KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Head coach Drew Folmar can now take the weight off his shoulders as the Kutztown University football team used 28 opening points to guide it to a 35-19 victory against Cheyney University on Saturday afternoon at University Field, giving Folmar his first career victory.
 
The win was well-deserving for the Golden Bears (1-5, 1-2 PSAC East), who were determined not to let another game fall out of their grasp. Kutztown held a balanced attack on offense for the first time this season, and its defense forced three turnovers to build early momentum it carried throughout the game.
 
"It feels great to walk off the field knowing we closed the game out with a victory," Folmar said. "I can't commend our kids enough for the toughness they played with today. We have had our backs against the wall and have lost some tough games, and it was great to see our guys come out and earn the victory and have a result to celebrate."
 
Kutztown churned out 225 rushing yards for its first triple-digit performance of the season. Senior Curtis Wortham (Philadelphia, PA/Father Judge) ran for 154 yards on a game-high 20 carries to lead the rushing attack. Maintaining a balanced attack has hindered the Golden Bears in previous games, and the performance on the ground on Saturday gives great momentum to the KU running attack moving forward.
 
"We worked hard all week, knowing we had another important game ahead of us that we needed to win," Wortham said. "We fought hard as a group today, and all the bumps and bruises are well worth it when it is for your team and for a win."
 
Kutztown opened with an 11-play, 57-yard drive that resulted to a four-yard touchdown pass from Alec Werner (Harrisburg, PA/Bishop McDevitt) to Kodi Reed (Hanover, Pa./Delone Catholic). On Cheyney's opening play, Kutztown freshman Rob Siclari forced and recovered a fumble by the Cheyney running back to give the Golden Bears the ball in great field position. Werner ran for a 20-yard touchdown on the team's first play of the drive to immediately put the momentum in Kutztown's favor.  
 
The defense held Cheyney scoreless for nearly the remainder of the first half as touchdowns by Kellen Williams (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg) and Darrell Scott (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone) gave Kutztown a 28-0 lead early in the second quarter. Williams' 14-yard touchdown catch capped a 52-yard drive, and Scott's 44-yard score marked the longest run of the season for the Golden Bears.
 
"We talk every week about trying to come out and start fast, and we finally were able to do that today," Folmar said. "With the exception of a few plays, I give our defense a lot of credit as they gave us an opportunity to win. The important thing moving forward is not only gaining momentum, but building on it."
 
Williams had a career-afternoon on Saturday. The freshman was Werner's top target with 11 catches for 119 yards, both of which were career-highs. He accounted for more than half of Kutztown's total receptions and receiving yards.
 
Werner tossed for 166 yards on 19-for-38 passing with four total touchdowns. His 20-yard touchdown run in the first quarter was his longest run of the season, and at the time, Kutztown's longest run of the season.
 
Scott aided Wortham in the rushing attack with an impressive 5.8 yards-per-carry average with 76 yards on 13 carries.
 
Despite allowing Cheyney (0-6, 0-3) to score the final 14 points of the game, Kutztown's defense limited the triple-option attack of the Wolves to minimal yardage. It held Cheyney to 178 total yards and 37 rushing yards, both of which were below Cheyney's season average and season-lows for the Kutztown defense. It forced two fumbles and one interception by Kurt Kenny (Duncannon, Pa./Susquenita) as Cheyney never was able to get into a rhythm offensively.
 
Junior captain Zach Greenwald (Gibbstown, N.J./Paulsboro) led the team with eight tackles including three for a loss with two sacks. He was active on the defensive line all game and continued to apply pressure on Cheyney's quarterbacks and running backs.
 
"It feels great to get into the win column," Greenwald said. "Our defense played great today and it was very encouraging to see us close out the game in the fourth quarter. We switched around a lot of our defense for today's game, and I feel like it really worked well for us."
 
Fellow junior Sam Dixon-Dougan tied for the team-lead in tackles with eight from his linebacker position. Along with Zachary Delp and Siclari, Dixon-Dougan recorded a sack and multiple tackles for loss.
 
Freshman Kurt Kenny (Duncannon, Pa./Susquenita) benefited from Kutztown's altered defensive scheme as it switched to a three-man front to give more opportunities out wide to prevent big plays on the option attack. Kenny was around the quarterback all game and tallied four tackles and four quarterback hurries.
 
Cheyney quarterback Darryl Cosby exited the game early with an apparent knee injury, making way for Adler Thony to run the option offense. Thony threw for 134 yards on 13-of-23 passing, but was sacked six times by the Kutztown defensive line. Running back Marcus Jones scored two late touchdowns to bring the game within two possessions late in the fourth quarter, but gained just 24 yards on nine carries for the game.
 
Defensively, Isaiah Fleming had an eye-opening 21 tackles with two sacks and a pair of quarterback hurries for the Wolves. 14 of his tackles were solo as he also notched 5.5 tackles for loss.
 
This week's practice will surely begin with added excited and enthusiasm with the celebration of Kutztown's first victory. It will prepare this week for its road contest at Shippensburg University next Saturday, Oct. 19 from Seth Grove Stadium beginning at 1 p.m.