PREVIEW | Kutztown hits the road to clash with No. 24 Charleston in NCAA Second Round - Kutztown University Athletics (2024)

Chris Sponagle/Kutztown University

Football 11.24.23 Matt Heffelfinger, Sports Information Director

TICKETS
$10 - Adults
$5 - Children/Seniors

All tickets must be purchased in person at the stadium box office prior to the game.

LIVE COVERAGE
Live Stats | Provided by UC Athletic Communications
Live Streaming Video ($$$) | Provided by UC Athletic Communications

NOTE: The NCAA is requiring all schools to stream playoff football games behind a paywall beginning this year. The cost is $9.95 per game or $19.95 for access to all Division II football playoff games during the first three rounds. Host institutions will produce the games, which can still be watched through the Golden Bear Sports Network as normally promoted during the regular season by clicking HERE. Fans will have to purchase access upon selecting the game.

GAME PREVIEW

KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The playoff field has been trimmed to 16 teams and Kutztown University is still standing. The Golden Bears will look to lock up a spot in the national quarterfinals, Saturday, as they travel to 24th-ranked Charleston (W.Va.) for the second round of the 2023 NCAA Division II Football Championship.

Kutztown is on a roll with a program record-matching 10 consecutive wins and the train is only gaining steam after back-to-back dominant victories over a pair of nationally ranked opponents in then No. 4 Slippery Rock, 31-7, in the PSAC Championship game and No. 13 Virginia Union, 38-14, in last week's first round of the NCAA Championship.

Physical lines have allowed the Golden Bears (10-2) to dictate the terms on both sides of the ball. On defense, that has resulted in minimal scoring opportunities and the inability for KU's opponents to move the ball. Offensively, the Bears have been able to get into a groove with their run game along while minimizing giveaways.

This week presents another challenge that head coach Jim Clements and his team are eager to attack. Charleston (10-1), champions of the Mountain East Conference, are coming off a high-scoring affair in a 52-44 first round victory over New Haven last Saturday. The Golden Eagles have had their way on offense all year, topping 50 points in 6-of-11 games and averaging 45.2 points per game, fifth best in NCAA Division II.

Like Virginia Union, Charleston prefers to push the pace on the ground, where it averages 227.0 yards per game. Lead back Chavon Wright has put up 1,394 yards and 20 touchdowns, including 163 yards and a career-high six TDs against the Chargers last week.

Kutztown's defense has risen to the occasion time and time again. During a three-game stretch from Oct. 7-21, they didn't allow a touchdown. They've only yielded two in the last two playoff games combined. The Maroon and Gold limited Slippery Rock to 47 yards rushing in the PSAC Championship game and contained All-American running back Jada Byers last week. Byers ended up going over 100 yards, but half of those came on the opening drive of the second half with KU already in command, 35-7.

With NCAA DII's eighth-best scoring defense (14.0 ppg), 10th-best total defense (255.9 ypg) and 15th-best rushing defense (89.0 ypg), Kutztown is a known commodity on that side of the ball.

The offensive efficiency in recent weeks make the Golden Bears one of the most dangerous teams still playing and a tough out. Some hiccups during the same three-game stretch when the defense was lights out saw Kutztown score just nine points on a rain-soaked day against Shippensburg, seven points in a gritty road win at Lock Haven and 17 points against a reeling Millersville squad.

Any lingering doubts about whether the offense could do its part to complement the defense seem to be hushed. All-PSAC East First Team running back Darryl Davis-McNeil (Roslyn, Pa./Abington) is healthy and carrying the load behind a bruising offensive line. Davis-McNeil has carried the ball 51 times in the last two games (25+ times in each) and has 241 yards and three TDs to show for it.

Quarterback Judd Novak (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central), the PSAC East Freshman of the Year, is keeping opposing defenses off balance with his dual-threat capabilities. Novak has rushed for 60+ yards in three of his last four games, but also has multiple TD passes in three straight games. Kutztown protected the ball well once again in the win over Virginia Union and has not committed a turnover in four games.

Saturday's game, which kicks off at 1 p.m., at UC Stadium at Laidley Field marks the first-ever meeting between the Golden Bears and Golden Eagles. This will be Kutztown's second consecutive first time opponent and its third consecutive nationally ranked opponent. KU has never won three games in a row over ranked opponents.

The Golden Bears improved to 4-5 all-time in NCAA playoff games with last week's win and are looking to win two games in the same postseason for the first time in program history. With a win, KU would tie a school record for wins in a season, set the program record for consecutive wins in a season and advance to the national quarterfinals for the second time in three seasons (2021).

Charleston is the No. 2 seed in Super Region One, while Kutztown is the No. 3 seed. The winner will face either No. 1 seed Tiffin or No. 4 seed Slippery Rock for the Super Region One title and a spot in the national semifinals on Saturday, Dec. 2.