#18 KUTZTOWN at #15 IUP SATURDAY, SEPT. 11, 2021 | 2:00 PM || FRANK CIGNETTI FIELD AT GEORGE P. MILLER STADIUM | INDIANA, PA.
GAME COVERAGE
VIDEO	LIVE STATS	KUTZTOWN GAME NOTES

KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Coming off a dominant season-opening win over Assumption, the No. 18 Kutztown University football team heads to No. 15 IUP for a nationally-ranked matchup on Saturday, Sept. 11.

SETTING THE STAGE

• Kutztown puts NCAA Division II's third-longest road winning streak on the line Saturday in a nationally-ranked matchup against the IUP Crimson Hawks. The Golden Bears have won 14 straight away from Andre Reed Stadium following a 27-21 defeat at West Chester, Sept. 30, 2017. Only Minnesota State (19) and Ferris State (16) have longer road streaks of success.
• Though Kutztown and IUP each boast extensive football histories, this is just the 13th meeting between the two sides all-time and the first since 2015. KU's 34-33 come-from-behind victory in 2015 stands as its only win at IUP in the series.
• The Maroon and Gold blanked Assumption 19-0 in their 2021 opener last Saturday, marking the program's first season-opening shutout since 2010 against Saint Anselm (41-0) and its first shutout overall since 2018 against Lock Haven, also by a 41-0 score.

LAST TIME WE MET
Chad Barton hit Kellen Williams with a 63-yard touchdown pass in the final six minutes for the go-ahead score and Zack Delp came up with a huge third-down sack with IUP driving as the defense stood tall for a 34-33 Golden Bear victory, Sept. 12, 2015.

Kutztown's triumph was just its second in the all-time series against nine defeats and a tie, but it was also the Bears' second straight win over the Crimson Hawks.

Barton threw for 406 yards and three TDs, while Williams caught 10 passes for 219 yards and a pair of scores. Williams' single-game receiving yardage total still ranks second in program history. Not to be ignored, Kodi Reed pulled in six catches for 153 yards and a TD.

Jake Perry (12 tackles) and Delp (10 tackles, 1.0 sack, 1.5 TFL) led the defense.

WELCOME BACK
Kutztown University returned to the gridiron for the first time in 644 days when it opened the 2021 season against non-conference rival Assumption University on Sept. 4. The Golden Bears' 2020 season was canceled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, marking the first time since 1945 (World War II) without KU football. The Maroon and Gold are hungrier than ever to repeat their 2019 success, which included an 11-2 record, PSAC East championship and trip to the second round of the NCAA Division II Football Championship tournament.

KU NATIONALLY-RANKED
For the first time since 2012, Kutztown entered a season in the NCAA Division II Top 25. The Golden Bears, who finished the 2019 season 16th in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Coaches' Top 25 Poll, ranked 20th in the organization's 2021 Preseason Top 25 Poll. KU also held the No. 16 ranking in the D2football.com Preseason Top 25.

SOME OLD, MANY NEW
There are familiar names throughout Kutztown's 2021 roster, but many more you may not yet know --the result of last year's canceled season. Fifteen players made their KU debuts last Saturday, including three starters (Devin Hannan (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon), Adam Kase (Wernersville, Pa./Conrad Weiser) and Parker Zimerofsky (Pottsville, Pa./Pottsville)).

TURBER-ORTIZ RECOGNIZED
Senior safety Shawn Turber-Ortiz (Northumberland, Pa./Shikellamy) was recently announced as a D2football.com Second Team Preseason All-American. Turber-Ortiz ranked second on the team in both tackles (79) and interceptions (four) during the 2019 season. He entered 2021 eighth on KU's career interceptions list (13) and tied for 13th all-time in tackles (248).

GOLDEN BEARS PICKED THIRD
Despite running through the PSAC East unbeaten in 2019 (7-0) and advancing to the PSAC championship game, Kutztown was picked third in this year's PSAC East Preseason Coaches Poll. Shepherd received 6-of-7 first-place votes to lead the poll, while West Chester ranked second. The Golden Rams and Golden Bears each picked up one first-place vote.

NOWHERE TO RUN TO, BABY...
...Nowhere to hide. Assumption mustered just 22 rushing yards against the Golden Bears in last week's 19-0 KU victory. It was the fewest rushing yards allowed in game by KU since Cheyney lost 13 yards on the ground Nov. 4, 2017. After one week, Kutztown ranks ninth in the nation in rushing defense.

NICKEL GETS LONG-AWAITED SHOT UNDER CENTER
Graduate student Eric Nickel (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) earned his long-awaited opportunity to lead the Golden Bear offense in 2021. Coming into this season, the Bridgewater, N.J. native had completed 99-of-158 passes for 1,137 yards and 12 touchdowns, while also rushing for 401 yards and six TDs on 65 attempts in 17 games.

Back in 2018, Nickel won a pair of PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the Week awards and set the school record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 141 at Millersville.

IMPRESSIVE DEBUTS
Pressed into action with Eric Nickel (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) ailing, redshirt sophomore quarterback Donny Blaine (Jefferson Township, Pa./North Pocono) looked every bit a veteran in completing 11-of-13 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown in KU's win over Assumption.

Blaine wasn't the only Golden Bear to impress in his first game. Junior college transfer running back Zaire Jones (Salem, N.J./Salem) carried four times for 34 yards, including a long of 19 yards. Left guard Parker Zimerofsky (Pottsville, Pa./Pottsville) and right tackle Adam Kase (Wernersville, Pa./Conrad Weiser) both drew their first career starts, while Jake Davis (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) and Domenico Italiani (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic) combined on a sack.

UP NEXT
Kutztown returns to Andre Reed Stadium next Saturday, Sept. 18, to face Seton Hill on Family Day. The Golden Bears and Griffins have only met twice previously. Seton Hill claimed the inaugural game between the two, 44-22, in 2016, but Kutztown answered back with authority, romping 62-17 in 2017. Kickoff is slated for 12:05 p.m.