KUTZTOWN, Pa -- Third-ranked Kutztown advanced to the national quarterfinals for the third time in the last five seasons with a dominant 56-19 victory over Assumption in a NCAA Division II Football Championship second round game at Andre Reed Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Judd Novak (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) rushed for a game-high 125 yards and three touchdowns, including a season-long 78-yard TD run, and also threw for three scores.
Jaedyn Stewart (Newfield, N.J./Delsea Regional) returned to the lineup and broke off a 64-yard TD run to finish with 103 yards on the ground as the Golden Bears (13-0) rushed for a season-high 355 yards. Kutztown's defense recorded three turnovers with a pair of interceptions and a fumble recovery, and had four sacks.
The Golden Bears will face Mountain East Conference champion Frostburg State (11-2) for the right to represent Super Region One in the national semifinals next Saturday, Dec. 6, at Andre Reed Stadium. The unseeded Bobcats won their second consecutive road game in the playoffs, 23-21, over California (Pa.) to advance to the quarterfinals.
Kutztown's 56 points established a new postseason single game scoring record, surpassing the previous mark of 52 set just last week in its 52-0 opening round victory over Bentley. The Golden Bears also set new program records for wins in a season (13) and consecutive wins (13), both of which were set in 2023.
After forcing a three-and-out on Assumption's (9-3) opening possession, KU drove 71 yards in 10 plays to take a 7-0 lead on Novak's 7-yard run and
Will Smith's (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) PAT. The Maroon and Gold added two more TDs before the first quarter was through, getting Stewart's 64-yard scamper and a 5-yard run from Novak to go up 21-3.
Early in the second,
Brandon Strausser (Reading, Pa./Governor Mifflin) stepped in front of a Josiah Patrick pass at the KU 37-yard line for his third career interception. Four plays later, Novak hit
Trevor Amorim (Slatington, Pa./Northern Lehigh) for a 9-yard TD pass to make it 28-3 with 6:08 left in the half.
Massimo Sgambati made field goals of 42 yards and 36 yards to account for all six of Assumption's points in the first half.
The Greyhounds closed the gap to 28-12 on a 20-yard TD run by Kyon Simonson with 5:38 left in the third, but
Lenniek Preston (Wilmington, Del./Conrad) returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards into the red zone. It set up a quick two-play drive that ended with a 13-yard TD pass from Novak to
Steven Burkhardt (Gloucester City, N.J./Gloucester City).
On Kutztown's next possession, Novak hit a huge hole on the right side and took it the distance for a 78-yard TD run to extend the Bears' lead to 42-12. It was the second-longest run of Novak's career, behind only an 80-yard TD run against --ironically-- Assumption in the 2024 season opener.
Novak capped a huge afternoon with a 16-yard TD strike to Amorim in the back left corner of the end zone for a 49-12 advantage less than two minutes into the fourth.
Running back
Craig Miller (Bear, Del./Caravel Academy), who scored on a pair of 1-yard runs in last week's win over Bentley, broke multiple tackles on his way to a 25-yard score with 9:40 left that pushed KU over the 50-point mark for the second week in a row and third time this season. It was the second time the Golden Bears hung 50 on the Greyhounds, following a 51-14 victory at Andre Reed Stadium in marathon season opener on Sept. 4, that was delayed multiple times by weather.
Novak ran seven times for 125 yards and three TDs, Stewart added six carries for 103 yards and a score, and Burkhardt had a team-high 10 carries for 47 yards. Kutztown's 355 rushing yards were its most since 2021, when the Bears erupted for 389 yards in a PSAC Championship Game victory over Slippery Rock.
Kutztown totaled 449 yards offense and averaged an impressive 9.8 yards per play on just 46 plays.
PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Year
Brandon Hile (Winfield, Pa./Selinsgrove) led the Golden Bears with eight tackles (five solo) and a sack.
Kashon Jones (Millville, N.J./Millville) registered seven tackles and forced a fumble.
Freddie Retter (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) had two of KU's four sacks, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble. Strausser and
LJ Smith (Newark, Del./Salesianum) each picked off Patrick.
Patrick was making his first career start for the Greyhounds after injuries to Jay Kastantin and Dom Santiago. The freshman completed 22-of-32 passes for 211 yards and ran for a touchdown.
Kutztown improved to 8-7 all-time in NCAA playoff games and will host a quarterfinal game for the second time in program history (2021). The Golden Bears have never faced Frostburg State, which transitioned from NCAA Division III to Division II back in 2019.
Kickoff from Andre Reed Stadium is expected to be at noon next Saturday and the game will again air on ESPN+.
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