Golden Bears to take on West Chester this Saturday

The Game

        The Kutztown University football team will head to West Chester University this Saturday, Oct. 6, for a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division tilt against the Golden Rams.  Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Farrell Stadium. 

        Kutztown is coming off wild 49-32 loss to Bloomsburg last Saturday.  The Golden Bears (3-3, 0-1 PSAC East) have wins against Clarion (35-13), Shippensburg (28-16) and American International (55-20), with losses to Southern Connecticut State (52-30) and Slippery Rock (45-9). 

        West Chester (5-1, 2-0 PSAC East), ranked No. 15 in Division II, rolled past Millersville 42-14 its last time out.  The only blemish to the Rams’ schedule is a 41-14 setback against Division I Delaware.  WCU owns wins over Edinboro (32-16), Clarion (49-21), Shippensburg (34-29) and Bloomsburg (44-28). 

Electronic Coverage

        The game will be broadcast live on WEEU, AM 830, based out of Reading.  Matt Santos and Steve Hahn will call the action. The pre-game show begins at 5:45 p.m.  A live Webcast will be available at kubears.com via redzonemedia.com. 

The Coaches

        Kutztown’s second-year coach, Raymond Monica (North Alabama, ’90), is 7-9 in his career, after finishing 4-6 in his inaugural season. Monica came to the Golden Bears from Division I-A Temple University, where he spent eight seasons as defensive coordinator.  Prior to Temple, Monica coached for nine seasons at the University of North Alabama, during which time the Lions won three NCAA Division II national championships from 1993-95.   He is 0-1 vs. West Chester.

        Bill Zwaan (Delaware, ’79) is in his fifth season at the helm at West Chester.   He is 41-16 at West Chester and holds a 95-30 record in 11 seasons of coaching, including six season at Widener.  Zwaan is 3-1 against Kutztown.

The Series

        This game will mark the 53rd meeting between Kutztown and West Chester. West Chester holds a 44-7-1 advantage in the series, which dates back to 1937. West Chester has won the last three meetings including last year’s 49-47 barnburner at University Field.  KU scored the most points in a loss in school history.  QB Kyle Spotts was named the Football Gazette National Tri-Offensive Player of the Week, after completing 29-of-40 passes for 345 yards and four touchdowns, while running for another.  Elfren Quiles had seven catches for 78 yards and a TD.  Maurice Adams rushed for 81 yards and a TD before being sidelined with a season-ending injury that has kept him out of the 2007 lineup as well.  Brian Bingnear had 10 tackles and an interception.  WCU QB Bill Zwaan Jr. was 13-of-15 for 192 yards and two TDs.  Mike Washington had six grabs for 85 yards and a score.  KU battled back to within 49-47 in the closing seconds, but WCU CB Maurice Garlic batted away what would have been the tying two-point conversion to preserve the Rams’ win. 

        WCU won the last meeting between the teams at Farrell Stadium 51-9 in 2004.  KU last defeated the Rams in 2003 (17-16) and got its last win at West Chester in 2001 (26-25). 

Notable

        WCU running back Osagie Osunde, a fifth-year senior and one of the Rams all-time leading rushers with more than 3,000 yards, has not played against KU since his freshman year due to various injuries, he had eight carries for 30 yards in that game...Ty Dinnis led the team in rushing vs. Bloomsburg.  It was, his third time leading the team in rushing, though it marked the sixth-straight game that a player has not led the team in rushing in consecutive weeks.

Tracking the Golden Bears

        OFFENSE: It was a record-breaking night for the Golden Bear offense in a losing effort against Bloomsburg.  Several single-game, season and career records went by the wayside during the contest.  WR Elfren Quiles (sr. New Britain, CT/New Britain) and QB Kyle Spotts (sr. Tamaqua/Tamaqua) led the way.  Quiles had 12 catches for 308 yards and two TDs.  The 308 yards shattered KU’s single-game record of 211, set by Quiles vs. Southern Connecticut earlier this season.  It also is the second-highest receiving yard total in PSAC history.  Spotts ecliped Kutztown’s record for passing yards with 463.  He broke Andy Breault’s 1992 record of 448 vs. Mansfield.  Spotts also had 494 yards of total offense, bettering Mike de Marteleire’s record of 472 vs. Bloomsburg in 2000.  All told, KU racked up 625 yards of total offense as a team, shattering the record of 582 vs. Mansfield in 2005.  Ty Dinnis (so. Doylestown/Central Bucks West) ran for 90 yards on 17 carries and tallied 77 yards on three receptions.  Will Brown (fr. Trenton, NJ/Ewing) had two grabs for 29 yards and a TD.  Alex Zukus (r-fr. Tuscarora/Tamaqua) added 42 yards on three catches. 

        Quiles has already set Kutztown’s single-season record for receiving yards.  He has 951 yards, breaking Mark Steinmeyer’s 1990 record of 940.  Spotts and Quiles also became the most prolific QB-WR touchdown scoring tandem in school history, with their 17th and 18th hookups.  They passed Breault-Steinmeyer, who connected 17 times for TDs from 1989-91.  Through six games, Kutztown’s offense averages 429.8 yards, including 141.3 rushing and 288.5 passing, second-best in the PSAC.  Quiles leads the PSAC with 47 receptions for 951 yards and seven touchdowns.  Brown has six TD grabs among his 17 receptions for 204 yards.  Zukus has scored twice and has 14 receptions for 188 yards.  Spotts has completed 112-of-204 passes for 1,723 yards.  He tops the PSAC, averaging 287.2 yards per game.  Spotts has 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions.  Dinnis has 286 yards and three scores on 73 carries.  He has 209 yards on 15 receptions.  Cory McFadden (so. Freemansburg/Bethlehem Catholic) has 193 yards and a TD on 44 carries, while Dontay Wilson (jr. Stamford, CT/Stamford) has 150 yards and a score on 45 rushes. 

        KU’s offensive line, which has paved the way for an average of 584 yards the last two weeks, has allowed a PSAC East low 13 sacks this season.  The line consists of center Evan Reese (so. Centre Hall/State College), guards Shane Kadlac (r-fr. Toms River, NJ/Toms River East) and Darrell Martin (jr. Stroudsburg/Stroudsburg), and tackles Mike Casciano (sr. Birdsboro/Twin Valley) and Tyler Romberger (so. Muir/Williams Valley). 

        DEFENSE: The Golden Bear defense warmed up after a cold start vs. Bloomsburg.  KU allowed 288 yards and four TDs on BU’s first six possessions, but allowed only 141 yards and two offensive scores after that.  The effort was led by DE Leroy Azubuike (sr. East Stroudsburg/East Stroudsburg South), who drew an intentional grounding call and a safety for a sack in the end zone.  Azubuike finished with four tackles.  LB Tom Cressman (sr. Sellersville/Pennridge) had 12 tackles, including one for loss.  LB Sean Alboucq (so. Lehighton/Lehighton) had eight tackles.  DE Scott Smith (sr. New Oxford/Delone Catholic) had two tackles for loss among his seven hits.  Safety Brian Bingnear (sr. Boothwyn/Chichester) had seven stops, with a fumble recovery and breakup.  Safety Mike Gardier (so. Dunmore/Dunmore) had five tackles, with a sack.

        Through six games, Kutztown’s defense averages 393.5 yards allowed per game, including 183.5 rushing and 210 passing.  Cressman continues to lead the team with 60 tackles, including five for loss and a sack.  He has an interception and two fumble recoveries.  Bingnear has 54 stops, with two for loss, two interceptions and three breakups.  CB Justin Gibbs (sr. Pottstown/Pottstown) has 43 tackles, an interception and six breakups.  Gardier has 35 tackles, with three for loss and two sacks.  Safety Cory Porrino (sr. Orwigsburg/Blue Mountain) has 30 tackles, with four for loss and an interception.  Azubuike leads KU with eight tackles for loss and five sacks, among his 26 hits. 

        SPECIAL TEAMS: Against Bloomsburg, Wilson had 161 yards on eight kickoff returns.  Dinnis averaged 10 yards on two punt returns.  KU’s special teams were hampered by three missed field goals, including one that was blocked and returned for a momentum changing TD in the third quarter.  Matt Dineen (r-fr. Wilmington, DE/Concord) hit one field goal from 25 yards out. 

        For the season, Wilson averages 27.1 yards on 18 kickoff returns.  Dinnis nets 26.2 yards on 10 kick returns, and 6.2 yards on five punt returns.  Dineen is 5-for-9 on field goals, with a long of 35.  Ryan Nye (jr. Bernville/Holy Name), who has punted just once the last two games, averages a PSAC-best 42.7 yards per boot.  Nye doubles as KU’s holder, while Pat Healey (r-fr. Washington Twp., NJ/Washington Twp.) serves as the long snapper.

Scouting the West Chester Golden Rams

        West Chester sits atop the standings in the PSAC East, with a 2-0 record.  The Golden Rams are 5-1 overall and enter Saturday’s game ranked in several national polls.  WCU was ranked No. 17 by the AFCA and No. 15 by d2football.com in polls released Oct. 2 (new polls will be released Oct. 9).  West Chester throttled Millersville last week 42-14.  Bill Zwaan threw for 343 yards and four TDs.  He was 17-of-29.  TE Ryan Paulson had three catches for 91 yards and two scores.  Mike Washington had five grabs for 117 yards and a TD.  RB Osagie Osunde ran for 89 yards on 13 carries.  LB Lateef Ferguson had 12 tackles, while LB Sam Scott had 11 hits, with three for loss and a sack. 

        For the season, West Chester averages 422.7 yards per game, including 157.3 rushing and 265.3 passing.  Zwaan, who has thrown a TD in the last 17 games, has completed 91-of-157 passes for 1,515 yards and 17 TDs, with seven picks.  WR Steve Miller has 281 yards and three scores on 25 receptions.  Washington leads the team with six TDs and 489 yards on 21 catches.  Paulson has 14 grabs for 258 yards and four TDs.  Osunde has 594 yards and six touchdowns on 97 carries. 

        Defensively, WCU allows 377.2 yards per game, including 153 rushing and 224.2 passing.  Ferguson, the 2006 PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year, leads the way. The linebacker has 64 tackles, with four for loss and two sacks.  Safety Mike Mignogno  has 40 tackles, three interceptions and four breakups.  Scott has 40 hits, with seven for loss and two sacks. 

        Alex Walsh handles the punting (41.9 yds/punt) and kicking (5-7 FG, long 39) duties.  Kevin Garland averages 10.5 yards on 10 punt returns and 22.6 yards on 13 kickoff returns

Kelly’s Sports, Ltd.

Co-Players of the Game

        Elfren Quiles and Kyle Spotts are this week’s Kelly’s Sports, Ltd., Co-Players of the Game.  Quiles set KU’s single-game record for receiving yards (308) and Spotts set the single-game marks for passing yards (463) and total offense (494).