Unbeaten Kutztown University looks to snap Bentley winning streak

One week after securing its third consecutive Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship, Kutztown opens the NCAA Division II Tournament against Northeast 10 Conference champion Bentley Saturday at Andre Reed Stadium at noon.

The Golden Bears (11-0) are ranked No. 3 in the nation and are the top seed in Super Region I for the second straight season.

They beat Indiana 28-23 last week at Andre Reed Stadium in the PSAC title game.

Bentley (7-3) received the automatic qualifying berth from the NE10 after defeating Assumption 20-17 for the league title on Nov. 8.

The Golden Bears are led by Manheim Central grad Judd Novak, who earlier this week was named PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the Year. The redshirt junior has completed 158-of-237 passes for 2,296 yards, 19 touchdowns and no interceptions.

He leads the PSAC and ranks third in DII in passing efficiency (174.5). He ranks first in the conference in yards per pass attempt, second in completion percentage (66.7), third in yards per completion (14.5), fourth in passing TDs, and fifth in passing yards.

Senior linebacker Brandon Hile  was named East Defensive Athlete of the Year after racking up team-high 48 tackles with one interception, four pass breakups and four quarterback hurries.

Governor Mifflin grads Brandon Strausser and Eden Johnson were among 18 Golden Bears to earn all-conference honors.

Bentley opened the season 0-3 but has strong together seven straight wins, the latest 20-17 over Assumption to claim the program’s sixth NE10 title. It was the Falcons’ first conference title since 2019. 

Isaiah Decias totaled 157 receiving yards on six catches against Assumption, coming up just four yards shy of matching his career-high. Pat Damon had a season-high 94 yards on seven catches in the title win, and Luke Warnock completed 18-of-33 passes for 245 yards.

Decias and Warnock are among 13 Falcons named to the NE10 all-conference team.

Warnock is Bentley’s first sophomore starting quarterback since 2018. His first three games presented a strong learning curve, but Warnock quickly found his footing.

Warnock didn’t throw a touchdown pass in his first three games, and his passing total was under 100 yards in two of those three games. In the ensuing six games, Warnock totaled 18 touchdowns (four rushing), while averaging 211.7 passing yards per game. He threw only four interceptions during that six-game stretch. By the end of the regular season, Warnock ranked second in the NE10 for passing touchdowns (18), and third for totaling passing yards (1,809).
This Bentley’s fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament; it has never won a game.

Kutztown advanced to the national semifinals in 2023; it was bounced in the opening round last year.

Saturday’s winner advances to face either IUP or Assumption Saturday, Nov. 29.

Kutztown extended its Division II-leading active regular season winning streak to 31 games and is making its eighth national tournament appearance and fifth in the last six seasons. Kutztown is the top seed in Region 1 for the fourth time in program history.
All NCAA DII Championship games through the semifinals will be carried live on ESPN+, with the national championship game airing on ESPN2 from McKinney, Texas, on Dec. 20.

The remaining three first round matchups in SR1 feature No. 2 seed Johnson C. Smith, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association champion, taking on Mountain East champion and unseeded Frostburg State, No. 3 seed Virginia Union from the CIAA facing unseeded California (Pa.) from the PSAC and No. 4 seed IUP hosting Assumption out of the NE10.