[Kutztown Football] Golden Bears Hope to Snap Losing Streak vs. Mansfield

[Josh Leiboff]

KU Football Fact Sheet #05-2006 - KU vs. Mansfield 
(CLICK HERE FOR A PDF VERSION OF THIS RELEASE) 

Golden Bears Hope to Snap Losing Streak vs. Mansfield

The Game

         The Kutztown University football team will host the Mountaineers of Mansfield University in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division contest on Saturday, Oct. 7.  Kickoff is set for 6:05 PM at KU's University Field.

         Kutztown is 1-3 on the season and 0-1 in the PSAC East, coming off a 45-17 loss to Millersville on Saturday.  The Golden Bears opened the season with a 27-10 win over Clarion, before falling to Shippensburg (42-27) and Slippery Rock (34-10).  

Mansfield is 0-4 on the season, including an 0-1 mark in the PSAC East after last week's 61-7 loss to East Stroudsburg.  Mansfield has also lost to Shippensburg (35-0), Slippery Rock (46-0) and Lock Haven (24-21).   

Electronic Coverage

The game will be broadcast on WEEU, AM 830, based out of Reading.  Mitch Gerhart and Matt Santos will call the action.   Listeners throughout the world can also hear the broadcast on KU's Website at kubears.com.  The broadcast will begin 15 minutes before kickoff.

KUTV (Service Electric Channel 24, Hometown Utilicom Channel 41) will also televise the game live and on tape-delay in Kutztown and Eastern Berks County.  Mike Miller and Jason Ogle will call the game.  The game will be rebroadcast on Sunday at 6:00 PM, Monday at 3:00 PM and Tuesday at noon. 

The Coaches

Kutztown's first-year coach, Raymond Monica (North Alabama, '90), is 1-3 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. 

Jim Shiffer (Mansfield '89) is 2-23 in his third season as head coach at Mansfield.  Shiffer was the offensive line coach at Kutztown during the 2002 season.  He is 0-2 as a head coach against the Golden Bears.  

The Series

This game will mark the 62nd meeting between Kutztown and Mansfield, dating back to 1931. KU holds a 35-23-3 advantage, including last year's 45-18 win at Mansfield.  Larry Baumgardner tied Kutztown's single-game record with four touchdown catches, totaling 93 yards on nine grabs. Kutztown set a school record with 582 yards of total offense in the game, including 221 passing and 361 rushing.  Kyle Spotts was 24-of-31 for 221 yards and four TDs, while Maurice Adams rushed for 143 yards and a TD on 14 carries.  Rodney Davis led MU with 63 yards on four catches.  Mansfield's last win in the series came in 2003 (45-24) at MU.  The loss snapped a nine-game winning streak for Kutztown over Mansfield.  Mansfield's last win at University Field was in 1993.  Since then, KU has wonsix in a row vs. MU at home, by a combined score of 223-53. 

Notable

Kutztown completes its first three-game home stand since 1990 with Saturday's game.RB Maurice Adams averages 8.6 yards per carry vs. Mansfield in his career...Kutztown has been outscored 121-54 in its current three-game losing streak...KU has not scored in the first quarter this season. 

Tracking the Golden Bears

OFFENSE: Kutztown's offense tallied the second-highest total offense output of the year, including a season-best 154 yards rushing, but made some costly mistakes against Millersville.  The Golden Bears put together scoring drives of 81, 76 and 89 yards, but were picked off twice in MU territory and missed a field goal on another drive past the 50.  TE Jason Henley (sr. Gilbertsville/Boyertown) caught three passes for 75 yards and a touchdown.  He had a career-long 51-yard catch and grabbed a tipped ball for a 10-yard TD in the third quarter.  Elfren Quiles (jr. New Britain, CT/New Britain) had three catches for 23 yards, including a 10-yard TD grab.  Brett Harbach (sr. Sinking Spring/Wilson) led KU with five catches for 56 yards.  Kyle Spotts (jr. Tamaqua/Tamaqua) was 16-of-26 for 190 yards and the two scores, but was intercepted twice.  Maurice Adams (jr. West Chester/Henderson) had 60 yards on 20 carries, while Cory McFadden (fr. Freemansburg/Bethlehem Catholic) had 27 yards on three rushes.  

Kutztown's offense has 15 possessions this season of 50 or more yards.  The Golden Bears had 25 such drives all of last season.  The Golden Bears rank seventh in the PSAC, averaging 338.0 yards per game, including 232.5 passing (2nd in PSAC) and 105.5 rushing (11th).  Spotts has completed 61-of-115 passes for 930 yards.  He has eight touchdowns and six interceptions.  Quiles has 23 catches for 390 yards and four touchdowns.  He has caught a TD in each of KU's four games, the first such streak since Rich Hamilton had a TD grab in five straight in 2000.  Harbach has 15 catches for 182 yards and two scores.  Larry Baumgardner checks in with 14 grabs for 211 yards and a score.  Henley has 106 yards and a TD on five catches.

Adams has rushed for 198 yards and a TD on 73 carries.  McFadden has 97 yards on 18 rushes (5.4 yards/carry).  

KU's offensive line consists of center Raymond Yannuzzi (sr. Wallingford/Strath Haven), guards Nick Cresta (so. Wallingford/Strath Haven) and Rick DiStefano (sr. Quarryville/Solanco), and tackles Dustin Woodward (sr. Lancaster/Penn Manor) and Tyler Romberger (r-fr. Muir/Williams Valley).

DEFENSE: Kutztown's defense struggled against the Marauders on Saturday.  KU allowed a season-high 505 yards of total offense, including 313 yards on the ground.  MU had six plays of over 20 yards, three of which went for touchdowns.  LB. Dan Chominski (sr. Boothwyn/Chichester) had 12 tackles, including one for loss. Safety Brian Bingnear (jr. Boothwyn/Chichester) had nine hits with one for loss.  Safety Justin Gibbs (jr. Pottstown/Pottstown) stopped seven plays, with one for loss.  DE Kevin Branco (so. Hellertown/Saucon Valley) had six tackles and a pass breakup.  

Through four games, Kutztown's defense is averaging 400.0 yards allowed, including 234.2 rushing and 165.8 passing.  Bingnear leads the team with 42 tackles.  He also has two interceptions and three pass breakups.  Chominski has 33 hits, with three for loss and an interception.  DE Mike Grosso (sr. Hackettstown, NJ/Pope John) checks in with 29 tackles, a team-best four tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries.  Gibbs has 25 stops, with two for loss and three breakups.  LB Tom Cressman (jr. Sellersville/Pennrdige) has 24 tackles, including three TFLs and a sack.  SPECIAL TEAMS: The special teams highlight vs. Millersville came on a 32-yard run by Cory Porrino (jr. Orwigsburg/Blue Mountain) on a fake punt.  The run set up KU's third scoring drive.  Ryan Nye (so. Bernville/Holy Name) punted three times for a 43.0 yard average. Kicker Steve Sandberg (jr. Quakertown/Northeast Philadelphia) was 1-for-2 on field goals, connecting from 20 yards but missing from 37.  Adams had 76 yards on five kick returns. 

Nye is the PSAC's top punter, averaging 43.1 yards on 17 punts, with a long of 56.  Adams nets 24.3 yards on 13 kick returns.  He returned a kick 85 yards for a TD vs. Clarion.  Harbach has eight yards on three punt returns.  Sandberg is 2-for-5 on field goals and 9-of-11 on PAT kicks.   

Scouting The Mansfield Mountaineers

The Mountaineers dropped their PSAC East opener to East Stroudsburg, 61-7, to fall to 0-4 on the year.  The Warriors piled up 507 yards of total offense, including 204 on the ground and 303 through the air.  MU avoided the shutout with 15 seconds left in the game when QB Tyler Blakeslee connected with Tyrone Robinson for a 19-yard TD pass.  Blakeslee was 16-of-33 for 113 yards and two interceptions.  Rodney Davis had six catches for 36 yards.  RB Tucker Berry carried 10 times for 27 yards.  LB Andre Turner notched 10 tackles, while LB Tom Duer had seven hits and a sack.

Mansfield has scored just 28 points on the season, with 21 coming in its 24-21 setback vs. Lock Haven.  MU averages 187.8 yards per game, including 85.0 rushing and 102.8 passing.  Blakeslee is 32-of-69 for 317 yards and a TD, with seven picks.  Davis has 14 catches for 108 yards, Xavier Thomas has 12 grabs for 111 and Robinson has 10 catches for 124.  Berry has gained 188 yards on 48 rushes, while Kevon Calhoun has 144 yards and TD on 44 carries.  

MU's defense ranks last in the PSAC, allowing 455.0 yards per game, including 197.8 rushing and 257.2 passing.   Safety Mike Gardier has 46 tackles.  Turner has notched 34, with 4.5 tackles for loss and a sack.  Duer has 24 tackles with two sacks.  Brandon Fields averages 34.9 yards on 28 punts, while Berry nets 12.5 yards on 10 kick returns.  Kelly Love has 13 yards on two punt returns.  John Banzhof is 0-for-1 on field goals. 

Kelly's Sports, Ltd. 
Player of the Game

Jason Henley is this week's Kelly's Sports Player of the Game.  Henley caught three passes for 75 yards, including a career-long 51 yard catch and a 10-yard touchdown grab.

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Josh Leiboff
Kutztown University Sports Information
Phone: (610) 683-4182
Fax: (610) 683-4676
Email: leiboff at kutztown.edu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.kutztown.edu/pipermail/footballreleases/attachments/20061002/a0d23d8d/attachment.html