Game Preview - Kutztown

The #19 Kutztown Golden Bears (8-1, 6-0) travel to John A. Farrell Stadium to take on the Golden Rams (6-3, 4-2) in the final PSAC East battle of the season. Kickoff is slated for noon.

Series History:
West Chester leads the overall series 52-11-1, and head coach Bill Zwaan is 12-5 against the Golden Bears during his tenure with 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. This year, the Golden Bears' most significant win was a 37-29 victory over Shepherd in West Virginia.

Jim Clements is in his seventh season as head coach of the Golden Bears. Kutztown has qualfied for the NCAA Division II playoffs each of the past two seasons. The PSAC East Coach of the Year in 2016 entered this season with a 48-20 record at Kutztown. Based on tiebreaking scenarios, the Golden Bears have already clinched their spot in the PSAC Championship game next Saturday, but a win over West Chester would give them the PSAC East title outright.

Last 10 Meetings:

Year	H/A	W/L	Score	Year	H/A	W/L	Score
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
2014	Away	Win	29-7	2019	Home	Loss	30-17

Last Meeting:

11/02/2019 Kutztown 30 - West Chester 17

In a game between two nationally ranked teams, Kutztown ran out to a 23-3 halftime lead and coasted to a 30-17 win in a game that determined the PSAC East champion. The Golden Rams dominated the time of possession, partially because of long drives on offense and partially due to Kutztown scoring touchdowns on three possessions that lasted less than four minutes in total. The Golden Bears had eight plays of 25 yards or more in the game.

Offensively, Ja'Den McKenzie and Phil Poquie had 38 and 22 yards rushing respectively while tight end Dan Neuhaus had two catches for 22 yards. The Golden Ram defense was led by Jackson Taylor with six tackles while Nyeem Jones had five tackles and a sack.

Scouting the Opponent:

The Golden Bears lost ten All-PSAC performers from their 2019 team that won the PSAC East and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II tournament. But here they are in the PSAC championship game this season. Unlike 2019 when they scored 35 points a game, this year they're leading with their defense, holding opponents to less than 12 points per contest.

The strentgh comes from the middle as linebackers Amani Justice (73 tackles, 1.0 sack) and Tyler Whary (50 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss) are the team's top two tacklers. All-PSAC East linebacker Chris Thomas (33 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss) missed the first three games of the season, but has played well since returning.

Up front, defensive end and vocalist Togba Jallah-Porte II (18 tackles, 4.5 sacks) and tackle Ryan Meyers (19 tackles, 4.0 sacks) lead the team in sacks. In the secondary, two-time PSAC Eastern Division defensive athlete of the week cornerback Antaun Lloyd (30 tackles, 4 interceptions) and All-PSAC East safety Nick Palmer (33 tackles) lead the way.

Offensively, Kutztown has four players with 300+ yards rushing. Jordan Davis (82 carries, 419 yards, 3 TD's) and Darryl Davis-McNeil (72 carries, 415 yards, 5 TD's) are their top ground gainers. And although 6'4 250 lb quarterback Eric Nickel only has 72 yards rushing, he's used his big frame to get into the end zone seven times.

In the PSAC, only West Chester has thrown the ball fewer times than Kutztown. Nickel (107 of 183, 1,374 yards, 11 TD's, 5 int's) looks for receivers Jerome Kapp (31 catches, 574 yards, 6 TD's), Mason McElroy (19 catches, 278 yards, 1 TD) and All-PSAC East Jake Novak (21 catches, 263 yards, 3 TD's). Senior Dean Krcic handles both the punting (40 punts, 43.2 avg, 21 inside the 20) and the kicking (3 of 6 FG, 37 long, 10 of 13 on PAT's, 15 touchbacks on 45 kickoffs) while Michigan native Nick Coppolino (14 of 18 PAT's) has been handling the PAT's recently.

Analysis:

Allowing less than 12 points per game, Kutztown is sixth in the country in scoring defense, their ability to stop the run ranks fourth in the nation. However the Golden Rams tout a top ten rushing offense nationally and is averaging over 34 points a game. So the game will likely come down to who wins the ground game. Kutztown's only loss was to Indiana, a game in which the Golden Bears quarterback at the time threw three interceptions.

If West Chester comes out like the team that dominated East Stroudsburg and competed with Shepherd, this game should go into the win column. But if we see the team that went to Shippensburg or Lock Haven, it could be a long day for the purple and gold. Massey Ratings projects a Kutztown three-point victory.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Audio   Video  

PSAC Site - PSAC Football Notes, Week 10

Reading Eagle - A look at this week’s college football games for Kutztown, Alvernia