LIBERTY, Mo. – West Chester University's football squad was ranked 22nd in the country by D2Football.com in a release Wednesday.
The Golden Rams finished 2014 with a record of 11-2 overall and a berth in the NCAA II Playoffs where West Chester lost in the second round to Concord (W.Va.).Â
West Chester loses some key players from a year ago. But, the Rams return a lot of depth from a NCAA Top-50 running attack that could create problems for opposing defenses this season.
The backfield is headed by preseason All-America candidate
Brandon Monk (West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove), who ran for a career-high 1,296 yards and averaged 99.7 yards per-game last year.
Mike Class (Souderton, Pa./Pennridge) is a player to watch out for this season after sitting out last year as a red-shirt. Class was first-team All-Suburban One in high school, after running for over 2,400 yards and 30 touchdowns in his junior year. Senior
Eddie Elliot (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) was the Purple & Gold's second-leading rusher a season ago with 639 yards and five touchdowns, but could also be lined up in the slot. Sophomore transfer
Eerin Young (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter) appeared in 11 games and rushed for 224 yards at Rhode Island. He brings versatility as a runner or receiver to the Golden Rams offensive attack.
Jarel Elder (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) finished second on the team in all-purpose yards (1,072) with 452 yards on 89 attempts and three touchdowns as a traditional back rounding out the five running backs.
There are two Top 25 opponents that will test the Golden Rams this season and both will be visiting John. A Farrell Stadium. It all begins on Thursday, Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. for a primetime test against ninth-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne to open up the season. That game will be televised live on SportsFever Television Network (STN) and can ce seen on ESPN3 locally. Six weeks later, WCU prepares for a visit from PSAC rival Bloomsburg (14th) to highlight WCU homecoming weekend on October 24th at 2 p.m. The Huskies are the only other PSAC program to break into the national polls.
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| Â Â Â Â Team | 2014 Record |
| 1 | Minnesota State | 14-1 |
| 2 | CSU-Pueblo | 14-1 |
| 3 | West Georgia | 12-3 |
| 4 | Ferris State | 11-1 |
| 5 | Ohio Dominican | 11-2 |
| 6 | Pittsburg State | 11-2 |
| 7 | Minnesota Duluth | 13-1 |
| 8 | Northwest Missouri | 10-2 |
| 9 | Lenoir-Rhyne | 11-1 |
| 10 | Sioux Falls | 11-1 |
| 11 | Delta State | 9-2 |
| 12 | Angelo State | 9-3 |
| 13 | North Alabama | 9-2 |
| 14 | Bloomsburg | 11-2 |
| 15 | Valdosta State | 10-3 |
| 16 | Concord | 13-1 |
| 17 | Colorado Mines | 10-2 |
| 18 | Ouachita Baptist | 10-1 |
| 19 | Harding | 9-2 |
| 20 | Central Missouri | 8-4 |
| 21 | Texas A&M-Commerce | 9-3 |
| 22 | West Chester | 11-2 |
| 23 | Azusa Pacific | 10-1 |
| 24 | Winston-Salem | 9-2 |
| 25 | Grand Valley | 6-5 |
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