STORYLINES
RANKINGS TALK
The Warriors enter the matchup with their first American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Coaches Poll ranking since 2010, breaking into the list with 60 votes. ESU has received votes throughout the season and in the last couple of years when they made the NCAA Tournament, but they finally broke through after a 24-point win over Shepherd, who was also receiving votes. In addition to the AFCA Poll, D2Football.com has the Warriors at 20th, which is 16 spots behind their ranking for Kutztown. The Golden Bears have been consistent in both rankings all season, holding the third spot in the AFCA poll all year as well. This, however, will be the first time ESU and Kutztown have played each other both as ranked teams. The Warriors are 3-0 when playing an unranked Kutztown as the ranked team, while the Golden Bears are undefeated in five games against a non-top-25 ESU team.
BUCKING THE TREND
Despite owning a 44-28-1 record all-time against Kutztown, the Golden Bears have controlled the series over the last decade-plus. Kutztown has won the last 11 meetings, which coincides with when HC Jim Clements took over the program in 2014. The Golden Bears won comfortably last year, but the 49-6 final score was more of an outlier than the norm over the last six games in the series. ESU has fallen by seven or fewer points in five of the most recent seven meetings, including four straight from 2021-25. Prior to the 11-game winning streak Kutztown is riding, the Warriors won nine consecutive games from 2001-09, as both teams have controlled the series for years at a time.
DIVISION STAKES
ESU and Kutztown both hold unblemished 4-0 records in the PSAC East, with the winner today either clinching or taking the inside lane for the division crown. If the Warriors win, they win their 14th PSAC East title, the first since 2003, and will play at Slippery Rock for their 10th conference championship. If Kutztown wins, the division title could come down to next week, depending on the result of the Bloomsburg and West Chester game. The Golden Bears and Huskies each could have one division loss going into the matchup, with the winner walking away with the PSAC East title.
UNSTOPPABLE FORCES VERSUS IMMOVABLE OBJECTS
Both teams have dominated the trenches, using dominant rushing attacks and clogging up lanes defensively. ESU and Kutztown rank 10th and 22nd, respectively, in rushing offense across Division II, while the Golden Bears edge the Warriors on defense with a second-best run defense to ESU’s 20th-best unit. ESU has exceeded 240 yards on the ground in all but one game this year, which was when they hit a season-high in passing yards and scored 47 at Shippensburg, and held their last five opponents below 100 rushing yards, including three to 31 or fewer. On the other side, the Golden Bears have cleared 200 rushing yards on offense five times this season, reaching the mark in each of their last three games, and have yet to let a team gain over 74 yards.
PSAC EAST STANDOUTS
Coming off a 41-14 win over West Chester, Kutztown had its first week this season with multiple PSAC East Athletes of the Week. QB Judd Novak and LB LJ Smith were recognized as the top offensive and defensive players of the division last week, bringing the Golden Bears’ season total of weekly awards to six. RBs Jaedyn Stewart and Craig Miller have been named Offensive Athletes of the Week, DB Jhaisir Harden was tabbed Defensive Athlete of the Week, and WR Noah Micks returned a kick for a touchdown to win Special Teams Athlete of the Week. ESU is right behind Kutztown, earning four of the awards this season as well. The Warriors had a three-week stretch of having an Athlete of the Week from Weeks 5-7, as RB Ajani Walker, LB Mason Smith, and QB Matt Machalik earned the honors, while K Ty Quintois opened the season as the conference’s top special teams performer.
DIVISION II LEADERS
As two of Kutztown’s top players wrap up their careers, they continue to lead Division II as the active leaders on both sides of the ball. Novak, Division II’s leader in total offense and passing yards, leads in both categories by a wide margin, accounting for 10,777 yards with 8,937 through the air, while compiling a 45-4 record. DL Freddie Retter recently broke the program record with a sack against Millersville, bringing his career total up to 26.
RECORD WATCH
On top of putting together one of the best kicking seasons in ESU history, Quintois is solidifying his case as perhaps the best kicker the Warriors have ever had. He is now tied with Jordan Walters for the best career field-goal percentage, making 71.7% of his attempts. This year, he’s moved up to third in extra points and fourth in points, all while continuously climbing the single-season ranks as well. He’s two makes away from tying Walters for the best single-season field-goal percentage, as he’s 14-of-17 currently, and has the third-most PATs without a miss, 34-for-34, in program history. On the offense, ESU has two running backs that each have a chance at finishing with the highest yards per carry in a season. RBs Cade Sawyer and Ajani Walker are currently averaging 8.3 and 7.2 yards per carry, respectively, trailing Derek Lucas’ mark of 8.7 set in 2003.
SETTLING IN
ESU made a change at starting QB last week, going with Machalik as the primary passer for the first time this season. Coming off a PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the Week performance at Shippensburg, Machalik went 11-for-19 with a touchdown and an interception that came off a deflected pass at the line of scrimmage, his first of the season. The running game didn’t miss a beat, as ESU gained 244 yards on 45 carries, rushing for three touchdowns. Shepherd’s defense did their best to keep ESU in front of them, but Machalik took what the defense gave him, hitting FB Matt Frame four times for 30 yards, and Sawyer took a screen pass 23 yards for a score. In a game where ESU is averaging 36 PPG and Kutztown scores 45 PPG, Machalik may have to connect with his receivers on the outside in a similar style to his performance against the Raiders to lead the Warriors to the win. Help is on the way, though, as WR Jalen Cook could make his first appearance since Sept. 12, joining a receiving corps of Elijah Ford, David Washington Jr., and Cam Burti.
DEFENSIVE OUTLOOK
ESU’s defense has been a committee approach this year, with a handful of players consistently making plays and stepping up for the Warriors on any given drive. Last week, DB Armonie Torres had another strong game, making five tackles and coming up with a crucial interception right before halftime to set up a touchdown. ESU’s linebacker duo of Mason Smith and Camerin Gross have come up big, with Smith forcing the Warriors’ PSAC-best 11th fumble of the season against Shepherd, and Gross pacing the team with 9.5 tackles for loss. Their two D2Football.com Preseason All-Americans, DL Ashton Blose and DB Everette Dingle, have made plays too, leading the ESU defense up front and securing the safety net over the top. A win this weekend will likely require a couple of turnovers forced by the Warriors, which may be tough to come by, as the Golden Bears have only coughed up three fumbles, and Novak has given possession away just three times as well.
KICKING THINGS OFF
In a game like this with two evenly matched top teams in Division II, the decision could come down to the details. One battle to watch is the kickoffs for each side. The Golden Bears’ return man, WR Lenniek Preston, is currently fifth in the country, averaging 34.8 yards per return. While the Warriors have handed kickoff duties over to K Parker Johnson, who has only had 12 returns on his 46 attempts, ESU’s kickoff return defense is ninth in the conference. Back for the Warriors, ATH Elijah Carroll was last year’s return yards per attempt leader and is averaging 28.0 this season. He’s been somewhat quiet over the last four weeks with only one return over his average, but before that, he had runbacks of 59, 45, and 39 yards. Kutztown’s K Peter Fiorello has only had 11 touchbacks on 52 kicks, so there may be opportunity available for Carroll to turn the game on its head.
GOLDEN BEARS TO WATCH
Kutztown’s linebacker room could play a pivotal role in the game with how successful ESU’s rushing offense is, as Eden Johnson, Smith, and Mike Fayemi lead the team in tackles. The first two also have 5.0 and 5.5 tackles for loss, third and second on the team. On offense, Stewart and Miller have filled in for the injured Steven Burkhardt at running back, combining for over 1,000 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns this year. Kutztown hasn’t played in many close games lately, which haven’t forced Novak to air the ball out in search of the big play downfield. However, WRs Jaimen Bryant, Noah Kracyla, and Ty’renne Hynson remain threats on the perimeter, with Kracyla recording a career-high 141 receiving yards against ESU last season.
