INDIANA, Pa. – In a nationally-ranked matchup between two top-20 teams, the No. 18 Kutztown University football team had its comeback effort fall short, falling to No. 15 Indiana (Pa.) 29-26 Saturday afternoon in a non-conference game.
 
The Golden Bears (1-1 overall) had their 14-game road win streak snapped. It was the third-longest in NCAA Division II behind Minnesota State (19) and Ferris State (16).
 
Kutztown trailed 29-19 with 6:30 remaining, before Jerome Kapp (Barto, Pa./Boyertown) caught a 22-yard pass from Eric Nickel (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) and ran it in to cut the deficit to just three with 3:45 to go. That was Kapp's second touchdown reception on the day, finishing with six catches for 160 yards.
 
The KU defense got a stop on the ensuing Crimson Hawks (1-0) possession, but, after picking up one first down on the final drive, could not get past midfield, as a sack of Nickel ended the comeback effort.
 
Jordan Davis (Franklin, N.J./Saint Joseph Metuchen) scored the game's opening touchdown with 6:02 left in the opening quarter when he found pay dirt from 11 yards out for the only score of the quarter. IUP answered in the second quarter thanks to a three-yard touchdown catch by Irvin Charles from Javon Davis at the 11:34 mark for the only score of the second quarter as the two teams went into halftime tied 7-7.
 
Jeremiah Nelson (Jamaica, N.Y./Holy Cross) tallied his first career touchdown for KU late in the third quarter off a five-yard pass by Donny Blaine (Jefferson Township, Pa./North Pocono), and Kutztown found itself ahead 13-7 heading into the final quarter. The Hawks took a 14-13 lead just three seconds into the fourth quarter, but a 49-yard pass from Blaine to Kapp gave KU the lead right back, leading 19-14 with 12:28 left. IUP would score on its next two possessions however, including a two-point conversion after the first touchdown, and then kept KU out of the end zone on its final drive to win its season opener.
 
Blaine completed 13-out-of-25 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns, but was intercepted three times. Davis finished with 111 yards on 16 carries and Nelson added 62 yards on seven attempts. Defensively, Amani Justice (Salem, N.J./Salem) led KU with nine tackles.
 
Kutztown returns home to face Seton Hill University next Saturday, Sept. 18, at 12:05 p.m., for Family Day at Andre Reed Stadium.