KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Kutztown blitzed NCAA Division II's top-ranked rushing defense for 210 yards on the ground and scored the first 28 points on its way to a commanding, 38-14, victory over No. 13 Virginia Union in the first round of the NCAA DII Championship Saturday afternoon at Andre Reed Stadium.
 
The Golden Bears came out on a mission, scoring touchdowns on their first two drives, while holding the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) champion Panthers (10-2) without a first down in the first quarter.
 
Virginia Union's vaunted run defense, yielding just 37.3 yards per game, was not up to the task against Kutztown's (10-2) multiple weapons. Darryl Davis-McNeil (Roslyn, Pa./Abington) logged 25+ carries for the second game in a row, rushing for a team-high 95 yards and a TD, while quarterback Judd Novak (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) accounted for 66 yards on seven attempts (9.4 yards per carry).
 
KU quickly pushed into Panther territory on its second play from scrimmage when Novak linked up with Mekhi Gibson (Ewing, N.J./Ewing) for a 26-yard pass. A 19-yard run from Novak and a pass interference penalty on VUU helped set up a one-yard Davis-McNeil TD run that put the Maroon and Gold in front, 7-0, with 8:53 left in the first.
 
Virginia Union attempted to counter with All-America running back Jada Byers, but Kutztown's defense has been playing lights out all year and entered the game 11th in DII against the run at 83.5 yards allowed per game. The Golden Bears stuffed Byers for one-yard gains on first and second down before forcing a three-and-out.
 
Another big pass, this one registering 29 yards from Novak to Sincere Thomas (Bristol, Pa./Harry S. Truman) down the seam, kickstarted Kutztown's second offensive possession. Gibson finished off the seven-play, 65-yard drive with an eight-yard TD run on a double reverse to double the Bears' lead to 14-0 with 3:09 to go.
 
Kutztown's special teams got in on the fun next when Kam Wolfe (Reading, Pa./Governor Mifflin) blocked a punt and Luke Szabo (Sparta, N.J./Sparta) recovered for a touchdown to make it a three-score game with 43 seconds remaining in the opening stanza. It was the program's first blocked punt for a touchdown since 2018.
 
The Golden Bears capped another scoring drive --this time six plays spanning 70 yards-- on a seven-yard Novak pass to Tyreek Husser (Woodstown, N.J./Woodstown) for a 28-0 lead early in the second quarter.
 
Virginia Union got on the board late in the first half, but the points didn't come against the KU defense. Ephraim Moore blocked a punt that was recovered by Kenneth Davis at the KU 10 and taken in for a score. It's the first time in the computer stats era dating back to 1997 that Kutztown and its opponent have recovered blocked punts for touchdowns in the same game, and the first time KU and its opponent have blocked a punt in the same game since 2005.
 
Kutztown had the perfect response to the first bit of adversity it faced, driving 80 yards in eight plays to answer VUU's score with a 29-yard touchdown pass from Novak to Kurtis Ravenel Jr. (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle) for a 35-7 lead in the final minute of the first half.
 
Byers scored on an eight-yard run to close a nine-play, 76-yard drive on the Panthers' opening drive of the second half, trimming the deficit to 35-14.

Kutztown successfully drained the clock during the second half and got a 24-yard field goal from Dawson Evitts (Auburn, Pa./Schuylkill Haven) with 5:03 remaining in the fourth to finish the scoring and wrap up its third postseason victory in its last three NCAA playoff appearances.
 
Davis-McNeil continued his ascent up Kutztown's all-time rushing list surpassing Paul Magistro (2,548) for fifth. He's just 26 yards shy of Don Shaver for fourth and 55 yards back of current Detroit Lions running back Craig Reynolds for fourth. The Roslyn, Pa., native also claimed sole possession of fourth on KU's career rushing TD list with his 29th.
 
Virginia Union hadn't allowed more than 86 rushing yards in a game this season before running into the Bears. Kutztown ran it 40 times for 210 yards, averaging 5.3 yards per carry.
 
Novak was only called upon to throw 18 times but completed eight of those for 157 yards and two scores. Ravenel Jr. caught three passes for 65 yards and a TD, while Gibson caught three for 56.
 
Kutztown showed its trademark discipline by playing its fourth straight turnover-free game and committing just two penalties for 20 yards. The Bears came into the game ranked third in DII in fewest penalties per game (3.73) and fourth in fewest penalty yards per game (32.36). VUU was flagged seven times for 61 yards.
 
Byers went over 100 yards for the third straight game and sixth time in 10 games this season with 20 carries for 101 yards and a TD. Kutztown limited the star back to seven carries for 29 yards in the first half and most of Byers' damage came on the opening drive of the second half where he picked up 52 yards.
 
Kutztown, boasting DII's 10th-best scoring defense, allowed 14 points –right at its season average, and only seven of those came from the Panther offense.
 
The Golden Bears defeated their second consecutive nationally ranked opponent after downing then No. 4 Slippery Rock, 31-7, in the PSAC Championship game last week. KU previously defeated back-to-back ranked opponents in 2011 and 2021. Kutztown also reached 10 wins in a season for the fifth time in program history and third time in the last four seasons under current head coach Jim Clements.
 
Kutztown, which improved to 4-5 all-time in NCAA playoff games, will now travel to Charleston (W.Va.) to face the 24th-ranked and Mountain East Conference champion Golden Eagles in a second round game next Saturday, Nov. 25, at a time to be determined.

The Golden Bears will face a third straight nationally ranked opponent for just the third time in program history and look to win three in a row over ranked opponents for the first time ever.
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