KUTZTOWN, Pa. – For the second time in as many weeks, the Kutztown defense was in top form. The ninth-ranked Golden Bears limited Edinboro to just 149 yards of offense in pitching their first shutout since 2022, 26-0, Saturday afternoon at Andre Reed Stadium.
 
KU racked up four sacks, 10 tackles for loss, five pass breakups, an interception and a fumble recovery to keep the Fighting Scots off the board and win their fourth straight game in the series.
 
Led by nine tackles from Jalen DeVose (Lansdale, Pa./La Salle College H.S.) along with six by Brandon Hile (Winfield, Pa./Selinsgrove), the KU (2-0) defense forced six punts and five three-and-out series by the Edinboro offense. It also allowed plenty of time for its own offense to find a groove and gradually pull away.
 
On its second drive of the game, Kutztown used a pair of 20-yard passes from Judd Novak (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) to Kurtis Ravenel Jr. (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle) to set up a one-yard Steven Burkhardt (Gloucester City, N.J./Gloucester City) touchdown run. The 10-play, 80-yard drive ate up 5:52 and put the Maroon and Gold out in front 6-0.
 
A big hit from Kyrell Hutcherson forced a Lenniek Preston (Wilmington, Del./Conrad) fumble at the KU 34-yard line late in the first quarter and Toby Cline returned it into the red zone. Kutztown's defense stepped up and answered with a takeaway of its own when Jake Davis (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) knocked the ball loose from Fighting Scots receiver Gavin Ennis just short of the end zone and Khi'on Smith (Deptford, N.J./Deptford Township) recovered.
 
Will Smith (Oxford, Pa./Oxford), a true freshman kicker who rose to the top of the depth chart during the preseason, connected on a field goal from 40-yards out with 2:17 to go in the second quarter as the Golden Bears took a 9-0 lead to the locker room.
 
Smith stayed perfect in his young career with a 24-yarder at 9:47 of the third to make it 12-0 KU.
 
Hile stepped in front of an Isaac Bernard pass midway through the third for an interception that Kutztown turned into quick points.
 
Novak found Mekhi Gibson (Ewing, N.J./Ewing) for 32 yards on 1st-and-10 from the Edinboro 46 before firing a dart to Ravenel Jr. in the back right corner of the end zone for a touchdown and 19-0 advantage.
 
Kutztown put the game out of reach late in the third quarter with a 6-play, 60-yard touchdown drive. Ravenel Jr. hauled in another 20-yard reception and Burkhardt found a gap up the middle for a 26-yard TD run –his second score of the day.
 
The Golden Bears outgained Edinboro 283-149 overall and 151-22 on the ground. Burkhardt ran 10 times for 66 yards and Jaedyn Stewart (Newfield, N.J./Delsea Regional) had nine carries for 43 yards.
 
Ravenel Jr. topped all receivers with 80 yards on five receptions.
 
DeVose's nine tackles were a game-high. Hile posted six tackles, 1.5 sacks and an interception. CJ Brown (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville), Eden Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa./Governor Mifflin) and Davis had five tackles. Reigning PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week Freddie Retter (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) also totaled five tackles (2.0 TFL), broke up a pass and blocked a third-quarter punt. Masen Wilson (Smyrna, Del./Smyrna) collected a pair of sacks.
 
Kutztown will play away from Andre Reed Stadium for the first time this season when it travels across the state to take on Gannon in Erie next Saturday, Sept. 21, at noon.
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