WEST CHESTER, Pa. – The East Stroudsburg University football team improved to 6-1 for the first time since 2014 after a suffocating defensive and impressive rushing performance, defeating West Chester for the first time since 2012 with a 28-14 victory on a rainy day at John Farrell Stadium.

With the victory, the Warriors (6-1, 3-1 PSAC East) stay a game back of Kutztown for second place in the PSAC East. The loss for the Golden Rams (4-3, 2-2 PSAC East) sends the Golden WCU to fourth place in the standings.

Notables

• The Warrior defense shined when the sun never did, as ESU allowed 177 total yards, with WCU posting 56 yards on the ground and 121 yards through the air. ESU forced six punts, limited WCU to just three 3rd down conversions, forced two interceptions and totaled four sacks.
• Offensively, ESU averaged 5.3 yards per carry on 44 attempts for 234 total rushing yards. Downingtown native Tyriq Lewis surpassed the century mark with an even 100 yards on 18 carries, rushing in the final touchdown of the game to all but seal the victory. Tahir Mills rushed for 86 yards on 10 carries, including a 47-yard attempt, as the Ridley native averaged 8.6 yards per carry. Quarterback Sean McTaggart also found the end zone with his feet, with a 25-yd rushing touchdown in the second quarter.
• Along with his rushing score, McTaggart completed 12-21 passes for 140 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. His 12 completions found seven different Warriors, with Jonathan Post and Mills each registering a score via the air. DJ Thomson led the game with 40 yards receiving.
• Safety TJ Harris made a case for a potential second PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week honor, with two interceptions. He also made four tackles. Harris is the first Warrior to have multiple interceptions in a game since Joel Ozoemena picked off Seton Hill twice during the 2019 season.
• Sergei Felizor and Dasean Dixon led the team with seven tackles. Dixon was a thorn in the WCU offensive line, with 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss overall. Raymond Simmons IV totaled six tackles, with two going for a loss of yardage. Noah Hambrick added five tackles and a pass breakup. Deshawn McCarthy made his presence felt with three tackles, a sack, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry.
• WCU was limited to just 56 rushing yards on 33 carries, averaging 1.7 yards per attempt. The Golden Rams' quarterback duo of Cooper Jordan (6-11, 66 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT) and Ethan Kohler (5-10, 55 yards) were limited to 11-21 passing for 121 yards, with a touchdown and two interceptions. In the second half alone, the Warriors limited WCU to 64 yards on 20 plays, with just six first downs. WCU's Connor Noble led the game with 11 tackles, while Izaiah McPherson posted an interception.
• ESU becomes 6-1 for the first time since 2014. ESU looks to defeat both West Chester and next week's opponent, Bloomsburg, in the season for the first time since 1991. The 14-point win over WCU is the largest for ESU since 2001, when the Warriors took down WCU, 28-9, at Eiler-Martin Stadium.

How It Happened

• After being forced to punt on its first drive after three plays, the Warriors prevented a WCU score, as Harris picked off the Golden Rams' quarterback.

• ESU countered with a 13-play, 85-yd drive.  The Warriors converted all three 3rd downs on the drive, with Mills picking up a first down on 3rd-and-1, Tyrese Brandon rushing for five yards on 3rd-and-3, and McTaggart found Cook for a 8-yd gain on 3rd-and-6. McTaggart found Jonathan Post in the back of the endzone for a 6-yd touchdown.

• WCU answered, evening the score as the first quarter winded down. The Golden Rams found paydirt with a 9-play, 73-yd drive that ended with Cooper Jordan finding Raheim Bowens for a 15-yd touchdown.
• ESU's offense surged back into the end zone after posting 58 yards on just three plays and 42 seconds of clock. After an acrobatic catch from Thomson for 36 yards, McTaggart found Roche for a 13-yd gain. The Lancaster native then found Mills for 22 yards and a touchdown.

• The Warriors forced a 3-and-out, as McTaggart led ESU on a 9-play, 84-yd drive that took 3:21 off the clock. ESU converted a 3rd-and-9 with a 12-yd completion to Cook, as McTaggart scampered 25 yards for ESU's third touchdown of the contest to make it a 21-7 contest.  

• ESU forced a punt but could not convert a 4th down opportunity and lost possession after the turnover-on-downs. It was no-harm, no-foul, with the Warrior defense forcing another punt. Three more punts ensued to close the first half, as ESU led WCU by 14 points after heading up the ramp and into the locker room.
• WCU's first play of the second half ended in an interception, with Harris securing his second pick of the day and the third of the season and career. ESU could not take advantage and was forced to punt.

• The Golden Rams needed to respond offensively, and they did. A 14-play 81-yd drive took 7:30 off the clock. WCU converted 2-4 3rd downs on the drive, but picked up both 4th-down attempts, as quarterback Ethan Kohler was able to sneak into the end zone on the Philadelphia Eagles' patented "Brotherly Shove".
• A promising Warrior drive ended with McPherson's interception, as the Golden Rams looked to knot the score in the 4th quarter. The Warrior defense was up to the task, forcing a pair of punts. Taking over possession at its own 23-yd line with 5:03 remaining, ESU's rushing tandem of Lewis and Mills went to work. On the first play of the drive, Mills went flying for 47 yards to give ESU possession at the WCU 30-yd line. ESU let time tick off the clock, and forced WCU to take two timeouts. WCU looked to have stopped ESU on the 10-yd line to force a field goal attempt in inclement weather, but a Golden Rams' unsportsmanlike conduct penalty resulted in a Warrior first down. On the next play, Lewis found the end zone, as the Warriors took a 14-point lead at 28-14 with 2:09 remaining in the contest.

• Needing a quick touchdown to have a chance, the Warrior defensive line went all out, as Dixon totaled 1.5 sacks on the drive alone, with Dixon and McCarthy sacking Jordan on 1st down. After a pass breakup by Hambrick and an incompletion, Dixon sealed the game with a sack on 4th and 15.

• ESU gained possession and kneeled twice to ice the clock, as the Warriors move to 6-1 on the season and defeat West Chester at John Farrell Stadium for the first time since 2009.

Up Next

• The Warriors return home next Saturday for the first of two consecutive home games at Eiler-Martin Stadium. ESU battles Bloomsburg at 1:05 p.m. in the Poconos.