WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Fourth-ranked Kutztown built a 41-0 lead to top the 40-point mark for the sixth time in eight games this season and continued its dominance of the PSAC East with a 41-7 victory over rival West Chester at Farrell Stadium on Saturday.

The Golden Bears scored on three of their first four drives and blocked a punt for a touchdown to put the game out of reach before halftime. KU (8-0, 5-0 PSAC East) did nothing to hurt its standing as the fifth-highest scoring offense (43.4 ppg) or second-best scoring defense (7.4 ppg) in all of NCAA Division II.

Judd Novak's (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) immaculate season rolled on as he went 16-of-25 for 227 yards and TD passes to Lenniek Preston (Wilmington, Del./Conrad) (66 yards) and Asa Kochvar (Middletown, Pa./Steelton-Highspire) (4 yards). The redshirt junior from Manheim, Pa., has now thrown for 1,475 yards and 13 TDs with no interceptions in 2025. Novak has thrown for more than 200 yards in five straight games and has multiple TD passes in 6-of-8 games.

Kutztown took its opening possession 83 yards in just under six minutes and Luke Maxwell (Estell Manor, N.J./Delsea Regional) stretched across the goal line from three yards out to put the visitors on top with 9:10 remaining in the first quarter. It was the redshirt sophomore's sixth TD of the season.

West Chester's (3-5, 1-4 PSAC East) defense barely had a chance to recover before it was back on the field.

KU's suffocating defense forced Golden Rams' quarterback Colin O'Sullivan into three straight incompletions and WCU's first drive lasted just 18 seconds.

The Maroon and Gold took advantage by moving the ball at will on another touchdown drive. Rich Paczewski (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) caught a 19-yard pass and Jaimen Bryant (Somerville, N.J./Somerville) brought in another for 26 yards. Paczewski added an 11-yard run before Novak weaved through defenders along the sideline for a 10-yard TD run for a 14-0 KU lead.

Excellence in all three phases of the game has been a KU staple this fall. Saturday proved no different.

Late in the first quarter, Zach Perta (Swoyersville, Pa./Holy Redeemer) blocked a Golden Rams punt and Justin Gonzalez (Union, N.J./Saint Peter's Prep) scooped it up at the 22-yard line and took it back for a TD. The Golden Bears have now returned two blocked punts for scores this season.

West Chester drove into the red zone in the waning minutes of the first half but on 4th-and-1 from the Kutztown 13, Freddie Retter (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) and Brandon Strausser (Reading, Pa./Governor Mifflin) swarmed the backfield to drop running back Future Robertson for a 4-yard loss.

Five plays later, Novak hit a wide open Preston near midfield and the KU wide receiver outraced a despondent WCU secondary to the end zone for a 28-0 lead.

Steven Burkhardt (Gloucester City, N.J./Gloucester City) ran for a 3-yard TD in the third quarter and Kochvar caught his first career TD pass on the first play of the fourth quarter to push Kutztown's advantage to 41-0.

The Golden Rams broke the shutout with a 22-yard pass from O'Sullivan to Ivan Thorpe with 9:07 to play.

Kutztown put up 450 yards of offense while limiting WCU to 240. The Golden Bears rank second in NCAA DII in total defense, allowing just 222.5 yards per game. KU didn't commit a turnover for the sixth time in eight games.

Burkhardt led the Bears' 207-yard rushing attack with 97 on 15 carries, while also catching two passes for 45 yards. Ben Martin III (Middletown, Del./Middletown) ran eight times for 46 yards and Craig Miller (Bear, Del./Caravel Academy) nine times for 37 yards.

The Golden Bears got eight tackles from Strausser and seven from Lee Coleman (Salem, N.J./Salem). Jhaisir Harden (Glassboro, N.J./Glassboro) and Kashon Jones (Millville, N.J./Millville) registered their first career interceptions.

KU blocked two punts in a game for the second time this season after previously blocking two against Gannon, Sept. 20. In addition to Perta's first quarter block, Quintin Pfautz (Ephrata, Pa./Ephrata) blocked his second punt of the year in the third quarter.

With East Stroudsburg's 26-23 loss at Shepherd, Saturday, Kutztown is the lone unbeaten in the PSAC East and can wrap up its third straight divisional title and fifth in the last six seasons with a win over the Warriors at Andre Reed Stadium next Saturday, Nov. 1. Kickoff is at noon.