[Kutztown Football] KU Hopes to Bounce Back vs. Slippery Rock

[Josh Leiboff]

KU Football Fact Sheet #03-2006      KU vs. Slippery Rock
(CLICK HERE FOR A PDF VERSION OF THIS RELEASE) 

KU Hopes to Bounce Back vs. Slippery Rock 

The Game

         The Kutztown University football team will look to bounce back from its first defeat of the season when it hosts Slippery Rock University in a Pensylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) inter-divisional matchup on Saturday, September 23.  Kickoff is set for 6:05 PM at KU's University Field.  

         The game will feature the PSAC's #1 and #2 ranked passing offenses, as well as the third and fourth ranked squads in total offensive yards.

Kutztown is 1-1 on the season, coming off a 42-27 loss at Shippensburg on Saturday.  KU, which was 2-8 last year, opened the season with a 27-10 win over Clarion.

Slippery Rock is 2-1 so far in 2006, having most recently defeated Mansfield, 46-0.  The Rock opened the year with a 51-21 loss at Division I-AA Youngstown State before defeating Millersville, 27-22.   

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. 

The Coaches

Kutztown's first-year mentor, Raymond Monica (North Alabama, '90), is 1-1 in his inaugural season.  This season, he became the third-straight Golden Bear coach to win his coaching debut.  Monica came to the Golden Bears from Division I-A Temple University, where he spent the last eight seasons as defensive coordinator.  During his tenure at Temple, Monica also guided the inside linebackers and defensive line.  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. 

George Mihalik (Slippery Rock, '74) is in his 18th season at the helm at Slippery Rock.  He is 122-74-4 in his career, including a 2-0 mark against Kutztown.  

The Series

This game will mark the fifth meeting between Kutztown and Slippery Rock, dating back to 1984.  The Rock has won all four previous meetings, including the teams' last matchup in 1999 (68-38) at University Field.  That game featured touchdown returns on two kickoffs, two blocked punts and a blocked field goal.  In 1998, SRU won 26-7 on its home field.  The other two meetings were in 1984 at KU (21-6) and 1985 at SRU (14-7).   

Notable

Slippery Rock is one of two PSAC foes KU has never beaten, Indiana (PA) is the other.KU has had an edge in time of possession in both games this season, after leading in the category just twice in all of 2005...Kutztown, which will play its second-ever home night game, is 8-5 in night games since 1996.   

Tracking the Golden Bears

OFFENSE: KU's offense was slow out of the gate against Shippensburg, but got untracked in the second half to put some points on the board.  Kutztown outgained Shippensburg, 439-314, while collecting 26 first downs.  KU scored the game's final 20 points, after falling behind 42-7 midway through the third quarter, on scoring drives of 71, 78 and 94 yards.  QB Kyle Spotts (jr. Tamaqua/Tamaqua) passed for a career high 338 yards and four touchdowns.  It was KU's first 300-yard passing game since 2004 and the most passing yards for a Golden Bear QB since Mike de Marteleire passed for 397 vs. Bloomsburg in 2000.  Spotts' numbers were dampened by six sacks and two interceptions.  WR Elfren Quiles (jr. New Britain, CT/New Britain) had his second-straight impressive game, catching nine passes for 149 yards and a TD. WR Brett Harbach (sr. Sinking Spring/Wilson) caught a pair of 23-yard touchdowns, with seven total grabs for 91 yards.  WR Larry Baumgardner (sr. New Oxford/Solanco).  RB Maurice Adams (jr. West Chester/Henderson) picked up 45 yards on 17 carries.  FB Joe Strauss (r-fr. Lititz/Warwick) had 43 yards on eight touches and RB Cory McFadden (fr. Freemansburg/Bethlehem Catholic) had 34 on nine rushes.  

Through two games,  KU offense ranks fourth in the PSAC (381.0 yards/game). Spotts leads the PSAC in passing yards per game, averaging 282.5 yards.  He has completed 34-of-58 attempts for 565 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions.  Quiles leads the PSAC in receptions per game with 16 (8.0/game).  He has 269 yards and two TDs.   He is the first KU receiver with back-to-back 100-yard games since Trevor Smith in 2003.  Harbach has nine catches for 109 yards and two scores.  Baumgardner has 144 yards and a TD on six grabs. Adams has rushed for 113 yards and a TD on 43 carries.  McFadden has 49 yards on 13 touches, while Strauss has 48 yards on 12 rushes.

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 Mike Casciano (jr. Birdsboro/Twin Valley).

DEFENSE: KU's defense allowed 314 yards to Shippensburg, including 221 rushing and 93 passing.  The defenders played with their backs against the wall much of the first half, with Ship's average starting field position at the Kutztown 47 yardline.  The Raiders scored five first-half touchdowns, but only two of those came on drives of more than 31 yards.  DE Mike Grosso (sr. Hackettstown, NJ/ Pope John) led the defensive effort with 10 tackles, a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery.  Safety Brian Bingnear (jr. Boothwyn/Chichester) had nine stops, while CB Brent Howard (so. Gilbertsville/Boyertown) added six.  LB Dan Chominski (sr. Boothwyn/Chichester) had six hits, with a tackle for loss.  Safety Justin Gibbs (jr. Pottstown/Pottstown) notched five tackles with one for loss and LB Sam McKellar (so. Allentown/Dieruff) had four hits, with one for loss.  

Bingnear leads the team with 17 tackles.  He has two interceptions and broke up two other passes.  Grosso has 15 tackles.  Chominski and McKellar have 13 hits apiece, while McKellar has two tackles for loss.  Gibbs has nine tackles, one for loss, a pass breakup and forced fumble.  DE Kevin Branco (so. Hellertown/Saucon Valley) has one sack, with Howard leading the team with three pass breakups.    

SPECIAL TEAMS: KU's special teams were its achilles' heel vs. Shippensburg.  The Raiders returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and set up two other TDs with 40+ yard punt returns.  The Bears also had an extra point blocked for the second-straight week.  A bright spot on special teams was punter Ryan Nye (so. Bernville/Holy Name), who averaged 43.8 yards on four punts.  He also notched two TD saving tackles on the long punt returns.  Adams averaged 20.0 yards on three kickoff returns.  

Nye is the PSAC's top punter, averaging 45.4 yards on seven boots, with a long of 56.  Adams is the PSAC leader in kickoff returns, averaging 36.2 yards on four returns.  He returned a kick 85 yards for a TD vs. Clarion.  Harbach has five yards on one punt return.  Kicker Steve Sandberg (jr. Quakertown/Northeast Philadelphia) is 6-of-8 on PAT kicks and 0-for-2 on field goal attempts. 

Scouting The Rock of Slippery Rock

Slippery Rock is 2-1 this season, coming off a 46-0 win over Mansfield.  QB Nate Crookshank passed for a career-high 336 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Rock offense.  SRU tallied 610 yards of total offense en route to its second-straight win after falling to Youngstown State.  Paul Favers caught four passes for 127 yards, including a 95-yard TD.  Luke Wetzel had seven grabs for 120 yards and a score. A.J. Saunders rushed for 101 yards and two scores on 11 carries. CB Anthony Walls had two of SRU's four interceptions, with LB Jared Palmer topping the team with eight tackles.  DE Cory Lacek had five hits, with two for loss and a sack.  

Through three games, SRU is averaging 392.7 total yards (3rd in PSAC), including 254.0 yards passing and 138.7 yards rushing.  Crookshank has completed 49-of-72 passes for 751 yards and eight TDs, with only one pick.  Colin Golden has 15 catches for 126 yards and a TD, while Wetzel has 14 grabs for 293 yards and five scores.  Travis Sarver leads the ground attack, with 205 yards and two TDs on 53 carries.  

The Rock's defense is allowing 291.7 total yards, including 132.3 rushing and 159.3 passing.  Palmer and Seth Randall lead the team with 21 tackles each.  Lacek leads the PSAC with nine tackles for loss, including five sacks. 

Kicker Ryan Daniel is 1-for-3 on field goals, hitting from 41 yards.  Kyle Witman averages 38.1 yards on nine punts.  Walls nets 20.6 yards on seven kick returns, while Favers averages 7.5 yards on six punt returns. 
Kelly's Sports, Ltd. 
Player of the Game

Kyle Spotts is this week's Kelly's Sports, Ltd. Player of the Game.  Spotts established career highs with 338 passing yards and four touchdowns.  Spotts complete 19-of-35 passes.

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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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