Game 12 of the Night - Season 140
Previous GotN Prediction: Bloomsburg 31 - West Chester 21
Result: West Chester 51 - Bloomsburg 41
Intro/comments/match-up: Four interceptions and three 50+ runs were the key to West Chester's big win over Bloomsburg. With the win, it looks like we now have a legitimate rivalry since both teams have to be able to win. After Bloomsburg's recent domination, it was good to see West Chester show they are still a team to fear.
West Chester received the ball first and was able to drive far enough to kick a 53-yard field goal. Bloomsburg drove to the 43-yard line where they punted and made West Chester start their second possession at their own 12-yard line. After being held to just two yards and a punt return of 31 yards, Bloomsburg was in fantastic shape at the 33-yard line. WC hung tough and held them to a game-tying 42-yard field goal. WC took four passes to move 75 yards for a touchdown and a 10-3 lead. Bloomsburg showed their pedigree by scoring their own touchdown on a nine-play drive. On WC next drive, their kicker earned his scholarship by kicking a 54-yard field goal and the 13-10 lead. At this point, Bloomsburg picked a bad time to throw their first interception that gave WC the ball at the 40. Three passes and a QB scramble later, it was WC 20, Bloomsburg 10. Despite a second Bloomsburg intereception, Bloomsburg showed their championship mettle by scoring the last ten points of the half for a 20-20 tie.
With Bloomsburg getting the ball first in the second half, they took advantage to take their first lead 23-20, but must have been disappointed after having a first-and-goal at the 10. With what looked like a flip of their script, WC took five running plays to go 80 yards and the 27-23 lead. Later in the third, Bloomsburg went on a long 15 play drive, but had to settle for a 35-yard field goal. WC made it hurt even more by running 75 yards on their next play to extend their lead to 34-26. Then, on Bloomsburg's next play, they threw their third interception of the game to give WC the ball at the 31. Defense hung tough to make WC settle for a field goal. That put a spark into the Bloomsburg's offense as they quickly moved down the field in just four plays to score a touchdown and a 2-point conversion to cut the deficit to 37-34. WC decided to follow their successful blueprint and ran the ball three times to go 73 yards and a 44-34 lead. Another interception led to a short field that WC converted into another touchdown that secured the win.
Tonight, the "smart dog" is going to Georgia to check in on two teams that are on the rise. Last we saw Morehouse they graduated a monster class that had so many red-shirt seniors it was hard to count all of them. On the other side is St Joseph's where coach Fla Dave left the school after a loss in the championship game, took a break for eight seasons as the team's talent took a nosedive.
Team: St Joseph's
Coach: Fla Dave # of Seasons: 4
Roster Breakdown:
Seniors: 12
Juniors: 11
Sophomores: 13
Freshmen: 14
Offensive Formations: I, Notre Dame, Trips
Defensive Formations: 4-3, 4-4, Nickle, Dime
Key Wins: N/A
Losses: N/A
Comments: As part of coach Fla Dave rebuilding process, St Joseph's non-conference schedule was made of all SIMs. Their conference schedule hasn't been challenging yet either as the best team they have played is 6-5 and ranked #40. He is raising the bar next season as the team has scheduled all human coaches for the non-conference potion of their schedule next season. Team is not as stacked as some of the top teams in Rockne but they are moving in the right direction.
Team: Morehouse
Coach: Sportsdouche # of Seasons: 8
Roster Breakdown:
Seniors: 5
Juniors: 1
Sophomores: 25
Freshmen: 19
Offensive Formations: Pro-set
Defensive Formations: 3-4
Key Wins: N/A
Comments: Coach Sportsdouche looks like he is loading up to have two monster classes. He has red-shirt three sophomores this season that will allow the current freshmen class to have six red-shirts in it. This unique roster management will be interesting to follow to see if the trade off of having one noncompetitive season for the chance to having one season where they very well could be the team to beat is worth it. The other two seasons should also see Morehouse be a very competitive team with a chance to win the title.
Tonight's Prediction: Since Morehouse hasn't shown they are able to beat some of the other human coaches in the SIAC and with St Joseph's being possibly the best team in the SIAC, the "smart dog" see the St Joseph's winning 33-13.