EAST STROUDSBURG – The East Stroudsburg University football team came from behind to take a pair of second-half leads, but fell just short to Kutztown after a 4th down stop by the Golden Bear defense with under a minute to play for the final score of 24-20 on Saturday afternoon inside Eiler-Martin Stadium.

The Warriors (2-3, 1-1) see its two-game winning streak come to an end, while the Golden Bears (3-2, 1-1) get back in the win column after a close loss last week to nationally-ranked Shepherd.

After KU jumped ahead 14-0 in the second quarter, ESU scored 17 unanswered points to take a lead via a Devin Bartholomew field goal and touchdowns from John Siggins (9-yd rec. from Matt DeLaurentis) and Devante Robinson (4-yd run).

The Golden Bears stopped the scoring spree with a 35-yd field goal to tie the contest in the 4th quarter at 17-17, as Bartholomew answered with a boot of his own from 25-yards out, as ESU grabbed a 20-17 lead with 5:48 to go.

A 46-yd connection from KU QB Donny Blaine and Jerome Kapp setup a 15-yd Golden Bear passing touchdown to complete the scoring with less than two minutes to go. A 53-yd return from Malachi Bowman setup ESU in good field position in hopes of scoring the game-winning touchdown, but the KU defense would force a turnover-on-downs after three consecutive incompletions to earn the victory.

Notables

• At quarterback, Matt DeLaurentis got the start for the second consecutive game with Jake Cirillo out with an injury. He completed 22-41 passes for 197 yards with one touchdown and an interception.
• The Warriors were limited to an even 100 yards rushing, led by Tahir Mills' 37 yards and Devante Robinson's 32 yards and a touchdown. Tyriq Lewis posted 31 yards on 10 carries.
• For the second consecutive week, at least 10 Warriors brought down a reception. Robinson led the way with 47 yards and four receptions. Siggins brought down a 14-yd touchdown for three receptions for 29 yards. Ezequiel Lopez added 23 yards on two catches.
• Defensively, Deshawn McCarthy and Ryan Hieber each totaled three tackles for loss, with Hieber tied with Sergei Felizor for the team lead in tackles with seven. Tyler Watson added six tackles, while Jacob Keane and Daryn Blackwell totaled four. Blackwell also recovered a fumble.
• It was ESU offensive coordinator Mike Terwilliger's 500th game as a Warrior. He addressed the crowd following the contest. Watch the full speech below.

• In the defensive battle, ESU held KU to just 64 yards of rushing (1.7 avg. rush). Neither team eclipsed 300 yards of offense, with ESU holding a slim 297-284 advantage. The Golden Bears were efficient passing the ball, with 14 completions on 17 attempts for 220 yards and an average of 15.7 yards per completion. Kapp led the KU offense with five receptions for 113 yards a touchdown.

• Both teams punted on their first offensive possession. The Golden Bears used a 16-play, 85 yard drive to put up the first points in the contest. Four third down conversions were successful, as Blaine punched in a rushing touchdown from 10-yards out.
• After a Warrior interception on its next drive, the Golden Bears were able to connect on a 49-yd connection from Blaine to Kapp on 3rd and 11, as KU grabbed a 14-0 lead with 11:26 left in the second quarter.
• Similar to last season's matchup with the Golden Bears, ESU punched back after getting behind with an early deficit. ESU put together an 11-play drive which ultimately resulted in a Bartholomew 32-yd field goal.
• With the Warriors on the scoreboard, ESU captured momentum, as Blaine mishandled a snap on KU's first play of the drive, with Blackwell jumping on top of the ball.
• With the ball on the KU 36-yd line, The Warriors were able to pickup  first downs via a 12-yd completion from DeLaurentis to Lopez and a Golden Bear defensive holding penalty. On 3rd and goal from the 9-yd line, DeLaurentis found Siggins for an impressive touchdown catch to make it a one-score game at 14-10. The first half ended with a pair of punts from both squads, with KU holding on to a slim 14-10 lead.  

• ESU drained over half of the 3rd quarter clock with its first drive of the second half. Robinson found the endzone with a four-yard rush to put an exclamation on an 18-play, 8:12 minute drive. The Warriors nicked and dimed their way down Gregory-Douds Field to take their first lead at 17-14 with 6:42 to go in the third frame. A pair of punts would end the third quarter.

• KU's first drive in the fourth quarter resulted in three points after a 13-play 62-yd drive. Dawson Evitts botted the 35-yd attempt through the up-rights to tie the contest back up at 17-17 at the 12:32 mark.
• ESU would retake the lead on its next drive, with another long 15-play 63-yd campaign. Three 3rd down opportunities were converted prior to Bartholomew's 25-yd field goal was made. The Warriors held a 23-20 lead with just 5:48 to go.
• KU converted a 4th-and-1 on its own 36-yd line, which kept their hopes of winning alive. The next play, Blaine found Kapp for the big 46-yd play to setup the go-ahead score. The play was eerily similar to Kapp's 67-yd reception last season against ESU which also setup the eventual go-ahead TD. This time, Alex Mackenzie pulled in a 15-yd reception to put KU ahead on the scoreboard.
• ESU still had time to put up a go-ahead touchdown of its own. A 54-yd kickoff return by Malachi Bowman was just what the Warriors needed and got. Starting the drive on the KU 42-yd line, ESU picked up first down via a 14-yd Siggins reception and a 17-yd connection to Beau Heyser. With the ball on the KU 11-yd line and 40 seconds to go, ESU could not put the ball in the end zone, as the Golden Bear defense stepped up to force three consecutive incompletions including a 4th down stand.
• The Golden Bears kneeled down to end the contest, with KU escaping Eiler-Martin with a 24-20 win.

Up Next

The Warriors look to get back in the win column on Sat., Oct 8 against Millersville. The opening kickoff is set for noon at Millersville's Biemersder Stadium.