[Kutztown Football] West Chester 49, Kutztown 47

[Josh Leiboff]

Saturday, Oct. 21, 2006 

West Chester (5-3, 3-1 PSAC East)   49
Kutztown (2-5, 1-3 PSAC East)         47
COMPLETE STATISTICS 

KUTZTOWN, PA - Brent Steinmetz rushed for four touchdowns and Maurice Garlic batted away a Kutztown two-point conversion pass with 39 seconds left as West Chester escaped with a 49-47 win on the Golden Bears' homecoming at University Field. 

            Steinmetz' fourth touchdown came with 1:49 left in the game.  The senior back went in from 20 yards out as KU's defense, which was out of timeouts, purposefully allowed the score to give its offense another shot.  The PAT made it 49-41. 

            KU took over with 1:45 left and marched 80 yards on six plays, capped by a 19-yard pass from Kyle Spotts to Brett Harbach with 39 seconds left.  Trailing 49-47, KU went for the two-point conversion.  Spotts' pass to Jason Henley was batted away by Garlic.  On the ensuing on-side kick, Steve Sandberg's boot did not travel the required 10 yards and WCU ran out the clock.   

            Kutztown had pulled to within 42-41 on a six-yard pass from Spotts to Henley with 5:30 to play, but Sandberg's PAT kick sailed wide right.  

            Spotts passed for a career-high 345 yards and matched his career high with four touchdown passes, all to different receivers.  The junior QB also ran for a score.  Harbach had a career best 11 catches for 136 yards, while Henley had seven catches for 86 yards and Elfren Quiles had seven grabs for 78 yards. Brian Bingnear had 10 tackles and an interception to lead the defense. 

            Steinmetz finished with 136 yards on 28 carries.  Bill Zwaan was 13-of-15 for 192 yards and a TD, while backup QB Matt Burdalski's only completion went for a TD.  Mike Washington had six catches for 85 yards and a score.  Cody Clark and Darrell Caty caught TDs on their only receptions.  Lateef Ferguson led the Ram defense with 14 tackles.   

            The teams combined for just one punt in the game, as 14 of the combined 19 possessions went for touchdowns.  Two other possessions ended on turnovers and the final two ended with the halves.  There were 901 combined yards of total offense, and the 96 points scored were the most in a game at University Field Since a 68-38 Slippery Rock win over KU in 1999.    The Golden Bears scored its most points ever in a loss, surpassing the previous high of 38 in that same game vs. Slippery Rock. 

            Kutztown took the opening kickoff and rumbled 90 yards on 13 plays.  Spotts hit Henley on receptions of 24 and 17 yards to put KU at the West Chester three.  Three plays later, Spotts hit Quiles from two yards out.  It was Quiles' seventh-straight game with a TD catch, extending his school record.

             The Golden Rams answered.  Zwaan capped a 72 yard drive with a 40-yard strike to Clark.  After a KU fumble was returned to the Bears' 12 yardline, Steinmetz scored his first TD to make it 14-7 with 2:13 left in the first quarter.

            KU punted on its next possession.  A 31-yard pass from Zwaan to Steinmetz set up the back's next score, a 1-yard run on the second play of the second quarter.  The PAT made it 21-7.   

            On the next drive, KU rolled to the Ram 23.  Spotts hit Maurice Adams in the flat, and thanks to a bruising block by Quiles, Adams went in untouched for the score.   

            The Golden Rams answered, going 50 yards on four plays capped by Burdalski's only completion, a 33-yarder to Canty for a score with 9:21 left in the half. 

            Spotts and Harbach hooked up three times on the next possession, the last an 18-yarder putting it at the WCU one.  Spotts scored on a QB keeper to make it 28-21 with 4:53 remaining before halftime. 

            On West Chester's next possession, Brian Bingnear intercepted Zwaan at the Ram 44.  Spotts moved the Golden Bears to the West Chester seven.  Adams ran twice, the last a three-yarder to paydirt with 22 seconds left before halftime, knotting it at 28 all.  It was the sixth-time in seven games in which Kutztown has scored in the final minute of the first half.              

            West Chester took the opening kickoff of the second half and marched 58 yards on 11 plays to retake the lead.  Steinmetz lugged the ball eight times, including a two-yard touchdown run.

             When Kutztown's next drive stalled at the Ram 39, KU sent on its punt team.  The up-back, reserve QB Shane Martin, took the snap on the fake punt and lofted a pass toward Quiles, who drew a pass interference flag to give KU a first down.  The Bears capitalized, as Joe Strauss went in from five yards out five plays later to even the score at 35. 

            The Golden Rams again retook the lead on its next possession.  After Zwaan converted a 4th-and-one at the KU 10, He hooked up with Washington for a nine-yard score with 11:22 left in the game.  The PAT made it 42-35. 

            Kutztown converted its own 4th down on its next drive, with Spotts hitting Harbach for 12 yards on 4th-and-9 at the Ram 31.  Five plays later, Spotts found Henley for a six-yard TD score.  The point after kick by Sandberg, however, missed and KU trailed 42-41 with 5:30 remaining, to set up the game-ending sequence.   

            Kutztown now hits the road for three straight away games to end the 2006 season.  First up is a 1:00 PM game at Cheyney next Saturday.  West Chester will travel to East Stroudsburg next week.

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Josh Leiboff
Kutztown University Sports Information
Phone: (610) 683-4182
Fax: (610) 683-4676
Email: leiboff at kutztown.edu
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