KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- No. 8 Slippery Rock scored 16 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, including a go-ahead eight-yard touchdown run from Charles Snorweah with 25 seconds left, to beat No. 13 Kutztown, 37-35, in the PSAC Championship game Saturday afternoon at Andre Reed Stadium.

Two of the nation's premiere offenses and defenses --and the only remaining unbeatens in Super Region One entering play-- traded blows throughout the afternoon in a game that lived up to its pregame billing.

Kutztown (10-1) found the end zone on five straight possessions spanning the second and third quarters to build a 35-21 lead on Collin DiGalbo's (Secane, Pa./Monsignor Bonner) three-yard TD run with 8:20 left in the third, but Slippery Rock's defense stepped up when called upon, forcing the Golden Bears into a turnover on downs and three punts the rest of the way.

On The Rock's possession following DiGalbo's score, which was KU's single-season program record 31st on the ground, Nyiem Nevarez (Effort, Pa./Pleasant Valley) stepped in front of an underthrown ball from Roland Rivers III and intercepted it at the KU 13. DiGalbo found a gaping hole and busted off a 53-yard run four plays later to set the Maroon and Gold up just outside the red zone.

A 16-yard pass from DiGalbo to Jack Pilkerton (La Plata, Md./La Plata) on 4th-and-10 that would have put KU at the Slippery Rock six was negated by holding and Jalen Dangerfield knocked the ball loose from wide receiver Diego Torres (York, Pa./West York) on 4th-and-20 to keep the Bears from going up by three scores.

Rivers III found Max Maciejewski for 30 yards to the KU 5 on the first play of the fourth, but Kutztown protected the goal line with a pair of tackles for loss on second and third downs to force a 4th-and-goal from the 7. SRU's Harlon Hill candidate and NCAA Division II's leader in passing efficiency, Rivers III, saw his pass to Jermaine Wynn Jr. fall incomplete, but The Rock got new life when the Golden Bears were flagged for pass interference.

Two plays later, Rivers III found DeSean Dinkins matched up against a linebacker and hit his speedy running back for a 2-yard TD pass in the back left corner of the end zone to make it 35-28 and cap a 12-play, 68-yard drive.

The Rock (11-0) were driving again following a KU three-and-out, but Earl Volz (Philadelphia, Pa./Father Judge) knocked the ball loose from Rivers III on a fourth-down run at the KU 18 and Nevarez recovered with 6:22 left in the fourth.

Kutztown couldn't take advantage, however. Wynn Jr. gave a disputable arm wave on Dean Krcic's (Saylorsburg, Pa./Pleasant Valley) ensuing 37-yard punt to the SRU 30, but it wasn't called a fair catch and Wynn Jr. took the return 59 yards to the Golden Bear 11. KU's red zone defense held firm and forced a Jake Chapla 31-yard field goal that brought The Rock within four.

Another three-and-out by the hosts left Rivers III and company 65 yards away with 2:06 remaining. Passes of 10 yards to Henry Litwin and 17 to Wynn Jr. around a Snorweah 12-yard run took The Rock into the red zone. Snorweah would finish off the drive with an eight-yard TD run in the final half minute.

Nevarez took Chapla's kick back 36 yards to the KU 37, before Pilkerton hauled in a pair of DiGalbo passes totaling 29 yards to move the Golden Bears to the SRU 34 with two seconds to go. Kutztown opted to attempt a 51-yard field goal into a stiff wind for the victory, but it was driven short and The Rock had its first PSAC title since 2015.

Abdul-Hassan Neblett (Newark, N.J./Paramus Catholic) ran 15 times for 141 yards and a pair of second-quarter touchdowns (2 yds. and 12 yds.), leaving the redshirt senior from Newark, New Jersey, 61 yards shy of 1,000 this season. DiGalbo added 92 yards and a score on the ground as Kutztown ate up 237 yards on the ground against a Rock defense that was allowing just 92.7 per game, 15th best in DII.

Pilkerton finished with a carer-high 10 catches for 129 yards and two scores. The 6-foot-3 tight end from La Plata, Maryland, opened the scoring with an 8-yard TD reception late in the first quarter and added a 13-yard TD catch in the final minute of the first half to give KU a 28-21 lead at the break.

Kutztown got another terrific performance from DiGalbo, who could also garner serious Harlon Hill consideration from Super Region One. The fifth-year senior quarterback completed 21-of-32 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns while finishing eight yards shy of 100 on the ground. The Golden Bears' 464 yards of total offense were the second most allowed by Slippery Rock this season.

Rivers III threw for 302 yards and four TDs while completing 28 of his 41 attempts to earn game MVP honors. Litwin secured eight targets for 105 yards and two of those TDs. Wynn Jr. caught nine passes for 85 yards and a score. Dinkins (76 yards), Snorweah (62) and Rivers III (53) all topped 50 yards on the ground as SRU ran for 184 yards and produced 486 yards of offense --both season-highs against the Golden Bears.

Nevarez registered both takeaways for KU, which was making its fourth PSAC Championship game appearance all-time and hosting for the first time since 2011, when it defeated Slippery Rock, 21-14. Ahkee Cox-Cowan (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg) and Amani Justice (Salem, N.J./Salem) had nine tackles to lead the KU defense and Eric Miller (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) registered the game's only sack.

Selvin Haynes had seven tackles to pace The Rock. Chad Kuhn and Khadir Roberts followed with six apiece --Kuhn picking up one for loss-- and Shane Schuback had five, including one for loss.

Along with its 12th all-time PSAC title, Slippery Rock likely clinched the top spot in Super Region One ahead of the NCAA Division II Football Championship selection show as the super region's only unbeaten team. The Golden Bears are likely ticketed for a First Round home game next Saturday when the field is unveiled at 5 p.m. Sunday on NCAA.com.