LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – One week after rushing for 234 yards in rainy conditions, 25th-ranked Kutztown figured why not try it again?
 
They did, and the results were even better. Darryl Davis-McNeil (Roslyn, Pa./Abington) ran for a career-high 148 yards and a score as the Golden Bears punished Lock Haven with a season-high 241 yards and three scores on the ground in a 32-15 PSAC East road victory.
 
Having lost its last 12 games to the Golden Bears, Lock Haven went to its bag of tricks in search of a Homecoming boost by attempting an onside kick on the opening kickoff. The Bald Eagles recovered, but the ball didn't travel the required 10 yards and they had to kick again.
 
Davis-McNeil, getting the start at running back, carried six times for 37 yards and caught a pass for seven yards on a determined first drive for KU. The redshirt junior from Roslyn, Pa., capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run for a 6-0 Golden Bear lead.
 
Kutztown (7-1, 5-0 PSAC East) was poised to enter the red zone on their second possession when Zaire Jones (Salem, N.J./Salem) took a handoff 40 yards on the first play, but Levi Engle forced the ball loose and Lock Haven's Monte Jones recovered at his own 18.
 
The Bald Eagles couldn't convert the turnover into points, however, turning the ball over on downs just outside the Kutztown red zone when Amani Justice (Salem, N.J./Salem) hurried LHU quarterback Jadin Goodman into an incomplete pass on 4th-and-5 at the KU 21.
 
The first quarter ended with the visitors still out in front, 6-0, marking the fourth straight scoreless quarter for KU's opponents going back to last week's 20-3 win over Shippensburg.
 
Lock Haven finally broke through early in the second after starting from the Golden Bears' 44, using a 42-yard run from DeAn Wakefield to set up a 2-yard touchdown pass from Ethan Persa to Isia Gonzalez. Hunter Hess added the extra point to put Lock Haven up 7-6.
 
The lead changed hands again with 3:56 remaining in the first half when Eric Nickel (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) tossed a 5-yard pass to Kurtis Ravenel Jr. (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle) for his first career touchdown reception. A failed two-point try made it 12-7 KU.
 
Nickel directed an efficient two-minute drill, hooking up with Derek Anderson (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills) for 39 yards to the LHU 21 and Jake Novak (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) for 20 more a yard shy of the goal line, before finishing an 8-play, 76-yard drive himself with a 1-yard TD run. The drive lasted just 1:06 and extended the Bears lead to 19-7 at the half.
 
Davis-McNeil went back to work in the second half, gaining six, two and 19 yards on three straight carries that helped open the pass in the process. Two plays later, Nickel hit Novak down the seam for a 44-yard touchdown and a 25-7 advantage.
 
Kutztown maintained its 18-point edge well into the fourth quarter before the Bald Eagles (1-7,  0-5) got back on the board with a 9-yard TD pass from Persa to Dante Graham and a successful two-point conversion to make it 25-15 with 8:20 to go.
 
Davis-McNeil had proven his trustworthiness throughout the game, so the Bears game plan circled back to him in crunch time and he responded. He followed LHU's touchdown with a 7-yard burst and then ripped off a season-long 45-yarder down to the Bald Eagle 27. He carried once more for 10 yards, before Zaire Jones (Salem, N.J./Salem) spelled him with three carries for 17 yards, the last of which was a 10-yard scoring run.
 
The bulk of Kutztown's rushing yardage came from the duo. Davis-McNeil ran 16 times –one off his career-high—for 148 yards and averaged 9.3 yards per carry (YPC), while Jones picked up 59 yards on four attempts for 14.8 YPC.
 
Nickel was a solid 14-of-20 for 182 yards and two touchdowns passing, while Novak led the receivers with three catches for 69 yards.
 
Justice continued to tackle anything in sight, tying a career-high with 11 and recording his fourth straight game with double-figure tackles. He also combined on a sack and had a quarterback hurry. Nigel Wilson (Bound Brook, N.J./Bound Brook) sacked Persa twice on the afternoon, while Nick Palmer (Montville, N.J./Bergen Catholic) had seven tackles, Tyler Whary (Hereford, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) six (1.5 for loss), Chris Thomas (Norwood, Pa./Interboro) five (2.0 for loss) and Domenico Italiani (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic) five.
 
Kutztown outgained Lock Haven 423-243 overall and operated at better than 50% on third down (5-of-11), while holding the Bald Eagles to a combined 3-of-16 on third and fourth downs. The Golden Bears won their 13th consecutive PSAC East game and 13th in a row over LHU.
 
Persa threw for 173 yards and two scores on 20-of-31 passing for Lock Haven. It was necessary because the Kutztown defense once again shut down the run. Wakefield collected nine totes for 74 yards, but with the help of four sacks, the Golden Bears held the Bald Eagles to just 58 yards rushing.
 
The Golden Bears will host their own Homecoming game next Saturday when Millersville visits Andre Reed Stadium for a 2:05 p.m. start. Kutztown is riding a similar wave of success against the Marauders with 10 straight wins in the series going back to 2010.