Army tries to bounce back from losing to Iona by traveling to Kutztown this weekend.

It’s a huge game for both as each team is in with a shot at the Rugby East title.

Kutztown defeated Wheeling Jesuit 31-14 last weekend in a game where Head Coach Gregg Jones said he felt his team took care of business, but perhaps could have cleaned up some mistakes. The Kutztown backs are starting to put it together.

Kutztown stormed out to a quick four-try lead before surrendering a point to the Cardinals. Wes Hartmann, Jordan Ghyzel and Alex Faison-Donahoe each scored in the first half for a 19-0 lead. Johan Van Wyk began the second half with a try for the Golden Bears and then Wheeling Jesuit finally got on the board with two converted tries. Vetekina Malafu, who again played well, put the nail in the coffin late for Kutztown to seal the 31-14 victory.

Meanwhile Army Head Coach Matt Sherman said this week has been about fixing errors.

“We were undisciplined [against Iona],” said the new West Point coach. “We lacked composure and patience, and didn't execute well in some specific areas. We had three times as many penalties, handling errors, kicking errors, and balls hitting the ground behind us as Iona. Despite having the run of play going forward in phase play, these errors cost us significantly and we need to eliminate them from our performance.”

Straightforward talk from the coach, who added that the players have responded well this week in trying to improve.

"I think we've rebounded well already with a good week of practice and I expect us to have a pretty determined, both effort and performance, far better than we had a week ago," said Sherman. "We respect Kutztown and we know they're a very good opponent. They're very athletic and probably the most experienced team in the league. They're well-skilled and can attack all over the field. They're a threat everywhere. But our priority is on ourselves and putting in a great effort and a more precise performance."

Last year, Army won 34-30 when then-captain Collum Magee powered over for the game-winner with four minutes to go.

While Magee has graduated, Army will look to some big performances in the forward, perhaps not least of them lock John Sproul.

"I think John has had some good performances in different areas throughout the year," said Sherman. "I just have a feeling he's due for a breakout performance on Saturday."

Kutztown’s backline is electric, but to get that spark going they will need a source of power, and that comes from up front. For the Bears, it will be about whether their pack can set the platform.