EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. -- Kutztown University drove 87 yards in 3:56 with the game on the line and got the go-ahead touchdown on a 15-yard connection from quarterback Donny Blaine (Jefferson Township, Pa./North Pocono) to tight end Alex MacKenzie (Sinking Spring, Pa./Conrad Weiser) with 1:46 remaining to defeat East Stroudsburg, 24-20, Saturday at Eiler-Martin Stadium. With the victory, Jim Clements became the program's all-time winningest coach, picking up his 62nd with the Maroon and Gold.
 
The Golden Bears raced out to a 14-0 lead less than five minutes into the second quarter, but just like last year's affair at Andre Reed Stadium, the Warriors refused to go away.
 
East Stroudsburg took its first lead midway through the third and broke a 17-all deadlock on Devin Bartholomew's 25-yard field goal with 5:48 to go, before the Bears answered with their late heroics.
 
Starting from its own 12, KU (3-2, 1-1 PSAC East) went to Darryl Davis-McNeil (Roslyn, Pa./Abington) out of the backfield on three straight plays to move the chains. Later in the drive, Jerome Kapp (Barto, Pa./Boyertown) got separation down the right sideline and Blaine dropped a pass right in his arms for a 46-yard gain into the ESU red zone.
 
On the very next play, Blaine hit MacKenzie on a short out. The Conrad Weiser product broke a tackle at the 10 and evaded another defender at the goal line, leaping into the end zone for the eventual game-winning touchdown.
 
The Warriors (2-3, 1-1 PSAC East) gave themselves a shot when Malachi Bowman returned Nathan Millard's (Birdsboro, Pa./Daniel Boone) kickoff 53 yards into Kutztown territory. Three straight Matt DeLaurentis passes from the Kutztown 10 in the final minute came up empty, however, allowing the visitors to escape with the win.
 
A strong start had KU rolling. Though they didn't score on their opening possession, the Bears forced a 3-and-out when ESU got the ball. The next time the KU offense took the field, they ate up 9:14 of clock, moving 85 yards in 16 plays. Blaine finished the drive with a 10-yard TD run for a 7-0 lead.
 
Linebacker Kam Wolfe (Reading, Pa./Governor Mifflin) intercepted DeLaurentis near midfield on the Warriors' next possession –his first career interception-- and the Bears turned it into six three plays later when Blaine found Kapp for a 49-yard TD pass. Dawson Evitts' (Auburn, Pa./Schuylkill Haven) extra point doubled KU's advantage to 14-0.
 
Bartholomew hit his first of two field goals from 32 yards out to get ESU on the board with 6:08 left in the first half. Less than three minutes later, following a KU turnover, DeLaurentis linked up with John Siggins for a 9-yard TD pass, cutting KU's lead to 14-10 at the half.
 
East Stroudsburg took its first lead of the afternoon, 17-14, on Devante Robinson's 4-yard TD run with 6:42 left in the third. The run concluded an 18-play, 90-yard drive.
 
Evitts put a 35-yard field goal through the uprights early in the fourth to tie the game at 17, before Bartholomew restored the Warriors' edge a little under seven minutes later.
 
Kapp led all players with five receptions for 113 yards. It was the second straight 100-yard receiving game for the graduate student from Barto, Pa., who became the first Golden Bear since Diego Torres in 2019 to produce back-to-back 100-yard performances.
 
Blaine completed 14-of-17 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown. Davis-McNeil ran 17 times for 64 yards and MacKenzie added two catches for 55 yards and a TD.

Defensively, Tyler Whary (Hereford, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) led the way with 11 tackles. Amani Justice (Salem, N.J./Salem) posted nine tackles, including a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss. He also forced a fumble. CJ Brown (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) also had nine tackles and Earl Volz (Philadelphia, Pa./Father Judge) picked up his second sack of the season.
 
Evitts improved to 11-of-11 on extra point attempts by making all three of his chances Saturday.
 
Clements moved past George Baldwin with his 62nd career victory leading the Golden Bears. Baldwin went 61-71-3 in 14 seasons between 1973-83 and 1985-87. Clements, who is 62-24 with KU in his eighth season and 128-48 overall in 16 seasons, also has the highest winning percentage of any coach in program history at .721. KU has enjoyed winning seasons in each of Clements' seven previous seasons, winning PSAC East titles in 2016, 2019 and 2021, a PSAC championship in 2021 and qualifying for the NCAA Division II Championship tournament in 2018, 2019 and 2021.
 
The Golden Bears return home next Saturday, Oct. 8, to face Bloomsburg on Pink Day at Andre Reed Stadium. Kickoff is at noon.
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