FULL GAME NOTES
 
Ursinus (1-0) at Kean (1-0)
When: Saturday, September 13th
Where: Collegeville, Pa.
Stadium: Patterson Field (1,700)
Kickoff: 1:00 p.m.
Live Video: VIDEO
Live Stats: STATS
 
 
SERIES BREAKDOWN
All-Time Series: Ursinus leads, 3-1
First Meeting: 2000 – Ursinus won 24-0
Last Meeting: Sept. 14, 2024 @ Kean – Ursinus won 31-17
Streak: Ursinus +2
 
 
The Ursinus Bears Football Team will host Kean for its 2025 home opener on Saturday afternoon in non-conference action.
 
 
Last year, the Bears took down Kean 31-17 on the road. Ursinus did most of its scoring in the first half as they scored a touchdown on its opening drive. Ursinus broke open the game in the second quarter as they scored three touchdowns within a four-and-a-half-minute span that ultimately put the game away.
 
 

SUCCESSFUL DEBUT: Junior quarterback Tristan Machado had an impressive debut in his first collegiate start under center for the Bears against Alvernia this past Friday. Machado went 14-of-25 for 193 yards and tossed three touchdown passes with no interceptions. He threw his touchdowns to three different Bears in the win and completed passes to six different Bears. Machado's three touchdown passes matched the amount that his predecessor, Jalen Bradford, threw in his first collegiate start in 2023 that also came against Alvernia.
 
 
 

1-2 PUNCH: Junior running backs Jason Bernard and Brooklyn Jones had a field day running on the Alvernia defense this past Friday. The duo combined for 160 yards on the ground and scored three touchdowns, with two of them coming from Bernard and one from Jones. Bernard was just one yard shy of the 100-yard mark and Jones posted 61 yards while catching three passes for 37 yards as well. Bernard had two 100+ yard games last season for Ursinus and ranked second on the team in rushing yards and touchdown runs, while Jones had one touchdown run in limited action.
 
 

INSTANT IMPACT: Junior linebacker Matt Agar had an outstanding first collegiate start and first collegiate action on Friday night against Alvernia. Agar tallied two interceptions against the Golden Wolves and helped set the Bears final first half touchdown up with his first. Agar added six tackles (two solo) as well to complete his big debut. He is the first Bear since Joseph Small against McDaniel last season to tally two interceptions in one game.
 
 
 

FITTING RIGHT IN: The Bears had numerous first-time starters in their lineup last Friday against Alvernia. The secondary had four new starters and two of them made their mark against the Golden Wolves. Junior Kendall Robinson tallied his first interception while running ut back 34 yards to set up a Bears touchdown and sophomore Jake Ziegler tied for the team lead with seven tackles. Sophomore Nick Strusowski made four tackles (one solo), 0.5 TFL, and broke up two passes while classmate Andy Zigbuo made four tackles (three solo) in his first start at cornerback.
 
 

FAST CATCH: The Ursinus receiving corps showcased its depth this past Friday night against Alvernia. Seven different receivers caught a pass and three different Bears caught touchdown passes. Junior Aidan Roselle caught two passes for 41 yards that were both career-highs while his classmate Ryder Zulkowski matched him and scored his first touchdown of the season. Seniors Markel Roberts-Jackson and Cody House added touchdowns as well while junior Aidan Donahue caught three passes for 40 yards to set a career-high as well.
 
 

RIGHT WHERE HE LEFT OFF: Senior defensive end Aaron Rios did not skip a beat in the Bears opener against Alvernia after a breakout 2024 season. Rios made six tackles (four solo), 2.0 TFL, and made one sack against the Golden Wolves that all came in the first half. Rios terrorized the Cougars last season with a career-high five sacks that fell just one short of matching the Bears single-game record. He earned All-Centennial Conference second team honors after ranking second on the team and sitting in the top five for the Centennial Conference in sacks along with tackles for loss.
 
 

SCOUTING THE COUGARS: Kean the Cougars rallied in the second half to defeat Morrisville 17-14 in their season opener at home this past Saturday, snapping a four-game losing streak in the series. Trailing 14-7 late in the third quarter, Kean got a 60-yard punt return to tie the game at 14. The Cougars kicked a game-winning field goal at the horn to win the game after holding the ball for the final 5:12 of the contest. The Cougars had a pair of quarterbacks share action in their season opener on Saturday. Junior Rocco Pellegrini made the start and threw for 114 yards and one touchdown pass plus two interceptions before first-year Dario Bryant entered the game late in the third quarter. Bryant was instrumental in leading Kean to their winning field goal and threw for 68 yards on 6-of-10 passing while adding 13 yards on the ground. Senior Justin Leigh caught nine passes for 67 yards and was an All-NJAC Second Team selection in 2024. Junior wide receiver Christian Bujno changed the Kean opener with his 60-yard punt return for a touchdown and caught four passes for 58 yards. He scored a touchdown against the Bears last season as well.
             


On defense, senior defensive end Rodney Acquah recorded a game-high 11 tackles (two solo) and 2.0 TFL against Morrisville. Senior defensive back Chris Amos made two solo stops in the win and is coming off a first team All-NJAC selection last season. First-year defensive lineman Tyler Suk posted four tackles (two solo) and was named the NJAC Defensive Rookie of the Week. First-year kicker Anthony Lopez made the game-winning 26-yard field goal against Morrisville in his collegiate debut and was named the NJAC Special Teams Player of the Week.