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Scoreboard

Kutztown Football 2021 PSAC Champions vs. Slippery Rock 11/13/21
Patrick Blain
32
Slippery Rock ROCK 9-2
38
Winner Kutztown KUTZ 10-1
Slippery Rock ROCK
9-2
32
Final
38
Kutztown KUTZ
10-1
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
ROCK Slippery Rock 10 7 3 12 32
KUTZ Kutztown 7 17 0 14 38

Game Recap: Football | | Matt Heffelfinger, Sports Information Director

PSAC CHAMPIONS! No. 16 Golden Bears run their way to second title, 38-32, over No. 10 Slippery Rock

KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Jeremiah Nelson (Jamaica, N.Y./Holy Cross) rushed for a career-high 223 yards and 16th-ranked Kutztown approached 400 on the ground overall as the Golden Bears celebrated the 10th anniversary of their last Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) championship by adding a second trophy with Saturday afternoon's 38-32 victory over 10th-ranked Slippery Rock at Andre Reed Stadium.
 
Nelson and the Golden Bears stampeded their way into the record books with a "do whatever it takes" attitude that has defined this team all season long. The redshirt senior from Jamaica, N.Y., carried 23 times, with runs of 68 and 61 yards highlighting a MVP performance that goes down as the fifth-highest single game rushing total in team history.
 
Quarterback Eric Nickel (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) got in on the action with a 50-yard touchdown run and 74 total yards, while Jordan Davis (Franklin, N.J./Saint Joseph Metuchen) ran for 66 yards and Zaire Jones (Salem, N.J./Salem) 35 as part of Kutztown's (10-1) 389-yard ground attack, the program's fourth-most rushing yards in a game all-time.
 
The KU defense made a number of timely stops and limited the damage from a dangerous Rock offense when faced with short fields multiple times. Justin Harris (Deptford, N.J./Salem) intercepted Noah Grover twice, including an incredible one-handed snag in the end zone. Chris Thomas (Norwood, Pa./Interboro) registered a third pick against the North Dakota transfer, who had thrown for 905 yards and 12 touchdowns since being inserted as the starter prior to SRU's Oct. 30 game at Gannon.
 
The Rock (9-2) forced Kutztown into a 3-and-out on its opening possession before striking first in a rematch of the 2019 PSAC title game. DJ Opsatnik finished off a 7-play, 44-yard drive with a 32-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead at 10:19 of the first quarter.
 
KU wasted no time offering its reply. Nickel swung a pass out to the right side to leading receiver Jerome Kapp (Barto, Pa./Boyertown) and the Boyertown grad busted through a seem, outracing the defense to the end zone for an 84-yard score.
   
The lead would change hands twice more with Tim Smith running in from four yards out late in the first quarter to put The Rock back on top 10-7 and Nickel breaking off his 50-yard TD run early in the second to make it 14-10 Golden Bears.
   
It didn't take long for the Maroon and Gold to increase their lead, getting a 3-and-out from the defense and going back to the ground for big yards. Jordan Davis (Franklin, N.J./Saint Joseph Metuchen) opened the drive with a 41-yard gain to the SRU 32 and Nelson went for 21 yards to the 11 with a few more tacked on for a personal foul. Nelson, the bruising tailback, took it in for a 5-yard score on the next play from scrimmage and Nick Coppolino (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage) added the extra point for a 21-10 KU lead.
 
Slippery Rock, the three-time defending PSAC West champions and reigning league champions, kept the pressure on as expected. Grover connected with tight end Max Maciejewski for a 29-yard touchdown pass with 9:04 to play in the first half, answering Kutztown's score and trimming the Bears' lead to 21-17.
 
Wind and rain played a factor throughout the first half and it caught up to the Golden Bears in the form of a muffed punt at the midway point of the second quarter. Slippery Rock long snapper Josh George recovered the ball at the KU 13 to set his team up with a prime scoring opportunity, but redshirt junior cornerback Justin Harris (Deptford, N.J./Salem) got it right back for KU, making a one-handed interception of a Grover pass intended for Cinque Sweeting in the end zone.
   
Kutztown eventually turned Harris' takeaway into the final points of the half as Coppolino converted a field goal try of 23 yards with 3:30 remaining to cap a 6-play, 74-yard drive and make it 24-17.
 
The half's final three minutes and change were not devoid of drama, however, as the Golden Bears committed two more giveaways with another muffed punt and an interception. The defense did its job, forcing a turnover on downs after the muffed punt and responding to the pick with a half-ending strip sack by Togba Jallah-Porte II (Collingdale, Pa./Academy Park).
 
On Slippery Rock's first offensive play of the second half, Smith broke free for 69 yards down to set up 1st-and-goal from the KU 7. There was no panic from the Bears though. Amani Justice (Salem, N.J./Salem) met Smith in the backfield for a four-yard loss and the defense stood tall as The Rock had to settle for Opsatnik's second field goal of the day, this one from 26 yards.
 
The only blemish on Nelson's massive day came on the next drive when he tried to leap into the end zone from two yards out. SRU linebacker Tim Vernick met him in the air, forced the ball loose and Selvin Haynes recovered at The Rock's 1-yard line to deflate a 14-play drive that had eaten up nearly seven minutes.
 
Kutztown carried a 24-20 lead to the fourth and got another huge defensive play from Thomas, who picked off Grover at the SRU 46 and returned it all the way to the 28. Jones provided a 25-yard scamper down to the SRU 4 and Nickel would push the pile forward for a 1-yard TD run that pushed the Bears' advantage to 31-20 with 13:17 to go.
 
It was a familiar spot for KU, which led by 14 entering the fourth quarter of the 2019 PSAC Championship game against the same opponent before dropping a 37-35 heartbreaker. This time, the Golden Bears weren't going to be denied.
 
After trading punts, Harris intercepted Grover at the KU 34 along the visiting sideline for his second pick of the day.
 
Kutztown went back to feeding Nelson from there. The Temple transfer got three straight carries and made the magic happen on the third, going 61 yards –the last 10 with Haynes draped on his back—to the house for a 38-20 lead with 6:17 left.
   
Smith scored on a 2-yard run with 3:35 to play to make it 38-26 and Henry Litwin caught a 17-yard TD pass in the final minute as The Rock closed within one score, but Opsatnik's onside kick went out of bounds and KU ran out the clock for its first PSAC crown since 2011 and second in program history.
 
Nelson was the unanimous choice for MVP with 23 carries for 223 yards and two touchdowns. Kapp caught two passes for 96 yards and a score, all in the first quarter. The Golden Bears threw the ball just 11 times, instead opting to keep pounding the ball on the ground. And who could argue? Kutztown attempted 54 runs for 389 yards, averaging 7.2 yards per carry on the day.
 
Defensively, Kyle Sapp (Westampton, N.J./Rancocas Valley Regional) had eight tackles (1.5 TFL) and a sack, and Justice added eight tackles (1.5 for loss) and a quarterback hurry. Tyler Whary (Hereford, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) added seven stops, while Thomas and Tom Griese (Dover, N.J./Morris Knolls) both enjoyed strong games with six tackles and a QB hurry.
 
Grover completed 29-of-49 passes for 298 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions for The Rock, which saw its 11-game road winning streak halted.
 
Smith rushed 16 times for 125 yards and two scores as Slippery Rock snapped a run of five straight games for the Golden Bears holding opponents under 100 yards rushing. It's just the second time in 11 games this season that KU has allowed a team to surpass the century mark. Litwin had 11 catches for 112 yards and a TD.

Prior to the game, KU recognized its 19 senior team members: Derek Anderson (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills), Christian Bermudez (Thorndale, Pa./Coatesville), Tyler Boger (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin East), Tyler Borg (Lititz, Pa./Lititz Christian), Keagan Harvin (Williamstown, N.J./Saint Joseph), Togba Jallah-Porte II (Collingdale, Pa./Academy Park), Amani Justice (Salem, N.J./Salem), Dean Krcic (Saylorsburg, Pa./Pleasant Valley), Luke Lozowicki (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown), Mason McElroy (Reading, Pa./Wilson), Ryan Meyers (Hellertown, Pa./Saucon Valley), Jeremiah Nelson (Jamaica, N.Y./Holy Cross), Eric Nickel (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan), Nick Palmer (Montville, N.J./Bergen Catholic), Alexander Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic), Justin Telemaque (Norristown, Pa./Chestnut Hill Academy), Chris Thomas (Norwood, Pa./Interboro), Shawn Turber-Ortiz (Northumberland, Pa./Shikellamy) and Nick Vasger (Hatfield, Pa./North Penn).

Boger was honored as the PSAC Champion Scholar for the second season in a row and KU's 2021 Athletics Hall of Fame class, which was inducted in a ceremony Friday evening, joined the football team captains and seniors for the coin toss. Returning members of the 2011 PSAC championship football team received a warm welcome at halftime.
 
Saturday's victory essentially locks down Super Region 1's top seed for the Golden Bears in the upcoming NCAA Division II Football Championship. It also gives the Golden Bears their second consecutive 10-win season for just the second time in program history (2010 and 2011). Kutztown is expected to receive a first round bye and host a second round game at Andre Reed Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 27. The 28-team field will be officially announced Sunday evening at 5 p.m., with the selection show carried live at NCAA.com.
 
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE 2021 PSAC CHAMPION KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL TEAM BY ORDERING THE OFFICIAL PSAC STATE CHAMPIONS LONG SLEEVE T-SHIRT FROM THE KU CAMPUS STORE. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE!
 
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