Stats
Video
Audio
Kutztown Game Notes
NCAA DII Bracket

KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Two teams that have never met on the gridiron will square off in an NCAA Division II First Round matchup Saturday, as the 17th-ranked Kutztown University football team hosts No. 19 Tiffin University at 12:05 p.m. at Andre Reed Stadium.
 
The Golden Bears (10-1 overall) are back in the NCAA playoffs for the second straight year and 2019 marks the Golden Bears' fourth appearance all-time (2010, 2011, 2018, 2019). KU was defeated by Hillsdale, 40-26, in last year's opening round.
 
KU is the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division champions and look to win its first NCAA playoff game since a 17-14 victory over Concord back on Nov. 19, 2011. Kutztown is the No. 2 seed Super Region One and hosts the No. 7 seed Dragons (9-1), who are making their first appearance in the big dance.
 
Kutztown started 10-0 this year for the first time in program history before falling to eighth-ranked Slippery Rock, 37-35, in the PSAC Championship game last Saturday. KU had a successful week off the field this week as a program-record 14 student-athletes were selected to All-PSAC East teams, including East Player of the Year Collin DiGalbo (Secane, Pa./Monsignor Bonner) and Coach of the Year Jim Clements.
 
DiGalbo ranks among the leaders in Super Region One in total offense (298.7 yards per game) and completion percentage (66.8%), which is good for third behind Slippery Rock's Roland Rivers III and Shepherd's Tyson Bagent in both categories. The four-year starter is also fourth in SR1 in passing efficiency at 172.3 and seventh in passing touchdowns with a career-high 26. DiGalbo is five yards shy of a new single-season career-high for passing yards, having already thrown for 2,465 in nine games (246.5 per game).
 
Fellow fifth-year senior running back and PSAC First-Teamer Abdul-Hassan Neblett (Newark, N.J./Paramus Catholic) is second in SR1 with 7.57 yards per carry and 13th with 11 rushing touchdowns. He needs just 61 yards to become the 10th Golden Bear to rush for 1,000 in a season all-time and first since Craig Reynolds (Willow Grove, Pa./Abington) in 2016. Neblett and DiGalbo have combined for 21 of KU's single-season record 31 rushing scores this season. DiGalbo's 33 career rushing TDs are two short of tying Reynolds' career program record of 35.
 
Kutztown is the top team in SR1 in third down conversion rate at 52.2%. The Golden Bears rank tied for first in fewest interceptions thrown (five) and turnovers gained (29), second in turnover margin (1.55), third in kickoff returns (25.6 yards per return), tied for third in passes intercepted (17), fourth in completion percentage (64.8%), fourth in passing efficiency (163.76), tied for fourth in fumble recoveries (12), fifth in scoring defense (17.6 ppg allowed), fifth in total defense (308.8 ypg allowed), sixth in rushing defense (99.9 yards allowed per game), seventh in rushing offense (192.3 ypg), eighth in scoring offense (37.5 ppg) and eighth in total offense (446.9 ypg).
 
Tiffin will bring a 9-1 record into Saturday's meeting, and an eight-game win streak. The Dragons went 7-0 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference and captured the league title with a 52-45 victory at Findlay this past Saturday. Hillsdale, KU's First Round opponent last season, also came out of the GMAC.
 
Kutztown's defense has another challenge in front of it as the Dragons are averaging 44.4 points per game, third best in SR1, and feature the super region's top overall and rushing offense at 518.3 yards and 249.0 yards per game, respectively.
 
Redshirt junior running back JaQuan Hardy was the top rusher in the GMAC with 1,405 yards (140.5 per game) and is tops in SR1 with 7.89 yards per carry. Tiffin, which is in the NCAA DII playoff field for the first time in school history, is far from one-dimensional, however. Dragon QB Nick Watson has thrown for 2,614 yards and 28 touchdowns and his top target, WR Stanley Jackson Jr., leads the super region with 121.4 receiving yards per game. Jackson also ranks second in SR1 with 1,093 total receiving yards.
 
Saturday will mark Kutztown's fourth home NCAA playoff game all-time. The Golden Bears are 1-2 at Andre Reed Stadium in the postseason, with a 17-14 win over Concord in the 2011 First Round, and losses to Shepherd (41-34; 2010 First Round) and Hillsdale (2018).