The Bloomsburg University football team returns home on Saturday afternoon to host the Golden Bears of Kutztown University in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division contest. The Huskies will be looking to snap a two-game losing skid while Kutztown enters the matchup ranked 24th in the country according to the latest American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II poll. The Golden Bears are 4-0 on the year.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Bloomsburg leads the all-time series against Kutztown, 47-24-1. The Huskies, however, have dropped three straight to the Golden Bears - for the first time since 1979-81 - including a 44-10 setback in Kutztown a season ago. It was the worst defeat for Bloomsburg since a 58-20 loss against Shippensburg in the opening round of the 2012 NCAA Division II playoffs. The Huskies mustered only 196 yards of total offense which included just 73 yards on the ground while the Golden Bears totaled 488 yards.
THROUGH THE ARCHIVES with BLOOMSBURG ARCHIVIST BOB DUNKELBERGER
- The Huskies have not started a season 1-3 since 1998. That year, they won the fifth game 37-9 at home against Kutztown. It was the last year they have had a losing season, finishing with a record of 5-6.
Â
- Last Saturday's game with Shippensburg was this year's opener in PSAC East competition. Bloomsburg's all-time record in 60 Eastern Division openers, since the conference split into divisions in 1960, is now 41-17-2, with a home record of 22-7-2 and 19-10 away.
Â
- The 30-15 loss at Shippensburg was the first time in 1,087 games in school history the Huskies have had a game with that score. The closest were 30-14 losses at IUP in 1996 and at West Chester in 2009. This was the 14th time in school history Bloomsburg has surrendered 30 points in a game, with a record of 1-13. The only win was 38-30 at home with Shippensburg in 2014. BU has scored 15 points in a game now nine times, with a 2-7 record. The first was a 15-0 win over Wilkes-Barre High School in 1904. The last was a 17-15 loss at Lock Haven in 2003.
Â
- The all-time record for Bloomsburg on October 5 is 9-7, with a record of 6-2 at home and 3-5 on the road. The first was a 22-12 win over Hazleton High School in 1901, the last a 38-14 win at Gannon in 2013. The last home game played on this date was in 2002, a 16-13 loss to East Stroudsburg on a last-minute field goal. Only twice before has Kutztown been played on this date: a 6-0 home win in 1929 and a 67-19 defeat at Kutztown in 1991, the most points the Golden Bears have ever scored on the Huskies.
Â
- Saturday's contest with Kutztown is the 73rd in the series, with Bloomsburg's record in the first 72 games standing at 47-24-1: 27-8-1 at home and 20-16 on the road, since the first game in 1927. The Huskies have lost three straight to the Golden Bears for the first time since 1979-81. Kutztown's longest winning streak in the series is four, set from 1974 to 1977.
Â
- One team and one personal milestone are in reach this season. The fourth win will be the 600th in program history. The current all-time record since 1892 in 1,087 games is 597-458-32. Four victories will also give Coach Darragh 51 for his career, moving him past Albert Aldinger into second place in school history, behind Danny Hale's 173.
Â
- Bloomsburg has had a winning record in the PSAC East for 26 consecutive seasons and 34 of the last 36 since 1983. The only non-winning records since then were 3-3 in 1989 and 1-5 in 1992.
- The Huskies have scored at least one point in 188 consecutive games dating back to a 21-0 home loss against Shippensburg on September 13, 2003.
SCOUTING BLOOMSBURG
Bloomsburg enters Saturday's contest with a record of 1-3 overall and an 0-1 mark in the PSAC East after suffering a 30-15 setback at Shippensburg last Saturday. Offensively, the Huskies are 14th in the league as they are averaging only 218.0 yards of total offense over the first four weeks. Only Edinboro (212.5) and Millersville (190.0) are averaging fewer offensive yards per game. Bloomsburg is eighth in the league on defense, allowing 380.5 yards per contest.
On the ground,
Khalil Nelson (Philadelphia, Pa./Mastery Charter Thomas) leads the team in rushing with 141 yards on 34 carries while
Nyfease West (Philadelphia, Pa./North Penn) has chipped in 87 yards on 21 totes. Bloomsburg is 14th in the league in rushing, averaging just 84.0 yards per game - and only 2.7 yards per carry. Only Edinboro (51.3) and Millersville (42.8) average less.
Logan Leiby (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove Area) has completed 61.9% of his passes (52-of-84) for 536 yards and four touchdowns - with only one interception. Leiby ranks in the top ten in the PSAC in completion percentage (61.9%) and efficiency (128.8). The Huskies' 134.0 passing yards per game average is 15th in the league with only Seton Hill (125.7) posting fewer.
Michael Allen (Oley, Pa./Fleetwood) leads with 19 catches for 265 yards and two scores.
Defensively, the Huskies are led by
Alex Annan (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) who has registered 31 total tackles and three tackles for a loss.
Tyshaun Pollard (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin East) has chipped in 28 total stops while
Alex Findura (Stockbridge, Ga./Woodland) has 26 tackles and a team-high 5.5 tackles for a loss.
Aaron Trumino (Binghamton, N.Y./Chenango Valley) also has 26 tackles on the year. Three players -
Tariq Blakney Jr. (Philadelphia, Pa./Abraham Lincoln),
Cameron Young (Elysburg, Pa./Southern Columbia), and Trumino - have interceptions while eight players have had a hand in seven total sacks.
SCOUTING KUTZTOWN
Kutztown has won all four of its games to start the season and is ranked 24th in the country entering Saturday's contest. The Golden Bears are fourth in the PSAC in scoring offense (39.5) and third in total offense (482.3 yards per game). On the flip side, Kutztown is sixth in points allowed (20.3) and total defense (344.8).
The offense runs through quarterback Collin DiGalbo who is making his case for plenty of postseason honors. DiGalbo has completed 64.9% of his passes (87-of-134) for 1,209 yards and 13 touchdowns through the first four weeks while adding 215 rushing yards and six more scores on the ground. He is averaging 356.0 yards of total offense per game - third in the PSAC. The leading rusher is Abdul-Hassan Neblett who has carried the ball 41 times for 233 yards. Neblett also has a team-high 17 receptions while Mason McElroy leads the Golden Bears with 307 receiving yards.
Shawn Turber-Ortiz leads the team, and the PSAC, with 49 total tackles - an average of 12.3 tackles per game. He also leads the conference with three interceptions on the season. Chris Thomas is next on the team with 22 total stops while Nick Palmer has added 20. Kutztown has recorded 10 sacks on the season (tied for sixth in the PSAC) and has picked off eight passes (third in the PSAC).
UP NEXT
Bloomsburg will head to nationally-ranked West Chester University on Saturday, October 12. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
