KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Idris Lawrence took a lateral into the end zone on a two-point conversion in overtime as No. 11 Slippery Rock knocked off defending Super Region One champion and top-seeded No. 3 Kutztown, 25-24, in the second round of the NCAA Division II Championship Saturday afternoon at Andre Reed Stadium.
 
The loss brought Kutztown's season to a premature halt after an 11-0 regular season and second straight PSAC championship.
 
Kutztown went in front 17-9 on Will Smith's (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) 38-yard field goal with 6:47 to play but Slippery Rock (11-1) answered with a 10-play, 66-yard drive that ended with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Brayden Long to tight end Kam Kruzelyak. Long then found Logan Ramper in the back of the end zone on the ensuing 2-point try to tie the game at 17 with 1:53 to go.
 
The Golden Bears drove into Rock territory in the final minute but a third-down pass by Judd Novak (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) was just out of the reach of Noah Kracyla (Townsend, Del./Middletown), forcing the hosts to punt.
 
KU survived two hair-raising moments on the punt as Nate Millard (Birdsboro, Pa./Daniel Boone) scooped up a low snap that bounced off the turf and got it away. SRU return man Kanye Thompson then wove his way through would-be tacklers for 35 yards before Adam Kase's (Wernersville, Pa./Conrad Weiser) game-saving tackle at the KU 49-yard line with 29 seconds left in regulation.
 
The Rock burned through their final two timeouts and Mike Solomon was brought down in bounds on a reception at the KU 33 with a few seconds remaining as the clock expired before SRU could clock it to attempt a game-winning field goal.
 
Playing in its 14th overtime game all-time and first in 13 NCAA playoff games, Kutztown (11-1) got the first crack at putting points on the board. The Golden Bears faced a 3rd-and-20 from the SRU 21 but received a reprieve when Trever Valenti grabbed Novak by the face mask while attempting to sack him.
 
The penalty set the Maroon and Gold up with a 1st-and-10 from the 11-yard line. Three plays later, Luke Maxwell (Estell Manor, N.J./Delsea Regional) charged into the end zone for 24-17 lead.
 
A Rock touchdown run by Lawrence was nullified on a third-down holding penalty but Long hit Ramper inside the 10 on the next play and the big receiver broke free to score from 28 yards out and answer Kutztown's TD.
 
With its season on the line, Slippery Rock went into its bag of tricks to perfectly execute its 2-point conversion. Long threw left to Solmon just inside the 5, before Solomon flipped the ball to Lawrence. The shifty running back eluded a pair of Golden Bear defenders to reach the end zone and stun a Thanksgiving weekend crowd of more than 2,300.
 
Slippery Rock, which snapped a four-game skid against Kutztown, advances to next Saturday's quarterfinal round, where it will face California (Pa.) on the road for the Super Region One title. The Vulcans handed SRU its only loss of the season, 28-7, back on Oct. 19.
 
Both teams were intent on controlling the ball –and the clock. Slippery Rock ate up more than two-thirds of the first quarter with a 17-play, 75-yard drive that lasted 10:19 to take a 6-0 lead on Chris D'Or's 1-yard TD run. Freddie Retter (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) blocked the extra point for his third blocked kick of the year.

After an empty possession from each team, Kutztown responded by driving 84 yards in 7:26 to get on the board with Steven Burkhardt's (Gloucester City, N.J./Gloucester City) 2-yard run. Dakota Campbell's (Enola, Pa./East Pennsboro) extra point gave the Bears their first lead of the day, 7-6, with 2:11 left in the half.
 
Kutztown regained possession with 57 seconds left but went three and out. Thompson's 18-yard punt return set SRU up with good field position at its own 43 and 28 seconds on the clock. Long found Ramper down the middle for 41 yards on first down before Mason Yohn connected on a 24-yard field goal as time expired for a 9-7 halftime lead.
 
Novak had the Bears on the move late in the third and hooked up with Mekhi Gibson (Ewing, N.J./Ewing) for 28 yards to the SRU 24 on the final play of the quarter.
 
Two costly penalties by Slippery Rock spotted KU 30 yards and Novak, the redshirt sophomore quarterback from Manheim, Pa., scampered in from 9-yards out to put Kutztown back in front, 14-9, with 14:25 to go.
 
Slippery Rock held a 349-308 edge in total offense, though the two teams went about their business in completely opposite ways. The Rock, behind Long, threw for 288 yards while running for just 61 yards on 31 attempts. Kutztown rushed for 229 yards behind its powerful offensive line but threw for only 79 yards on just 17 attempts. SRU also gained a 33:24 to 26:34 advantage in time of possession.
 
Burkhardt ran hard all afternoon with a game-high 82 yards on 13 carries (6.3 ypc). Novak added 79 yards on 12 attempts (6.6 ypc) and Jaedyn Stewart (Newfield, N.J./Delsea Regional) 56 yards on 12 carries. Kracyla totaled 51 yards of offense on four catches for 37 yards and one rush for 14.
 
CJ Brown (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) produced a team-high eight tackles (four solo). The trio of Jake Davis (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh), Jalen DeVose (Lansdale, Pa./La Salle College H.S.) and Jalen Hill (Dover, Del./Dover) each collected seven tackles. Davis supplied 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss, while DeVose had 2.0 tackles for loss.
 
Long avenged losses to Kutztown in the 2023 PSAC Championship Game and Super Region One title game with a mistake-free performance. The 2023 Harlon Hill Trophy finalist completed 27-of-39 passes for 288 yards and two TDs. Ramper had a breakout performance with nine catches for 120 yards. Lawrence chipped in five receptions for 59 yards and 13 carries for 35.
 
Kutztown fell to 6-7 all-time in NCAA playoff games and 5-9 in overtime games. The Golden Bears were making their seventh appearance in the NCAA tournament and fifth in the last six seasons. Kutztown also achieved its sixth double-digit win season and fourth since 2019.
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