Golden Ram Football Club: Game Preview

The #22 Golden Rams (7-1, 4-1) host division leading #17 Kutztown (8-0, 5-0). A Kutztown win essentially ensures that the Golden Bears capture the PSAC East crown and will host the PSAC championship game on November 16. A West Chester win coupled with a Shepherd win over visiting East Stroudsburg will leave Kutztown, Shepherd and West Chester in a three-way tie for first place in the PSAC East. If the situation remains that way after next week's games, a series of coin flips will determine who hosts the PSAC West winner for the conference crown. Kickoff at John A. Farrell Stadium is slated for noon.

Series History:
West Chester leads the overall series 52-10-1, and head coach Bill Zwaan is 12-4 against the Golden Bears in his 16 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 sixth year with the Golden Bears which went 9-2 and qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs last season. The PSAC East Coach of the Year in 2016 has a record of 45-18 at Kutztown.

Last 10 Meetings:

Year	H/A	W/L	Score	Year	H/A	W/L	Score
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
2013	Home	Win	22-21	2018	Away	Win	38-21

Last Meeting:

10/27/2018 West Chester 38 - Kutztown 21

After the Golden Rams took a 24-23 lead into halftime, Kutztown closed the score to 24-21 on a touchdown and two-point conversion early in the third period. But West Chester got third-quarter touchdown catches from Dan Neuhaus and Gabe Schappell and then held the ball for over eleven minutes of the fourth quarter to secure the win. Schappell, Neuhaus, Cody Boozel and Lex Rosario all had multiple catches on the day and quarterback Paul Dooley had 48 yards rushing and 43 yards passing.

Defensively for the Golden Rams, safety Jarey Elder had five tackles and a forced fumble and defensive end Ch'aim Smith had four tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and three quarterback hurries. Kicker Andrew Chegia was perfect on his five PAT attempts and a 33-yard field goal.

Scouting the Opponent:

Kutztown has one of the top ranked offenses in the PSAC in large part due to their offensive line. Left tackle Justin Tindull, right guard Jayson Williams and center Matt Cella all received PSAC recognition after last season. And they comprise a group that allows two-time All-PSAC East quarterback Collin DiGalbo (145 of 214, 1,938 yards, 22 TD's, 5 int's; 89 carries, 398 yards, 9 TD's) to run the offense effectively. Running back Abdul-Hassan Neblett (80 carries, 612 yards, 7 TD's; 25 catches, 167 yards, 2 TD's) is the reigning PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the East. DiGalbo will throw the ball to anyone wearing a Golden Bear jersey as a dozen players have caught a pass this season, led by redshirt freshman Jake Novak (25 catches, 382 yards, 4 TD's), tight end Jack Pilkerton (24 catches, 374 yards, 6 TD's), and Mason McElroy (21 catches, 391 yards, 4 TD's).

Kutztown's standout defensive players are All-PSAC East safety Shawn Turber-Ortiz (74 tackles, 4 interceptions) and All-PSAC East cornerback Ahkee Cox-Cowan (22 tackles, 3 interceptions, 8 pass breakups). But similar to the passing game where the ball gets distributed, the Golden Bear defense boasts a dozen different players who have at least one sack. So while defensive ends Hez Trahan (8 tackles, 4.5 sacks) and Nick Vasger (20 tackles, 3.0 sacks) lead the team, just about anyone on the field has the capability of getting to the quarterback. Kutztown is also among the PSAC leaders in interceptions as well.

Kicker Dean Krcic hasn't converted either of his field goal attempts and has missed five PAT attempts. However he was an All-PSAC East punter last season and is currently third in the conference in punting and has 16 touchbacks on kickoffs. McElroy averages almost six yards per punt return with a long of 26 and Nyiem Nevarez returned a kickoff 72 yards at Bloomsburg.

Analysis:

National rankings in turnover margin: Kutztown #4 at +11; West Chester #111 at -3. Got it?

Atomic Football gives Kutztown a six-point edge while Massey Ratings project Kutztown with a nine-point margin.