Box Score
Kutztown, Pa. - Jamal Smith put on a show, totaling 192 receiving yards and scoring two touchdowns from 78 and 53 yards, but his exploits couldn't overcome the potent offense of No. 23 Kutztown. The Golden Bears thrilled its Homecoming crowd with a 38-28 win and the first 7-0 start in school history.
Kutztown (7-0, 4-0 PSAC East) continued its season as the surprise of the PSAC Eastern Division. Led by Kevin Morton's 350 yards passing and four touchdowns, the Golden Bears racked up 496 yards of total offense and overwhelmed the Millersville defense late in the fourth quarter when the game still hung in the balance.
Millersville (2-5, 0-4 PSAC East), losers of four in a row, trailed by just seven at the half and limited Kutztown to only one score in the third quarter. The touchdown—a Morton strike to Erik Frazier—came on the team's first possession of the half, but the Marauder defense held the Golden Bears to four yards and forced two punts the rest of the quarter.
The Marauders, however, could not take advantage of its defense's play. The Millersville offense penetrated Kutztown's 6-yard line on its first drive of the third but bogged down immediately and settled for an Anthony Kassab field goal—his second of the day. Millersville's next two possessions, both of which could have closed the gap to one score, ended in punts.
Kutztown appeared to put the game out of reach when Kendell Coleman finished a seven-play, 85-yard touchdown drive to start the fourth quarter. Bill Shirk, however, captained a quick-strike drive that ended when Smith hauled in a fourth-and-three pass and turned it into a 53-yard touchdown.
Still with 7:40 left in the game, Millersville elected for an onside kick, but Kutztown managed to recover. Using its excellent field position, Kutztown drove 43 yards and boosted its lead to 38-21 on another Frazier touchdown catch.
Millersville didn't go away, though. Shirk found Smith twice and rushed six times including a six-yard touchdown run with 1:58 on the clock. Kassab's onside kick was again recovered by Kutztown, and the Golden Bears managed to run out the clock, securing their unblemished record.
Smith's nine catches matched a career high and his two scores moved his career total to 21, placing him one behind Kevin Cannon for third in Millersville history. Smith gave Millersville a 7-0 lead just 56 seconds into the game on a 78-yard touchdown catch. It was his longest reception of the season and the second-longest of his career. He has four touchdown catches of at least 50 yards this year.
Millersville could hardly afford any miscues, and it missed a golden opportunity 33 yards to the Kutztown 9-yard line. However, Shirk missed on two passes and Kassab missed a 23-yard attempt after hitting a 40-yard field goal earlier in the quarter. Kutztown made the Marauders pay by scoring a touchdown on its very next drive to take a 14-10 lead.
Shirk finished the game with 235 yards on 17-of-32 passing. He also totaled 50 yards rushing on 14 carries. Fateen Brown rushed for a career-high 53 yards on 13 carries.
Kutztown was led on the ground by Coleman's 74 yards on 13 carries. McCormick was Morton's favorite target, catching 10 passes for 109 yards.
Millersville hosts East Stroudsburg in its final home game of the season Saturday, Oct. 23. The Homecoming game begins at 1:30 p.m.
