Game Preview - Kutztown

The #19 Golden Rams (3-0, 1-0) host the Golden Bears of Kutztown (0-3, 0-1) at 6:00 pm on Saturday in Farrell Stadium.

Series History:
Overall, West Chester leads the series 48-9-1. Under head coach Bill Zwaan, the Golden Rams are 7-3 against the Golden Bears. In 2003 in Kutztown, West Chester shot out to a 16-0 first quarter lead, but the failed point after touchdown conversion came back to haunt West Chester when Kutztown made a 38-yard field goal with 50 seconds left in the game handing Zwaan his first Division II loss. Kutztown's other two wins came in 2010 and 2011, the two years in the past ten that West Chester was under .500 and Kutztown qualified for the NCAA playoffs. After four years of directing the Kutztown offense, former Millersville star quarterback Drew Folmar is in his first year as head coach of the Golden Bears.

Last 10 Meetings:

Year	H/A	W/L	Score	Year	H/A	W/L	Score
2003	Away	Loss	17-16	2008	Away	Win	49-8
2004	Home	Win	51-9	2009	Home	Win	37-17
2005	Away	Win	48-21	2010	Away	Loss	45-23
2006	Away	Win	49-47	2011	Home	Loss	24-0
2007	Home	Win	21-0	2012	Away	Win	45-24

Last Meeting:

09/23/2012 West Chester 45 - Kutztown 24

In what was a statistically very even game, the defense forced three turnovers, including Andrew Cohen's fumble return for touchdown. West Chester quarterback Mike Mattei earned ECAC Offensive Player of the Week for his effort while linebackers Mike Labor and Ronell Williams led the Golden Ram defense.

Scouting the Opponent:

There’s really no secret in Kutztown – this is a “pass first” team and if that isn’t working, they resort to the pass. After three games this season, the Golden Bears have a total of -18 net yards rushing. Their leading rusher, Curtis Wortham, was All-PSAC a season ago but has just 16 net yards on the ground this season. Consider that West Chester’s third string quarterback James Rusenko has 26 yards in five rushes in the two games he has played this year.

So the Golden Bear offense revolves around true freshman quarterback Alec Werner. While he leads the PSAC with almost 350 yards per game and completes almost 70% of his pass attempts, his efficiency rating of 131.4 is good for only 9th in the league. Werner’s top two targets are also tops in the PSAC – diminutive Fr. Alex Tonnies (43 catches, 294 yards, 1 TD) and So. Kodi Reed (21 catches, 304 yards, 3 TD’s). Rounding out his primary targets is So. Anthony Kelly (19 catches, 154 yards, 1 TD).

Nathan Fehr handles all of the kicking duties for the Golden Bears, averaging 36.4 yards per punt. Fehr is 1-2 in field goals and only 3-5 in PAT’s.

Despite having some marquee names, the Kutztown defense ranks in the bottom third in the conference in scoring, passing yards allowed and total yards allowed. They are led by cornerback English Peay (31 tackles, 1 interception, 4 passes defended) and linebacker Sam Dixon-Dugan (30 tackles, 6 TFL good for second in the PSAC), who were both All-PSAC a year ago. Defensive end Zach Greenwald (18 tackles, 2.5 TFL) leads the line while safeties Alex DiNolfi (18 tackles, 2 TFL) and Cody Kelso (26 tackles, 3 TFL) are both hard hitters.

Analysis:

Many see this game as Kutztown’s passing offense against West Chester’s secondary, but Werner’s passes don’t typically go that far. Sure, they’ll throw it deep a few times, but that’s primarily for show and any downfield receptions are purely a bonus. West Chester’s linebackers and rover play will be key. Kutztown is last in the PSAC in sacks allowed, is averaging 6.5 yards per pass attempt and has negative net yards rushing with an all-conference running back; it’s hard to conclude anything other than their offensive line is susceptible.

Defensively, last week the Golden Bears held Bloomsburg to a season low 239 rushing yards. And Bloomsburg's Harlon Hill finalist Franklin Quiteh had 95 of his 172 yards on just two runs. However, the Huskies don’t offer much in the passing game, so the Kutztown safeties were willing to vacate the secondary to help stop the run. West Chester’s more balanced approach to the offense should keep the secondary honest and provide more opportunities in the run game.

Notes:

Saturday is Family Day at West Chester. With a lot of activities scheduled, plan on arriving early. Saturday is also Pink Out. Fans are encouraged to wear pink or purchase a "Go Pink or Go Home" tee shirt for $10. Proceeds benefit Unite for Her.

Also, West Chester University has a bag-check policy in place at all its major events, including home football contests. The policy requires anyone with a bag to open the bag and allow it to be searched prior to entering the stadium or large event venue. Should the bag carrier not want their bag searched they will not be permitted to enter the stadium or venue with it. A clear bag would be acceptable as we can view contents.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Audio  

PSAC Site - Football - Week 4 Notes

Kutztown Athletic Site - Kutztown Looks to Find Spark Under the Lights At No. 19 West Chester

KYW Newsradio - Red-Hot West Chester Hosts Kutztown

ReadingEagle.com - Saturday's local college football games

D2football - PSAC Columnist - PSAC Week 4 Preview