Game Preview - Kutztown

In their final game of the season, the Golden Rams (4-5, 4-2) travel to #3/#3 Kutztown (9-0, 6-0) to take on the Golden Bears. Kickoff for what is Kutztown's senior day, hall of fame day and military appreciation day is scheduled for noon.

Series History:
West Chester leads the overall series 54-13-1. 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. In 2013, the Golden Rams trailed 21-10 midway through the fourth quarter, but rallied for two fourth-quarter touchdowns and Al-Hajj Shabazz sealed the 22-21 win with an interception in the final minute.

Jim Clements is 88-28 in his tenth season as head coach of the Golden Bears and the reigning PSAC East Coach of the Year. Under Clements, Kutztown qualfied for the NCAA Division II playoffs in 2018, 2019, and 2021. Then last season, as the third seed in the region, they advanced to the NCAA Division II semi-finals in Golden, CO. This year the Golden Bears have clinched the PSAC East division and will travel to California to take on the Vulcans in the PSAC championship game next Saturday.

The most interesting aspect of the matchup is Clements was head coach at Del Val from 2006 to 2013 where he amassed a record of 66-24. During that time, current Golden Rams head coach Duke Greco was Del Val's offensive coordinator and assistant head coach. After Clements departed Del Val for Kutztown, Greco took over the head coach spot at Del Val for eight seasons where he compiled a record of 82-13. Greco joined West Chester this past off season.

Last 10 Meetings:

Year	H/A	W/L	Score	Year	H/A	W/L	Score
2013	Home	Win	22-21	2018	Away	Win	38-21
2014	Away	Win	29-7	2019	Home	Loss	30-17
2015	Home	Win	44-14	2021	Home	Loss	21-14
2016	Away	Loss	20-14	2022	Away	Win	28-9
2017	Home	Win	27-21	2023	Home	Loss	27-17

Last Meeting:

11/04/2023 Kutztown 27 - West Chester 17

After trailing 13-3 at halftime, West Chester scored the first 14 points of the second half to take a 17-13 lead in the fourth quarter, but Kutztown scored the final 14 points to win 27-17 enroute to the NCAA Division II semi-finals.

Quarterback Cooper Jordan (17 of 22, 180 yards, 1 TD; 16 carries, 88 yards, 1 TD) had a big day for the Golden Ram offense. D'Shaun Seals (7 cathes, 72 yards) and Rahiem Bowens (3 catches, 39 yards, 1 TD) were active in the passing game, but other than Jordan, West Chester couldn't get anything going on the ground. Linebacker Connor Noble (9 tackles, 3 QBH) and Shane Mosley (5 tackles, 1 PBU) paced the WCU defense.

Scouting the Opponent:

Kutztown lost five All-PSAC East players from last year's defense which was the best in the PSAC, and this season, the Golden Bears have one of the best defenses in the entire country. They're in the top ten in Division II in sacks led by defensive tackles Brayden Pohlman (24 tackles, 5.0 sacks) and Freddie Retter (33 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 6 QBH, 2 PBU). After that, linebackers Eden Johnson (45 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 2 int, 4 PBU) and Jalen DeVose (41 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 1 int, 2 QBH) cause problems all over the place. Johnson, the reigning PSAC Eastern Division Defensive Athlete of the Week, and DeVose each had pick-sixes in last week's win over Millersville. Kutztown also leads the conference in interceptions with safety Drew Hensor (26 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 3 int, 3 PBU) among six players on the squad with at least two picks. Cornerback Khi'on Smith (16 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 5 PBU) leads Kutztown in pass breakups.

Offensively, quarterback and reigning PSAC East Freshman of Year Judd Novak (128 of 197, 1,673 yards, 18 TD's, 5 int) doesn't put up huge passing yardage, but is extremely efficient and is third in the conference in touchdown passes. His favorite targets are Mekhi Gibson (18 catches, 430 yards, 7 TD's in 8 games), Kurtis Ravenel Jr. (34 catches, 418 yards, 5 TD's), and Noah Kracyla (30 catches, 412 yards, 1 TD), although Ravenel has missed the past two games. All-PSAC East guard Billy Everitt leads a line for running backs Jaedyn Stewart (77 carries, 384 yards, 4 TD's) and Steven Burkhardt (91 carries, 310 yards, 6 TD's). Novak (62 carries, 339 yards, 2 TD's) also plays a factor in the running game.

Freshman Will Smith (13 of 15 PAT) used to handle PAT kicks, but now redshirt freshman Dakota Campbell (23 of 23 PAT) has that job. Smith is perfect on five field goal attempts with a long of 40 yards. Punter Nate Millard (40.7 yd avg, 7 I20) also nailed his only field goal attempt which was from 50 yards.

Analysis:

Kutztown's opponents have scored just 70 points this season, but two of those came on a safety at Shippensburg and 14 came in the final five minutes of their game at Millersville when they were leading 49-3. Their defense is tops in the PSAC in scoring (7.8 points/game), total yardage (210 yards/game), rushing yardage (71 yards/game), passing yardage (139 yards/game), interceptions (17), rushing touchdowns allowed (4), passing touchdowns allowed (5), and they lead each of those categories by wide margins. How West Chester can move the ball and get into the end zone is a major question in ths game.

Could this be a trap game as the Golden Bears prepare for California in the PSAC championship game next week? Not likely. Versus Sports simulates a 32-12 Golden Bear victory and Massey Ratings predicts a similar 35-14 Kutztown win.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Audio   Video  

West Chester Athletic Site - Golden Rams Travel to Kutztown For Season Finale

PSAC Site - 2024 PSAC Football Week 10 Notes

D2football - PSAC Columnist - PSAC Week Ten Preview