Game Preview - Kutztown

West Chester (7-0, 4-0) looks to remain undefeated when they travel to Kutztown to take on the Golden Bears (7-0, 4-0). The winner of this game will claim the PSAC East title and travel to take on the PSAC West winner in the PSAC championship game. The winner of Saturday's contest is almost assured of an NCAA playoff birth regardless of the outcome of the conference championship game. Kutztown is currently ranked #15 by the AFCA and #2 in the regional rankings while the Golden Rams are ranked #12 by the AFCA and #6 in the region. Kickoff at Andre Reed Stadium is slated for noon.

Series History:
West Chester leads the overall series 51-10-1. Head coach Bill Zwaan is 11-4 against the Golden Bears in his 15 years at West Chester. 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 notched two wins in 2010 and 2011, the two years in the past ten that West Chester was under .500 and Kutztown qualified for the NCAA playoffs. That 2011 game was played in a snowy, windy and cold John A. Farrell Stadium, some of the worst weather conditions West Chester football has seen in the past several decades. And in 2016, Kutztown's win led to the Golden Bears capturing the PSAC East championship.

Kutztown head coach Jim Clements is in his fifth year with the Golden Bears which went 8-3 last season. He was named PSAC East Coach of the Year in 2016. Entering this season, Clements is 35-16 at Kutztown.

Last 10 Meetings:

Year	H/A	W/L	Score	Year	H/A	W/L	Score
2008	Away	Win	49-8	2013	Home	Win	22-21
2009	Home	Win	31-17	2014	Away	Win	29-7
2010	Away	Loss	45-23	2015	Home	Win	44-14
2011	Home	Loss	24-0	2016	Away	Loss	20-14
2012	Away	Win	45-24	2017	Home	Win	27-21

Last Meeting:

09/30/2017 West Chester 27 - Kutztown 21

In a tightly contested game in West Chester, Kutztown tied the game at 21 with just under two minutes remaining. But a big kickoff return and a penalty gave the Golden Rams good enough field position for West Chester to score a touchdown just a minute later. However the PAT was blocked and tensions remained high until the Golden Rams intercepted Kutztown's last gasp with just seconds to play.

Although West Chester threw for over 300 yards in the game, three interceptions kept the score close and the Golden Ram defense on the field. Rasheem James had a big game on offense, making six catches for 142 yards including an 85-yard touchdown. The defense registered four sacks including one each by Nydair Rouse and Diquan Gilbert. Rouse and Tyler Morrissey each had seven tackles in the game. And the Golden Ram defense broke up 11 Kutztown passes including two each by Rouse and Shaquille James.

In a less than elegant game, the two teams combined for 20 negative yardage plays, 16 punts, 18 penalties, and four turnovers.

Scouting the Opponent:

Quarterback Collin DiGalbo (123 of 175, 1,698 yards, 10 TD's, 3 int's) was All-PSAC last season and is having another stellar season. He's currently second in the conference in passing efficiency and has started six of Kutztown's seven games. However the depth chart lists DiGalbo or Eric Nickel (46 of 67, 558 yards, 6 TD's, 2 int's) as the the first string signal caller. Nickel is the much bigger of the two and he did get the start against Gannon. The two split time against Bloomsburg and Lock Haven, but Nickel did not play against Shippensburg last week.

Regardless which one is controlling the action, they spread the ball around as seven players have at least ten catches for the Golden Bears this season. Top targets are Conor Sullivan (33 catches, 400 yards, 4 TD's), Amadou Barry (15 catches, 244 yards, 1 TD), and tight end Jack Pilkerton (24 catches, 305 yards). Another weapon in the Kutztown arsenal is dual-threat, All-PSAC running back Craig Reynolds (100 carries, 587 yards, 11 TD's, 28 catches, 378 yards, 3 TD's) who currently leads the PSAC in scoring. The Golden Bear offensive line is anchored by All-PSAC center Matt Cella.

Reynolds is also a mainstay on special teams as he Kutztown's punt and kick returner. Punter Dean Krcic averages 41 yards per punt and had dropped 10 inside the opponent 20 yard line. Alec Rosenfeld all the place kicking activities, and is 25 of 30 on PAT's, but just 1 of 2 on field goals.

A majority of Kutztown's tackles come from their secondary led by safety Shawn Turber-Ortiz (73 tackles, 3 int's), cornerback Ahkee Cox-Cowan (41 tackles, 11 pass breakups), safety Jake Perry (34 tackles, 3 int's) and reserve defensive back Nick Palmer (37 tackles). The quarterback pressure comes from lineman Ryan Meyers (9 tackles, 3.5 sacks) and defensive end Nick Vasger (27 tackles, 3.0 sacks). Linebacker Luke Snyder (36 tackles, 1.5 sacks) was All-PSAC last season.

Analysis:

Kutztown is among the top offenses in the PSAC, ranking second in points, first in total yards, fourth in rushing yards, second in passing yards and third in sacks allowed. And they haven't scored less than 32 points in any game this season. So it's a classic matchup against a Golden Ram defense which ranks first in points, first in yards allowed, first in rushing yards, third in passing yards and first in sacks.

The weather forecast of rain, wind and cold will almost certainly play a significant role in this game for both offenses. After last week, West Chester leads the PSAC in rushing yards per game and can use Mark Dukes, Mike Class, or Trael Seegers in addition to A.J. Long to move the ball on the ground. Much of the credit goes to a veteran offensive line which has remained fairly stable all season long.

It may come down to turnovers. Although both teams are good in this area - Kutztown is +9 while West Chester is +7, the Golden Rams achieve their margin by racking up 21 takeaways versus 14 lost, while Kutztown tends to protect the ball with 15 takeaways versus just 6 lost.

Both Atomic Football and Massey Ratings give Kutztown a slight, two-point edge in this game.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Audio   Video  

West Chester Athletic Site - Depth Chart - West Chester vs. Kutztown

West Chester Athletic Site - Battle For East Supremecy On The Gridiron Saturday In Kutztown

PSAC Site - PSAC Football Notes Week - 9

Kutztown Athletic Site - Parking Advisory on Campus for Saturday, Oct. 27

Kutztown Athletic Site - Saturday's Kutztown-West Chester Football Game Televised Statewide as NCAA Showcase Game

Kutztown Athletic Site - Beasts of the East Clash in High-Stakes Affair

NCAA - A wild west shootout in Texas and a fight for the PSAC top Week 9's DII football games to watch

KYW Newsradio - West Chester visits Kutztown in showdown of undefeated PSAC squads

Allentown Morning Call - Kutztown-West Chester: Where to watch/listen, leaders and the skinny

D2football - PSAC Columnist - PSAC Week 9

D2football - National Columnist - Bob Eblen - National Columnist