KUTZTOWN, Pa. (September 7, 2011) – The eyes of the Division II football world will be on Tuillo Field in Erie when the Kutztown University football team visits Mercyhurst College in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover contest featuring a pair of nationally-ranked squads on Saturday, Sept. 10 starting at 12 p.m. (CLICK HERE FOR GAME NOTES)
Kutztown (1-0) is ranked 19th in the American Football Coaches' Association (AFCA) and 18th in the d2football.com top 25 polls. Mercyhurst (1-0) is 18th in the AFCA and 17th in the d2football.com polls. The Golden Bears beat Saint Anselm, 56-30, in their season opener last week. Mercyhurst edged Notre Dame (Ohio), 24-23, in overtime last week.
The game will be broadcast live on WEEU (830-AM) based out of Reading. In addition, listeners throughout the world can also hear the game live on KU's website at www.kubears.com. The pre-game show will begin 15 minutes before kickoff.
This is one of two Division II games this week involving two teams who enter the game nationally-ranked. The other match-up between top 25 teams this week will be No. 23 Wingate at No. 7 Albany State. The game between the Lakers and Golden Bears is one of the most anticipated early season contests of the Division II season. Both teams earned preseason national rankings, were picked to finish second in their respective halves of the PSAC and are coming off of record-setting seasons.
Kutztown and Mercyhurst were the top two seeds, respectively, in last year's NCAA Division II Super Region One playoffs. The Golden Bears beat Mercyhurst, 35-14, last season at University Field in the first meeting between the two schools. This will be Kutztown's first visit in program history to Mercyhurst. The Lakers are the reigning PSAC champions and were undefeated at home in the regular season.
The Golden Bears set a school record with 697 yards of total offense in their opening win against Saint Anselm. Junior quarterback Kevin Morton (Abington, PA/Abington) tossed a career-high six touchdown passes. Junior wide receiver Chris McCormick (West Chester/West Chester East) finished with three touchdown receptions and 120 receiving yards.
Kutztown also gained 384 rushing yards behind the duo of senior Robbie Frey (Lehighton, PA/Lehighton) and junior Josh Mastromatto (Fort Washington, PA/Upper Dublin). They became the first set of KU running backs to gain over 100 yards in the same game since 2005. Frey had 140 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns and Mastromatto added 120 yards on 11 carries.
The Golden Bears have several players near the top of the conference in various statistical categories. Morton is second in the PSAC in total offense (355.0) and passing average (313.0). McCormick leads the PSAC in scoring (18.0) and touchdowns (three). He is also third in receiving yards per game (127.0). Frey and Mastromatto are ranked among the top five in the conference in rushing: Frey is third and Mastromatto is fifth. Mastromatto also leads the conference in all-purpose yards (270.0) and is fourth in kick return average (31.5). Nationally, McCormick is tied for first in scoring and Mastromatto is second in all-purpose yards.
Mercyhurst senior quarterback Travis Rearick, who finished with 322 yards of total offense, fueled the Laker victory over Notre Dame. Rearick was named PSAC West Offensive Player of the Week following his effort against Notre Dame in which he was 29-of-45 passing with 273 yards. Ricky Mathews led the Lakers with 92 rushing yards on 19 carries.
True freshman Richie Sanders Jr. contributed 43 yards on 11 carries and also caught three passes for 41 yards out of the backfield in his first collegiate action. All told, the Lakers outgained the Falcons 458-293 in total offense. Defensively, senior linebacker Ian Wild led the way with nine total tackles. Senior linebacker Nick Jackson had a career-high seven stops for the Lakers and also forced a fumble. Senior defensive back Bryant Kimball also had seven tackles in the victory.
Rearick is third in the conference in total offense (322.0). Mercyhurst is ranked third in the PSAC in total defense (293.0) and fourth in total offense (458.0).
Kutztown returns to action Saturday night when it opens its 2011 home schedule against Lock Haven beginning at 6:05 p.m. Mercyhurst returns home to host C.W. Post Saturday afternoon starting at noon.
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