Cook

WEST CHESTER, Pa. — Even when a few plays didn’t go as planned, Shepherd University usually disregarded the inconvenience and scored, completed a pass or gained yardage in its flattening of homestanding West Chester University, 47-14.

The 33-point smothering on a football-perfect weather day was one of the most lop-sided regular season setbacks in Golden Rams annals and was witnessed by only 2,123 people in mostly empty Farrell Stadium.

Maintaining its undefeated record and probable march into its first PSAC championship game on Nov. 12, Shepherd is now 8-0 overall as compared with West Chester’s 4-4 record.

Although the Golden Rams scored first, Shepherd notched the next three scores of the opening half to carry a 20-7 lead into the halftime break where the high-powered West Chester marching band gave its crowd the most entertainment it saw all afternoon long.

Often a second-half strong boy, Shepherd took the first possession of the third quarter and drove 75 yards to more points when Travis Bagent — effectively eluding West Chester rushers on most pass attempts and either finding receivers or running for needed yardage — hooked up with Ronnie Brown on a 46-yard catch/run beauty that had Shepherd ahead, 27-7.

Beach

After a second — and last — West Chester score, the Rams again hurried 75 gold-hued yards to more points as Brown ran for 30 yards, a swing pass to Ryan Beach carried to the West Chester 15, and Brown wasn’t stopped until he reached the one. Bagent barreled in to score from there . . . and Shepherd had a 34-14 lead that would be increased by later scores from Blake Hartman (28-yard run through the middle of the Golden Ram defense) and Brown (who popped free through the line from 16 yards out to score standing up).

Shepherd had scored the conference game’s last 20 points in a similar way it had counted the game’s final 34 points in the prior win over Millersville.

The Rams had gotten their first-half points on Bagent’s 15-yard pass to Marlon Cook just inside the end zone, on Hartman’s quick inside move that carried him nine yards and when Bagent prolonged a play long enough to spot Brian Walker as his second option on an 18-yard scoring throw.

Even though it often filtered linemen through and made Bagent move or take off running, West Chester couldn’t really hamper a Shepherd offense that totaled 514 yards and far outdistanced the 211 yards the Golden Rams managed with the offense they employed with two rotating quarterbacks.

Bagent thrived in his newly-employed willingness to move all around or run for first downs when hurried or troubled.

Brown

He brought his eight-game seasonal passing total to 210 completions in 300 pass attempts or a 70-percent success rate.

In Saturday’s satisfying slaying of the Golden Rams, he completed a rarely seen 29 of 34 tries, good for 296 yards and three touchdowns. Shepherd was credited with 218 rushing yards with West Chester getting only 106 rushing yards.

The unbeaten Rams had 28 first downs and West Chester managed only 13. A most positive stat saw Shepherd penalized only four times for 45 yards.

Cook showed eight catches for 74 yards, Brown’s three receptions netted him 54 yards and Ryan Beach finished with six receptions for 51 yards.

Shepherd’s short passing philosophy relies heavily on the receivers getting substantial yardage after their receptions. Dulling interceptions are only rare.

Dwayne Grantham, Devon Lynch and Klayton Batten had Shepherd’s three interceptions of Golden Ram throws. Grantham (eight stops) and Keyshawn Hailey (seven tackles) were the Shepherd leaders in that defensive category.

Shepherd’s home game tomorrow at noon against Bloomsburg is its final regular season showing at often-charged Ram Stadium. After that comes a road game at East Stroudsburg and a probable collision with unbeaten Indiana (Pa.) in the PSAC championship game on Nov. 12. If Shepherd does reach that title game against any West Division opponent, that game will be on the road.

Bagent’s ability to move, Shepherd’s mostly error-free passing game, the measly four penalties and a yardage-stingy defense highlighted the comfortable afternoon of winning college football.

Bagent