SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – Kutztown has no plans to turn over its reign atop the PSAC East anytime soon.
 
The Golden Bears delivered that message to 10th-ranked Shepherd sternly Saturday afternoon in the league opener for both teams, parlaying big plays into a 37-29 victory at Ram Stadium.
 
Despite their status as the defending East champion, Kutztown was picked third in this year's preseason poll behind both Shepherd and West Chester. Jim Clements' team has battled through some early season ups-and-downs and injuries in key position, but make no mistake, the Golden Bears will fight for each other every day, every down.
 
Kutztown entered Saturday's game with one of the top defenses, not only in the PSAC, but in NCAA Division II, while the Rams, led by Harlon Hill hopeful quarterback Tyson Bagent, featured the top passing offense in DII and one of the nation's most proficient offenses overall at 509.0 yards per game.
 
The Golden Bears got the ball first, driving into Shepherd's red zone on the strength of a 15-yard Jordan Davis (Franklin, N.J./Saint Joseph Metuchen) run and 20-yard hookup between quarterback Eric Nickel (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) and wide receiver Mason McElroy (Reading, Pa./Wilson). The Rams (3-1, 0-1) tightened up defensively, but Dean Krcic's (Saylorsburg, Pa./Pleasant Valley) career-long 37-yard field goal gave the visitors an early 3-0 lead.
 
Shepherd left no doubt about its game plan on its opening possession. Bagent completed his first six passes and all nine plays the Rams ran were of the passing variety, the last of which was a five-yard scoring strike to Greg Leonard.
 
The Bears (3-1, 1-0) answered swiftly when Nickel stepped up in the pocket on 3rd-and-7 from the KU 28 and hit a streaking Jerome Kapp (Barto, Pa./Boyertown) behind the defense for a 72-yard TD that put Kutztown back in front 10-7.
 
Following a 13-play drive deep into Kutztown territory, Shepherd lined up for a 22-yard game-tying field goal by Hayden August-Scriven from the left hash, but the Maroon and Gold had other ideas. Kutztown got a great push off the right end and Nick Palmer (Montville, N.J./Bergen Catholic) blocked the kick. Antaun Lloyd (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) scooped it up and took it back 87 yards to the house to increase the Golden Bear lead to 17-7.
 
The blocked field goal return for a touchdown was KU's first since Ahkee Cox-Cowan's 74-yarder at Shippensburg in 2018.
 
Bagent's second TD toss of the afternoon went to Alex Wetzel from eight yards out bringing the Rams back within three, but Shepherd's defense couldn't get off the field on Kutztown's next possession. The Bears replied with a 13-play, 75-yard drive totaling 6:21 that was capped by a 1-yard Nickel TD plunge. Kutztown would take a 24-14 lead to halftime.
 
While the Rams potent offense got into the end zone again on its first possession of the second half, Kutztown dug in, got a stop the next time Bagent and Co. hit the field and the offense turned it into another touchdown drive, restoring its two-score lead.
 
In the latter stages of the third quarter, Nickel rolled right before firing a laser to Jake Novak (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) in the back of the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown pass that made it 31-21 Golden Bears with 1:07 left.
 
Kutztown's defense continued to make plays when it counted. Lloyd intercepted Bagent on the first play of the fourth quarter, though most of his 42-yard return inside the Ram 10 was wiped out due to an illegal block. The Golden Bears would start from their own side of the field and couldn't get anything going, but a booming 50-yard punt from Krcic helped flip the field.
 
The Golden Bears forced a three-and-out from the hosts before putting the game away with a 15-play, 85-yard drive that ended with an 11-yard Darryl Davis-McNeil (Roslyn, Pa./Abington) touchdown run. The point after was no good, leaving KU with a 37-21 advantage and just 2:49 remaining.
 
Shepherd closed within eight on a Bagent 2-yard TD pass to Jonathan Moss with 1:14 to go, but Mason McElroy (Reading, Pa./Wilson) smothered August-Scriven's onside kick attempt and Kutztown ran out the clock.
 
With Saturday's win, Kutztown has now delivered Shepherd each of its last two defeats at Ram Stadium. The Bears emerged with a 34-27 victory back in 2019 on their way to the PSAC East title.
 
It also marked KU's first-ever regular season triumph over a top 10 nationally-ranked team. The Bears previous highest-ranked regular season win came over No. 12 Bloomsburg back in the 2011 PSAC championship season, though Kutztown did go on to defeat No. 6 Concord, 17-14, in the first round of the NCAA Division II Championship that year.
 
Nickel finished 20-of-28 for 250 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Eight different receivers benefitted from his efficiency with at least one catch. Kapp's only grab went for 72 yards and a score, but was enough to lead the team in receiving yardage. McElroy tied a career-high with six receptions for 71 yards. Ironically, his previous six-catch game was at Shepherd in 2019.
 
KU also ran the ball effectively by committee with Davis, Davis-McNeil and Zaire Jones (Salem, N.J./Salem) each rushing for over 40 yards.
 
Shawn Turber-Ortiz (Northumberland, Pa./Shikellamy) had a team-high eight tackles. Lloyd, Justin Harris (Deptford, N.J./Salem), Kam Wolfe (Reading, Pa./Governor Mifflin) and Tyler Whary (Hereford, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) (2.0 TFL) were in close pursuit with six apiece. Lloyd enjoyed his best game as a Golden Bear, though, with the blocked field goal return for a score, an interception and a pass breakup.
 
Bagent completed 42-of-51 passes for 398 yards, four TDs and an interception en route to setting a school-record for completions in a game. Moss hauled in 12 of those for 108 yards and a score, while Josh Gontarek made five catches for 98 yards.
 
Kutztown will look to extend its PSAC East winning streak to 10 games next Saturday when it welcomes East Stroudsburg to Andre Reed Stadium for a 12:05 p.m. kickoff.