WORCESTER, Mass. – Kurtis Ravenel Jr. (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle) put forth one of the finest days by a wide receiver in Kutztown University history with 217 yards and two touchdowns, but 23rd-ranked Assumption got on the board first and always found a way to counter the Golden Bears' scoring drives. In the end, the Greyhounds came away with a 31-20 victory in the season-opening game for both teams Saturday afternoon.
 
Assumption scored on its opening drive and though Kutztown would twice even the score in the second quarter, the hosts never trailed in the contest.
 
The Golden Bears broke through for their first score of the year early in the second. On third down from inside the Greyhound 10, Mekhi Gibson (Ewing, N.J./Ewing) took a sweep off the right end for his first career touchdown to knot the game, 7-7.
 
Momentum seemed to be on Kutztown's side when Drew Hensor (Fairless Hills, Pa./Pennsbury) intercepted Assumption quarterback Jake Cady on the Hounds' next play from scrimmage. The first pick of Hensor's career set KU up at the Assumption 30 and the Bears worked the ball inside the 10 before the Greyhounds came up with a huge stop on 4th and 1.
 
Assumption took advantage with a nine-play, 93-yard drive that ended in a Quinn Sieger 18-yard touchdown catch from Cady for a 14-7 lead.
 
Kutztown responded in short order. On second down from its own 35, Donny Blaine (Jefferson Township, Pa./North Pocono) exposed broken coverage by finding Ravenel Jr. wide open down the left sideline for a 65-yard TD. It was the first of two long connections between the tandem and forged the second tie of the afternoon, 14-14.
 
A late first half interception by the Greyhounds in Kutztown territory set up a go-ahead 20-yard TD pass from Cady to Kyle Sonnie that made it 21-14. Another pick led to three more points early in the third as Assumption extended its advantage to 24-14 on Nicholas Chodak's field goal with 8:22 to go.
 
In the waning moments of the third, Blaine hit Ravenel Jr. across the middle and the graduate student from Carlisle, Pa., broke free for a 74-yard score. The extra point attempt was no good, allowing the Greyhounds to lead 24-20.
 
Assumption, which defeated Kutztown 3-0 in last year's opener up at Brian Kelly '83 Stadium found the end zone once more midway through the fourth. A methodical drive, highlighted by an 18-yard run from Cady, set up a 1-yard pass from the quarterback to Sieger to push the Greyhounds lead to 31-20.
 
The Maroon and Gold had two more possessions, but Assumption's defense tightened and kept the Bears from threatening.
 
Ravenel Jr., whose previous career-high for receiving yards was 66, surpassed his 211-yard total from last season in just one game with the third-most receiving yards in a game in Kutztown history. He pulled down seven catches for 217 yards and became the first Golden Bear to go over 200 yards in a game since Kellen Williams (219) at IUP in 2015. Elfren Quiles holds the program single-game record with 308 yards against Bloomsburg in 2007.
 
Blaine completed 17-of-31 passes for 282 yards, two scores and two interceptions. Darryl Davis-McNeil (Roslyn, Pa./Abington) led all rushers with 73 yards on 15 attempts.
 
Nigel Wilson (Bound Brook, N.J./Bound Brook) registered seven tackles and a sack to pace the Bears defensively. Jalen Hill (Dover, Del./Dover) added seven tackles and a pass break up, while Oyame Adoga (Clementon, N.J./Highland Regional) had six tackles. Hensor had five tackles in addition to his interception.
 
Cady finished 21-of-31 for 183 yards and three TDs for Assumption. Most of those yards went to Sieger, who pulled in a game-high 10 catches for 114 yards and two TDs.
 
Kutztown will try to get in the win column for the first time in 2023 again next week when it travels to California (Pa.) for a noon kick.
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