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Saturday, November 4, 2023

Game Report - Kutztown 27 - West Chester 17

The Golden Rams (5-5. 3-4) battled back from a 13-3 halftime deficit to take a 17-13 lead early in the fourth quarter, but the Kutztown Golden Bears (8-2, 7-0) scored the final 14 points to win 27-17 on Hall of Fame Day.

The game was a defensive battle until midway through the second quarter with the score tied at 3. But then the thing that has troubled the Golden Ram defense all season reared its ugly head - big plays. On the first play after Sean Henry converted the game-tying 26-yard field goal, Kutztown went ahead on a 66-yard touchdown pass. And on Kutztown's next possession, the quarterback ran it 45 yards up the middle to set up a field goal to make the score 13-3 at the half.
But West Chester came back. On the Golden Rams' opening possession after halftime, quarterback Cooper Jordan (17 of 22, 180 yards, 1 TD, 16 carries, 88 yards, 1 TD) ripped a 53-yard touchdown run to close the score to 13-10. After Kutztown missed a 27-yard field goal attempt, Jordan led the Golden Rams on a 10-play, 80-yard drive capped by a 7-yard toss to Rahiem Bowens (3 catches, 39 yards, 1 TD) to put West Chester up 17-13.
However, the Golden Rams' deamon appeared again. On a third-and-four, Kutztown picked up the WCU blitz long enough for the QB to throw the ball over the secondary and convert a 69-yard touchdown pass. While the score was just 20-17 in favor on the Golden Bears, the West Chester offense couldn't muster another score.
Khalib Slaughter had a game-high ten tackles and a forced fumble while fellow linebacker Connor Noble had nine tackles and three quarterback hurries. Maurice Beverly, Ricardo Delgado, and Nate Desmond all registered solo sacks in the game. After missing a couple of games, Sterlen Barr, Jr. (6 TKL, 1 PBU) was back at safety.
Offensively, Ethan Kohler (6 of 10, 55 yards) led a nice drive in the first quarter, but took a hard hit on a sack in the second period and didn't return in the game. D'Shaun Seals (7 catches, 72 yards) put in another nice game, Seth Degree (7 catches, 61 yards) had his best game of the season, and tight end Thatcher Miller (5 catches, 40 yards) became a more prominent part of the game plan.

West Chester Athletic Site - Kutztown Tops West Chester, 27-17
WCU Football Family - Photo Album - Kutztown

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