
Wright hit Washington for a 23-yard touchdown, their second of the game, and ESU turned the ball over on downs with 4:13 left. The Golden Rams picked up two first downs to drain all but the final 19 seconds off the clock.
ESU opened the scoring less than three minutes into the game on a 42-yard flea flicker from Roken to Ogden, while West Chester answered with a 20-yard scoring play to Washington. ESU junior kicker Greg Knauss made the extra point, while West Chester botched the snap to give the Warriors an early 7-6 lead.
Wright went in from one yard out to close an 86-yard drive that featured a 71-yard pass to Washington to give West Chester a 13-7 advantage after one quarter.
Senior wide receiver Drew Stem returned the ensuing kickoff 44 yards to give ESU great field position and Roken found redshirt junior Sam Shuman for 34 yards to the seven. Knauss narrowed the margin to 13-10 with a 23-yard field goal at 14:05 in the second quarter.
Fagan ripped off a 63-yard run before the Golden Rams settled for a 30-yard field goal attempt by Alex Walsh. The center-holder exchange was off and Faas scooped up the loose ball and sprinted 75 yards to give ESU a 17-13 lead for the final scoring of the half.
Roken was 13-for-33 for 215 yards and ESU managed 289 yards of total offense. Shuman pulled in four passes for 82 yards and Ogden had three catches for 68 yards and the 14th and 15th touchdowns of his career.
Redshirt sophomore outside linebacker Matt Freed was in on 16 tackles for the Warriors defense, which was on the field for more than 20 minutes in the second half. Freed entered the game as the top tackler in the PSAC and tied for eighth in the nation with 11.6 tackles per game.
ESU travels to Bloomsburg for a 12 p.m. kickoff next week that will be featured across the state on PA SPORTSfever TV.
