Kutztown downs Vulcans for PSAC championship
CALIFORNIA 鈥� Penn West California played behind the sticks most of the game in battling for the PSAC football championship on Saturday and the result was a 21-14 loss to Kutztown at Adamson Stadium.
Both teams were to find out their first-round opponents in the NCAA Division II playoffs Sunday evening. Kutztown, which came into the game as the No. 2 team in the Super Region, could possibly get a first-round bye. Cal, ranked No. 3 in the region, is hoping for a first-round game at home.
Kutztown, which has won four PSAC titles (2011, 鈥�21, 鈥�23 and 鈥�24), was beaten by Cal in last season鈥檚 regular season. Saturday鈥檚 victory brought some measure of revenge.
鈥淭hey played better than we did today,鈥� said Cal head coach Gary Dunn. 鈥淚 thought we鈥檇 have some things offensively, but at the end of the day, we didn鈥檛 execute very well.鈥�
While seven points separated the winner from the loser, the game really wasn鈥檛 that close. Cal never led in the game, trailed 7-0 at halftime, and was behind 21-7 for most of the fourth quarter.
Cal senior quarterback Davis Black scored two touchdowns in the second half, but the second one came with 1:52 to play in the game. Cal tried an onside kick but it traveled only eight yards, instead of the required 10, and Kutztown (11-0) kneeled out the remaining time against a sagging Cal defense.
Black was 14 of 29 for 193 yards. He rushed for 42 yards on 15 carries.
鈥淭his loss hurts,鈥� said Black. 鈥淗ats off to them because they played better than us today. I鈥檇 love to see them again, especially in the playoffs. Right now, that鈥檚 what we can focus on to put us in a better position to make that happen again. We鈥檒l let this hurt for a day, Sunday, come back on Monday, and I think we deserve to be in the playoffs.鈥�
Black said it was difficult to always be facing second and long and third situations.
鈥淲e did that to ourselves, I think,鈥� said Black. 鈥淲e got inside their 40 three or four times and got no points out of it. You have to score touchdowns to win a game like this, and I didn鈥檛 put us in that position.鈥�
Cal (8-2) came out to start the second half and Black capped the drive with an 8-yard touchdown that tied the game at 7-7. Three minutes later, Jaedyn Stewart broke free for a 41-yard touchdown run. Kutztown went on an 80-yard drive in nine plays with Steven Burkhardt gaining the last two to make it 21-7.
鈥淭his win is pretty awesome,鈥� said Kutztown head coach Jim Clements. 鈥淥ur kids worked hard for this. To me, Cal is always a tough team. They won the West this year and they are always one of the tougher teams we play. When they are on our schedule at the beginning of the year, I鈥檓 not too happy about it.鈥�
Kutztown dominated the first half but could only forge a 7-0 lead. That came when quarterback Judd Novak found Stewart alone in the flat for an 8-yard touchdown with 9:24 to go in the first quarter.
Kutztown got into scoring position in the second quarter, but Nate Miller came up short on a 50-yard attempt with 1:49 to go in the half, and Will Smith missed a 26-yarder midway through the second quarter.
Kutztown nearly doubled the amount of offense produced by Cal in the first half, 177-105. Cal lost a fumble with a little more than two minutes to play in the first quarter, coming at the Kutztown 26. Kutztown did not have a turnover in the first half.