EAST STROUDSBURG – Suffering a similar fate in its previous losses, the East Stroudsburg University football team fell to West Chester after a game-winning touchdown from WCU quarterback Cooper Jordan to Thatcher Miller with just 16 seconds remaining to spoil ESU's Homecoming by a score of 24-21 on Saturday afternoon at Eiler-Martin Stadium.

The Warriors drop to 2-5 on the season and 1-3 in PSAC action, while the Golden Rams improve to 4-3, 2-2 in conference play.

Defense played a big factor on both sides, with 13 punts on the day. West Chester was able to convert 11 of its 20 3rd down conversions, while ESU was held to 5-of-14 on 3rd down. Both teams combined for to complete 42.1 percent of its passes (24-57) for 228 yards combined through the air.

West Chester led 10-7 in the fourth quarter, before ESU retook the lead with an eight-yd rushing touchdown from Tyriq Lewis with 12:47 left to go. WCU was able to snag the advantage on the scoreboard with a 12-completion from Cooper Jordan to D'Shaun Seals with 6:47 left, as ESU responded with a six-play, 75-yd drive to take a 21-17 edge. The Golden Rams earned the win by running out all but 16 seconds left on the clock on a 13-play 58-yd drive, with Miller's receiving touchdown from 15-yards out.

Notables

• Sergei Felizor registered 15 tackles, a sack and a pass breakup to pace the Warrior defense. Jahan Worth added eight tackles and a sack, while Noah Hambrick tallied three pass breakups. Also registering a sack was Isaiah Regiel. Deshawn McCarthy totaled three tackles and a pair of broken up passes.
• Offensively, quarterback Jake Cirillo returned to the lineup after missing the previous three contests due to injury. He was held in check by the Golden Ram defense, completing six passes to six different receivers for 47 yards. Senior fullback Adrian Lambert brought down the longest completion of the day with a 24-yd completion from Cirillo to setup ESU's go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.
• ESU totaled 183 yards of rushing as a team, with five Warriors posting at five rushing attempts. Tahir Mills led the squad with 57 yards rushing on seven carries, including a 31-yd carry. He tallied his second career touchdown in the fourth quarter with a three-yd rush with just 3:31 left to give ESU a 21-17 lead.
• Supplementing the rushing attack was Cirillo, who finished with 41 yards rushing on 10 attempts, including a touchdown. Gunner Anglovich, who also returned from injury registered 41 rushing yards on nine carries. Lewis finished with 26 yards on five carries, while Devante Robinson totaled 16 yard on five attempts.
• The Warriors have now fallen by six or less points in four of their five losses this season, including a combined 13 points over the past three contests.
• Devon Bartholomew converted all three of his point-after-attempts, extending the Warriors' steak to 91 consecutive PATs made dating back to Nov. 10, 2018. Bartholomew is now a perfect 49-49 in his career on extra point attempts.
• For West Chester, quarterback Ethan Koehler totaled 119 yards through the air (11-23, 0 TD, 0 INT), while Cooper Jordan registered both throwing touchdowns and led WCU with 133 yards rushing and a 42-yd rushing touchdown.

How it Happened

• The first four drives resulted in punts by both squads.
• The Warriors struck first after a blocked punt by Tyrese Brandon setup the Warrior offense on the WCU 14-yd line. After picking up a first down, Cirilo was able to fool the defense with a play-action keeper and found the end zone without being touched from four-yards out.

• Both defenses continued to play well. WCU quarterback Jordan Cooper was able to knot the score at 7-7 following a pair of long rushing plays, with a 42-yd rush followed by a 38-yd rushing touchdown.
• ESU took over possession with 2:35 left, but would be forced to attempt a Hail Mary pass at midfield as time expired, with both squads entering their locker rooms tied at 7-7.
• It was West Chester that started the second half on offense, and picked up four first downs. On 3rd and goal from the ESU 4-yd line, Worth was able to sack Kohler for a loss of five yards, as the Golden Rams settled for a 26-yd field goal. Both teams traded punts to end the third quarter.
• The Warriors held possession near midfield after a short West Chester punt. Anglovich was able to pickup a big first down on 3rd and 2 with a six-yd rush. A 19-yd rush by Cirilo on 1st and 20 would spark Lewis' 8-yd rushing touchdown on 3rd and 1, as ESU snagged a 14-10 lead with 12:47 left to play.

• Both teams traded punts, but unfortunately for the Warriors, a shanked 3-yd punt setup WCU on the ESU 35-yd line. The drive resulted in seven points for the Golden Rams as Jordan found Seals for a 12-yd touchdown.
• With WCU holding on to a 17-14 lead with 6:47 to go, Mills burst through the seams of the WCU defense with a 31-yd rush to flip the field. Cirillo found Lambert for his biggest completion of the day for 24-yards. Mills would not be denied on the drive, rushing for 12 yards and a first down before punching in the go-ahead 3-yd touchdown with 3:31 remaining.

• An unsportsmanlike conduct call following the touchdown would help WCU get to its own 42-yd line to start the drive after a decent 21-yd return. The Golden Rams converted a 3rd and 8, a 3rd and 12 and a 3rd and 7, before Jordan found Miller for the game-winning 15-yd completion on 3rd and 10.
• With just 16 seconds left, ESU attempted several laterals on the final play, but ultimately got called for an illegal forward pass to end the game in favor of West Chester by a score of 24-21.

Up Next

• ESU looks to end its three-game losing skid next weekend on the road at Bloomsburg. The opening kickoff against the Huskies is set for 2:00 p.m.