One winning streak is going to end this weekend. New Haven is riding an eight game winning streak and Kutztown is riding a seven game winning streak as they enter their second round match-up this weekend. This is going to be a very close game as both teams have a lot of strengths on both sides of the ball. Let's break it down.

Week 13 Capsule

# 3 Kutztown (11-1, 6-1 PSAC East) @ # 2 New Haven (10-1, 8-0 NE-10)

When: November 26th, 12:00 PM

All-Time Series: New Haven leads the series, 2-0-0

1994- New Haven 31 @ Kutztown 6
1995- @New Haven 28 Kutztown 19

Common Opponents: They share two common opponents this season and both are 2-0 in those games.

Vs. St. Anselm (NE-10)

9/3/11- Kutztown 56 @ St. Anselm 30
11/12/11- New Haven 59 @ St. Anselm 17

Vs. West Chester (PSAC)

9/3/11- @ New Haven 35 West Chester 32 (OT)
10/29/11- Kutztown 24 @ West Chester 0

Link to Team Stats:

New Haven

Kutztown

GameDay Central

My thoughts: Are you ready for some playoff football?

Kutztown is coming off a 17-14 victory over Concord last Saturday in a first round playoff game. It was the first playoff win for the Kutztown program in their history in just their second appearance. They lost to Shepherd last year in the second round.

The big question mark for the Golden Bears will be at quarterback. All-PSAC performer Kevin Morton was injured in the PSAC Championship Game and has seen little time since. He did play in the first half against Concord but struggled due to his leg injury. Backup Marshall Vogel played well two weeks ago but was not as effective against Concord. If Morton is 100% healthy, Kutztown has one of the best offenses in the country and can score points on anyone. If Morton is unable to go, it could be a big advantage for New Haven.

Running back Robbie Frey is no stranger to the Connecticut area as he played at UConn before transferring closer to home at Kutztown. He passed the 1,000 yard mark for the season against Concord including an impressive 52 yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Josh Mastromatto also is dangerous out of the backfield as he has nearly 700 yards this year and had over 1,000 last year. He is also one of Morton's favorite targets as he hauled in 49 passes this year and also is the kick/punt returner including taking back two kickoffs for scores.

Erik Frazier and Josh Smith form a dynamic duo at the receiver position. They combined for 92 catches and 18 touchdowns between them and both are averaging over 14 yards per reception. Their presence on the field has helped to stretch the opposing defense and open up the running game for Kutztown.

The offensive line is anchored by all-PSAC tackle Aaron McGlynn. The Golden Bears' tackles are over 300 pounds but the interior line is well under that. They have done a good job protecting the quarterback as opponents only had 23 sacks in 12 games this year. The kicking game is solid with Jack Ruggieri a perfect 63 for 63 in point after attempts. He is only three for six in field goal attempts on the season.

The defense does not get a lot of credit but Kutztown has been one of the better units in the PSAC. They have given up just 18.7 points per game and have give up 14 or less points in the last four games. Linebacker Andrew Hodges had 14 tackles in Saturday's playoff win to continue his all-PSAC season. He now has 109 tackles on the season including 72 of the solo variety.

The defensive line of Brent Moss, Colin Henny, Jason Henshaw and Bill McMonigle have combined for 22.5 sacks this year led by Moss' team leading 17 sacks. They will pose a big challenge to the New Haven offensive line and have been a catalyst to the defensive success for Kutztown.

Linebacker John Kreuer is a force in the middle of the field along with Hodges. They are one and two in total tackles as well as reeking havoc at their position. Alex DiNolfi leads Kutztown with 11 interceptions including two in the win over Concord last Saturday. Corey Harris, Richard White, Jason Ulmer and English Peay will also be called upon to stop the passing game of New Haven.

New Haven enjoyed their first week off of the season and had plenty of time to get healthy and rested. They scouted the game and have broken down every aspect of Kutztown. It is the first playoff appearance for the Chargers since their run to the National Championship Game in 1997. It is just their third season back since the program was resurrected. It has been a pretty amazing run for New Haven since they joined the NE-10.

Quarterback Ryan Osiecki leads the New Haven offense and was named the Offensive Player of the Year for the NE-10. He is a big, strong quarterback who has a lot of weapons at his disposal and has been solid piloting the Charger offense this year. They are averaging nearly 43 points per game and seem to get better as the game progresses. They have scored 58% of their points in the second half this year. Backup Ronnie Nelson will also see some snaps and gives a different look to the New Haven attack. He is also second on the team in rushing yards.

Mike DeCaro is the feature back and has had a solid season. He split time early in the season with Victor Jones before he was lost for the season with an injury. DeCaro also returns kicks and always seems to make big plays when the Chargers need it. Anthony Tillman will also see some snaps out of the backfield.

The receiving unit is very balanced and hopes to stretch the field for New Haven. Josh Smart is leading the team in receptions as New Haven has five receivers with at least 20 receptions this year. Jason Thompson is the deep threat as he leads the team in touchdown receptions (10) and yards (781). Chris Ruffin is other threat on the outside and Kameel Lashley is a solid receiver and blocker from the tight end position.

The offensive line has done an excellent job protecting the quarterbacks and helping to move the offense up and down the field. David Stedman was a first team all-NE-10 member as well as James Malloy, Lance Chapman and Zach Conklin being named second team all NE-10 performers. They will face one of the better defenses they have seen all season long and will need to make sure that they are able to win the war in the trenches. Chris Scifo has been dependable all season long as he is 59 for 61 in extra point attempts. He is also 11 for 14 in field goals with a long of 47 against Stonehill in October.

The New Haven defense has had its moments this season and will need to really step up to the plate this weekend. They gave up 22 points per game this season but struggled in games against the top NE-10 teams. They allowed 38 points to Bentley and Southern Connecticut as well as giving up 35 to Merrimack. They opened the season by allowing 32 to West Chester. They won all four of those games.

The defensive line is anchored by Rasheem Stanley and Tom Herd. They both pressure the quarterback and spend a lot of time in the opposing backfield. Herd led the team with 10 sacks and Stanley chipped in with two. Robert Hill and Scott Schultz will also line up on the defensive line for the Chargers and look to make the Kutztown quarterback made bad decisions in the pocket.

The linebacking group is led by Charlie Hatchet and Mike Gomes. Hatchet led the team with 81 tackles including 38 of the solo variety. Gomes also seems to make a big play for the Chargers and will also be joined in the middle of the field by Cody Wallace. The group is very quick and hopes to avoid the opposing offenses from feeling comfortable in the middle of the field.

The Charger secondary includes rover Bernard Risco who is second on the team with 68 tackles. JD Chalifoux is the other safety and led the team with four picks this year. Desmond Anderson and Kendrick Butler will see time at their corner positions and be in charge of slowing down the Kutztown passing attack. All four of them will be called upon to cover very quick and elusive receivers. If they are able to not let them run crazy down the field, it will be a good day for New Haven.

Keys to the Game: The biggest key for Kutztown is the health of Kevin Morton. If he is ready to go and 100% on Saturday, the Golden Bears can score early and often. That will pose a big problem for the New Haven defense. They have struggled at times against good offenses and will need to find a way to pressure the quarterback. If Morton is not able to go, they will need to pressure Marshall Vogel into making bad decisions and not let him feel comfortable in the pocket.

The biggest key for New Haven is to start the game on a good foot and not play behind the entire game. They have not been able to get things going for the entire 60 minutes in all of their games this year. The Chargers have been unstoppable on both sides of the ball in the second half but do not want to rely on coming back against a quality opponent. If they are leading or within a score heading into the half, they should be able to take control of the game and win the match-up.

It goes without saying but the winner of the turnover battle will win the game. Both teams have been pretty good at holding onto the ball this year and can not afford to start giving the ball to the other team in this game.

I think that this game will be very close and the winner will have earned the victory when 0:00 is finally on the scoreboard. With or without Morton, Kutztown still has a lot of offensive weapons for the New Haven defense to contend with. The New Haven offense has a lot of weapons as well and should be able to wear down the Kutztown defense. For some reason, Division II playoff games are always high scoring and this game will be no different.

It is expected to be in the middle 50's on Saturday so it will be a good afternoon for the offenses to move the ball up and down the field. New Haven has risen to every challenge thrown their way this season and this weekend will be no different. They will fall behind early but find a way in the second half to overpower the Golden Bears to move onto the regional championship game.

Prediction: New Haven 45 Kutztown 35