Box Score



WORCESTER, Mass. -- Kutztown University put forth a tremendous defensive effort, Saturday, keeping Assumption out of the end zone and allowing just 208 yards of total offense.
 
Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. The Greyhounds matched Kutztown's defensive intensity and used a late first-quarter field goal to stun the 13th-ranked Golden Bears, 3-0, in the season opener for both teams.
 
Graduate student linebacker Amani Justice (Salem, N.J./Salem) led the charge for defensive coordinator Eric Fargo, who returned for his second stint with the program this past offseason. Justice totaled eight tackles, including one for loss, and recovered a fumble. CJ Brown (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville), Earl Volz (Philadelphia, Pa./Father Judge) and Tyler Whary (Hereford, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) each had five tackles for the Golden Bears (0-1).
 
Outside of a 20-carry, 96-yard day on the ground from running back Darryl Davis-McNeil (Roslyn, Pa./Abington), the KU offense struggled to get anything going.
 
Assumption (1-0) brought a well-respected and experienced defense to the table under coordinator Woody Blevins. In fact, the Greyhounds held the Maroon and Gold to its third-lowest scoring output in 2021, despite suffering a 19-0 setback at Andre Reed Stadium.
 
Relentless pressure from the home team resulted in an uncharacteristic five sacks allowed and four turnovers by the Golden Bears. Kutztown never ventured inside the Greyhounds' red zone, getting as close as the Assumption 34-yard line early in the second quarter before Isaiah Huff came up with the first of three Assumption interceptions.
 
Kutztown's first drive of the day ended with freshman Nathan Millard's (Birdsboro, Pa./Daniel Boone) 42-yard punt from his own end zone after the Golden Bears were driven back 16 yards. That set up the Greyhounds in KU territory at the 48. Following a handful of short gains, quarterback Jake Cady broke off a 14-yard run up the middle on 3rd and 10 to keep the drive alive.
 
A few plays later, Patrick May connected on a field goal from 36 yards out for the first --and only-- points of the day.
 
The second half played out much as the first had with the entirety of the final 30 minutes contested between the 20's.
 
KU received the second half kickoff, but five plays into a modest drive, Larsen Wilson intercepted a pass from quarterback Donny Blaine (Jefferson Township, Pa./North Pocono) at the KU 47 that went off the hands of Jake Novak (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central).
 
The Bears' defense responded, getting the ball back a few plays later when graduate transfer Tom Pellegrino (Hackettstown, N.J./West Morris Central) looked to force the ball out of Raekwon Washington's hands amongst a sea of bodies and Justice recovered at the KU 29.
 
Kutztown's next four drives resulted in three punts and a turnover on downs. Blaine and the offense got the ball back at their own 5-yard line with 2:42 to play in the fourth, but a heave from the quarterback down the right sideline was picked off by Tre'Sean Bouie near midfield.
 
As head coach Jim Clements exhausted his timeouts, there was still hope the Bears would get one more possession with less than a minute remaining. Those hopes were dashed on 4th and 3 when Assumption drew the Bears offside.
 
Kutztown failed to score a point for the first time in 155 games, dating back to a 21-0 loss to West Chester in 2007. It's also the first time the Bears have been shutout in Clements' 82-game tenure as coach and their first time being blanked in a season opener since 2004 against Shippensburg (35-0).
 
The two teams combined for just 257 yards of total offense (Assumption 208, Kutztown 149), with neither featuring a 100-yard rusher or receiver. KU limited the Greyhounds to 70 yards rushing. Cady completed 18-of-33 passes for 138 yards. Four of those went to Vincenzo DiCarlo for a game-high 56 yards receiving.
 
Davis-McNeil had a long run of 21 yards and finished with a career-high 20 carries. He topped 100 total yards (109) with a pair of receptions for 13 yards. Blaine could only muster 85 yards through the air. Nearly half were accounted for by Jerome Kapp (Barto, Pa./Boyertown), who pulled in four passes for 41 yards.
 
Millard was busy with seven punts for 287 yards (41.0 average), a long of 47 and four placed inside the Assumption 20-yard line.
 
Saturday's win was Assumption's first in the series since 2017, snapping a 3-game streak in favor of the Golden Bears. Assumption regained a 4-3 edge in the series. The two teams have opened against one another every year since 2015, except for the canceled 2020 season.
 
Kutztown will open its five-game 2022 home schedule next Saturday at noon against California (Pa.).