Kutztown University, fresh off its second straight PSAC football championship, was one of our teams to receive a first-round bye in the NCAA Division II playoffs.
The Golden Bears, 11-0 and ranked third in Division II by the coaches, will not play until Nov. 30 when they host a second-round game.
They will play the winner of this Saturday’s Slippery Rock-New Haven first round game.
Kutztown defeated California (Pa.) 21-14 Saturday for the PSAC title. A year ago, the Golden Bers beat Slippery Rock 31-7 in the PSAC title game and then defeated the Rockets 28-16 in the NCAA quarterfinals.
The Golden Bears lost to Colorado School of Mines 35-7 a week later in the national semifinals to finish the season 12-3.
Kutztown is led by its defense which has limited 10 of 11 opponents to less than 20 points, including three shutouts. Only East Stroudsburg University scored 21 points when the Golden Bears beat the Warriors 27-21 on Sept. 28.
ESU earned a bid to the NCAA playoffs and will meet California on Saturday.
Two of the key members of Kutztown’s defense are products of Gov. Mifflin High School.
Redshirt sophomore linebacker Eden Johnson leads the team in tackles with 26 solo tackles and 28 assists. He has 6.5 tackles for loss for a total of 42 yards.
Another former Mustang, redshirt junior linebacker Brandon Strausser has made 26 tackles and assisted on 18 more. He has 4.5 tackles for loss for a total of 27 yards.
Kutztown’s offense is led by redshirt sophomore quarterback Judd Novak. The Manheim Central graduate has completed 146 of 226 passes for 1,925 yards with 20 touchdowns.
His favorite targets are Mekhi Gibson, 22 catches for 522 yards, Noah Kracyla, 36 catches for 510 yards, and Kurtis Ravenal Jr., 34 catches for 418 yards.
The team’s leading rusher is Jaedyn Steward with 560 yards on 102 carries.
The other teams receiving first round byes are Ferris St., Valdosta St., and CSU Pueblo.
The 28-team field has four regions of seven teams each, with the top seed in each region getting a first-round bye.
Harding won last year’s championship, beating Colorado School of Mines 38-7 in the title game. Harding opens defense of its title on Saturday against Pittsburg St.
The championship game this year will be Dec. 21 in McKinney, Texas.
Source: Berkshire mont
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