KUTZTOWN, Pa. – A topsy-turvy opening round of the NCAA Division II Football Championship in the Super Region One quadrant ended with top-seeded and third-ranked Kutztown as the only seeded team advancing. The Golden Bears will look to advance to the national quarterfinals for the third time in program history when they face Assumption in a second round game at Andre Reed Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 29, at noon.

TICKETS
Covered Reserved - $30
Reserved - $20
General Admission & KU Alumni - $10
Non-KU Students & Seniors (65+) - $5
Children (6 and under) - FREE with paid adult

LIVE COVERAGE
Live Stats (NCAA)
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CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
Kutztown is appearing in its eighth NCAA DII Championship tournament all-time and is playing in the second round for the seventh time. The Golden Bears are 7-7 in 14 all-time NCAA playoff games and have advanced to the national quarterfinals twice previously, in 2021 and 2023.

Assumption is in the tournament for the sixth time and has reached the second round for the third time in program history. The Greyhounds' lone trip to the national quarterfinals came in 2017, where they fell to IUP.

This is the first-ever meeting between Kutztown and Assumption in the postseason.

SERIES HISTORY
Kutztown and Assumption are familiar foes, with the two sides having opened each of the last 10 seasons against one another.

The all-time series is tied, 5-5, after KU picked up a 51-14 victory at Andre Reed Stadium to kick off the 2025 season back on Sept. 4. The Golden Bears have won five of the last seven matchups. Assumption's most recent win in the series was in 2023 (31-20).

HISTORY ON THE HORIZON
The Golden Bears' 12 straight victories to open the 2025 season are a new program record, surpassing the 11 consecutive wins to start 2024. This is the second year in a row that KU has finished the regular season unbeaten.

If the Bears can get past Assumption, two more records will fall. Kutztown is looking for its 13th win of the season, which would top the previous mark of 12 (12-3), set back in 2023. The 2025 team can also establish a new standard for consecutive wins with 13. They've already tied the current mark of 12, which the 2023 team accomplished after an 0-2 start.

NATIONAL RANKINGS
Kutztown matched its highest-ever ranking in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Poll when it moved up to third in the Week 12 poll on Nov. 17, at the conclusion of the regular season. The Golden Bears also held steady at No. 3 in the D2Football.com Top 25, a spot they've held for 10 consecutive polls. The next polls from both organizations will be the final 2025 rankings following the completion of the national championship game.

Assumption received votes in the most recent AFCA Poll. The Greyhounds broke into the top 25 at No. 24 back on Nov. 3 (Week 10) and have received votes in the other five polls that have been released since Week 7 (Oct. 13). Assumption appeared in the D2Football.com Top 25 once, ranking 25th on Nov. 3.

CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET
Kutztown was the lone seeded team and host to win its NCAA First Round game out of Super Region One. The Golden Bears whitewashed Northeast 10 champion Bentley, 52-0, for their first-ever postseason shutout and largest margin of victory in a postseason game.

In other first round action, Mountain East champion Frostburg State defeated second-seeded Johnson C. Smith, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) champion, 21-7. California (Pa.), from the PSAC West, topped third-seeded Virginia Union, 27-24, and Assumption rallied from a 20-7 deficit to knock off fourth-seeded IUP, 23-20.

California (Pa.) will host Frostburg State in a matchup of unseeded teams at noon on Saturday. The only other unseeded matchup in the tournament is in Super Region Four, where Western Colorado will host UT Permian Basin.

The winners of Kutztown/Assumption and California (Pa.)/Frostburg State will meet in the Super Region One championship game next week with a berth in the national semifinals on the line.

LAST TIME OUT
Kutztown scored in every quarter and racked up more than 500 yards of total offense in a 52-0 NCAA First Round victory over Bentley.

Judd Novak (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) threw for 290 yards and three touchdowns, Craig Miller (Bear, Del./Caravel Academy) had a pair of 1-yard rushing TDs and Lee Coleman (Salem, N.J./Salem) returned a fumble for a score as the Golden Bears pitched their third shutout of the season.

The Maroon and Gold outgained the Northeast 10 champion Falcons, 502-171, by throwing for 301 yards and rushing for 201. It marked the fourth time this season KU went over 500 yards of offense and the Bears' eighth 200+ yard rushing game.

Noah Kracyla (Townsend, Del./Middletown) caught five passes for 95 yards and a TD. Defensively, the Golden Bears produced five sacks and seven tackles for loss. Freddie Retter (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) accounted for two sacks. Bentley rushed for just 15 yards.

BY THE NUMBERS

KUTZTOWN

• Scoring Offense: 42.6 Points Per Game (1st PSAC, 5th NCAA DII)
• Scoring Defense: 9.6 Points Allowed Per Game (1st PSAC, 2nd NCAA DII)
• Total Offense: 435.3 Yards Per Game (1st PSAC, 19th NCAA DII)
• Passing Offense: 226.5 Yards Per Game (6th PSAC, 56th NCAA DII)
• Rushing Offense: 208.8 Yards Per Game (2nd PSAC, 23rd NCAA DII)
• Total Defense: 244.8 Yards Per Game (1st PSAC, 2nd NCAA DII)
• Passing Defense: 171.9 Yards Per Game (1st PSAC, 16th NCAA DII)
• Rushing Defense: 72.8 Yards Per Game (1st PSAC, 4th NCAA DII)

ASSUMPTION

• Scoring Offense: 32.1 Points Per Game (1st NE10, 43rd NCAA DII)
• Scoring Defense: 19.9 Points Allowed Per Game (2nd NE10, 29th NCAA DII)
• Total Offense: 399.7 Yards Per Game (1st NE10, 55th NCAA DII)
• Passing Offense: 232.9 Yards Per Game (1st NE10, 52nd NCAA DII)
• Rushing Offense: 166.8 Yards Per Game (2nd NE10, 55th NCAA DII)
• Total Defense: 329.5 Yards Per Game (5th NE10, 45th NCAA DII)
• Passing Defense: 197.4 Yards Per Game (4th NE10, 59th NCAA DII)
• Rushing Defense: 132.1 Yards Per Game (4th NE10, 53rd NCAA DII)

NEXT UP
The winner of Saturday's game will advance to the national quarterfinals (Super Region One championship) at a site and time to be determined on Saturday, Dec. 6.