 
 
 |
Nov. 7, 2009
Craig Burgess kicked a 41-yard field goal with 5.2 seconds remaining to give IUP a 34-32 win over Kutztown, allowing the Crimson Hawks to escape with the victory after blowing a 28-point first half lead. IUP wrapped up its first losing season in 27 years with a record of 5-6 while the Golden Bears finished at 3-8. IUP remained undefeated all-time versus Kutztown, winning for the ninth time in 10 games with the other ending in a tie. The game was the first for IUP at Kutztown since a 21-20 win in 1986. After Kutztown took its first lead of the game on a 76-yard touchdown pass from Kevin Morton to Josh Mastromatto with 8:52 left, IUP took over at its own 9 when Tobias Robinson misplayed the ensuing kickoff. Three plays netted only six yards, but a rarely called sideline interference penalty against the Golden Bears gave the Crimson Hawks a first down and led to the game-winning score. IUP went on to convert three more third downs on the drive, including a 14-yard completion from Pat Smith to Roy-al Edwards on 3rd and 11 that moved the ball into Kutztown territory. Robinson ran for six yards and a first down to the Golden Bear 33, and two Robinson carries and one by Harvie Tuck got the ball to the 24 with 9.5 seconds left. After Kutztown called its final two timeouts of the game, Burgess drilled his second field goal of the game and school-record 31st of his career to end an unanswered string of 29 points by the Golden Bears. IUP appeared to be on its way to an easy victory, scoring three defensive touchdowns and surprising Kutztown with an option attack on offense to build a 31-3 lead late in the second quarter. With Manny Cutlip running the offense at quarterback and tailbacks Robinson and Tuck both on the field, the Crimson Hawks marched 37 yards to set up a 40-yard field goal by Burgess with just 3:27 expired in the first quarter. IUP then drove 71 yards on 16 plays, and Tuck went in from the 1 to make it 10-0 before the defense lit up the scoreboard. Cory Lanterman, making his first career start at cornerback, picked off a Morton pass and returned it 62 yards for a touchdown to give IUP a 17-0 lead one minute into the second quarter. In a span of 54 seconds later in the period, Cosie Spigelmeyer recovered a fumble in the end zone and Carl Thornton grabbed a loose ball in the air after Mike Gee sacked Morton and walked five yards into the end zone to produce two more defensive touchdowns. Kutztown got a 12-yard touchdown pass from Morton to Dominick Massey, and Matt Dineen kicked two field goals, the latter from 33 yards out as the first half expired to pull the Golden Bears within 31-13 at halftime. Morton riddled the IUP secondary in the second half, throwing three more touchdown passes as Kutztown wiped out the rest of its huge deficit. He connected with Shane Martin from 41 yards out and Chris McCormick on a 37-yard score, but the two-point conversion failed after both scores, leaving IUP in front 31-26. Kutztown then took over at its own 3 with 12:32 remaining and quickly went 97 yards on six plays, capped by the Morton to Mastromatto touchdown that put the Golden Bears in front. But Smith calmly drove the Crimson Hawks back into position to pull out the win. Morton completed 22 of 39 passes for 356 yards and the four touchdowns, the first 300-yard passing game versus IUP since Tony Gomez of Shippensburg threw for 312 yards in 2006. Tuck led IUP on the ground with 86 yards on 17 carries. Cutlip carried six times on quarterback keepers in the option and rushed for 54 yards while Robinson finished with 37 to leave him 94 yards shy of his second straight 1,000-yard season. Smith completed 10 of 16 passes for 115 yards. Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, IUP's All-America cornerback, tied Thomas Lindsay for the team lead in tackles with six but left the game in the third quarter when he re-injured the same shoulder that he originally hurt versus Mercyhurst in the fourth game of the season. |
