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KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference went a year without football in 2020 due to the pandemic, but this football season looks a lot like the last one did in 2019 to decide the conference. No. 16 Kutztown University hosts No. 10 Slippery Rock in the PSAC Championship game Saturday, Nov. 13, at 12:05 p.m., from Andre Reed Stadium, where KU is a perfect 5-0 this season. It is also senior day for Kutztown.
 
It is a rematch of the title game back in 2019 when the Rock (9-1 overall, 6-1 PSAC West Division) defeated the Golden Bears (9-1, 7-0 East) in a down-to-the-wire, 37-35 game from Andre Reed Stadium.
 
Tickets for Saturday's championship game can be purchased online at the link above, or available to be bought in person at any of the ticket gates.
 
Kutztown enters on an eight-game win streak and was a perfect 7-0 in the East to earn its second straight outright PSAC East Division crown and fifth overall in program history. KU took down West Chester 21-14 last Saturday, Nov. 6, in the regular season finale. Slippery Rock has won three consecutive games and is coming off a 38-26 win over No. 3 California (Pa.) last weekend. The two team's lone loss on the year is to Indiana (Pa.). The Crimson Hawks escaped a home game with Kutztown 29-26 on Sept. 11, and then took care of the Rock 48-21 on the road on Oct. 16.
 
Head coach Jim Clements, in his seventh season at the helm, continues to take the program to new heights as this marks the first time KU will play in consecutive PSAC Championship Games. Clements has posted a 57-21 overall record that includes three unbeaten PSAC East seasons (2021, 2019 and 2016), and his teams have had winning records in all seven seasons under his direction. It is the fourth trip to the PSAC title game in the last decade for KU, with the lone championship coming in 2011.
 
The is the 15th meeting between the two teams, and fifth since 2013, with Slippery Rock owning an 11-3 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to 1984. The Golden Bears are ranked first in Super Region One in the final edition of the NCAA Regional Rankings before the Selection Show on Sunday, Nov. 14, at 5 p.m. The Rock are sixth with seven teams making the field out of the region. KU has made the NCAA Tournament four times in its history, including each of the last two seasons (2018, 2019).
 
KU has the fourth-ranked scoring defense in Division II and tops in the PSAC, allowing just 12.1 points per game. It also ranks eighth in total defense (251.9 yards per game), fifth in rushing defense (71.8 yards per game) and 33rd in passing defense (180.1 yards per game). Tyler Whary (Hereford, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) ranks seventh in the PSAC with 13.5 tackles for loss and also has 4.5 sacks, while Amani Justice (Salem, N.J./Salem) is 10th with 79 total tackles. Togba Jallah-Porte II (Collingdale, Pa./Academy Park) leads the team with 5.5 sacks, while Ryan Meyers (Hellertown, Pa./Saucon Valley) is right behind with five. Antaun Lloyd (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) is tied for second in the PSAC in interceptions (4) and passes defended (11).
 
The Kutztown offense has found success most on the ground this season. KU averages 177.9 rushing yards (third in the PSAC) and 188.2 passing yards for 366.1 total yards, and 25.4 points per game. Five players have at least 60 carries. Darryl Davis-McNeil (Roslyn, Pa./Abington) is the leading rusher at 512 yards and five touchdowns on 78 attempts (6.6 yards per carry). Jordan Davis (Franklin, N.J./Saint Joseph Metuchen) averages 5.1 ypc and has three scores. Zaire Jones (Salem, N.J./Salem) averages 6.5 ypc and Jeremiah Nelson (Jamaica, N.Y./Holy Cross) averages 5.0 ypc. Eric Nickel (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) has 88 carries and leads the team with nine rushing TDs. He is 116-of-198 (59%) for 1,508 yards with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions threw the air. His top target, Jerome Kapp (Barto, Pa./Boyertown), has 35 catches for 662 yards and seven scores.
 
Reigning PSAC East Special Teams Athlete of the Week, senior punter Dean Krcic (Saylorsburg, Pa./Pleasant Valley), is among the best in DII, averaging 43.7 yards per punt.
 
With a win Saturday, Kutztown would position itself to receive the top seed in the region and a First-Round bye with a home playoff game in the Second Round on Saturday, Nov. 27. If KU loses, there is still a good chance at qualifying for the NCAA Tournament, just not a guarantee of a home game.