Golden Bears headed to NCAA semifinals after another one-sided victory (updated)
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Kutztown University allowed three first-half touchdowns Saturday, including a momentum-sapping touchdown catch on a ball that bounced off at least two other players with one second remaining.
The 20 points produced by Frostburg State were the most the Golden Bears had allowed in any first half this season, but they were far from shaken by it.
| Final | |
| Kutztown | 51 |
| Frostburg | 29 |
“(Defensive coordinator Eric) Fargo came in and told the guys: “ ‘We’re not making any adjustments,’ ” Kutztown coach Jim Clements related. “ ‘We have a plan in place, we just have to make plays.’ And they did.”
The Golden Bears’ top-rated defense stiffened in the second half, allowing an early field goal before pulling away for a 51-29 victory to win the NCAA Division II Region One championship at Andre Reed Stadium.
Third-ranked Kutztown (14-0), off to the best start in program history, heads to the national semifinals next Saturday against Harding back at Andre Reed Stadiium. (Time for the game has not been established.)
It’ll be the Golden Bears’ second trip to the Final Four in three seasons; they lost to the Colorado School of Mines in their first semifinal appearance, in 2023.
Quarterback Judd Novak threw three touchdown passes, the defense came up with a pair of turnovers and a score, and the special teams blocked a punt and a PAT, all of it combining for Kutztown’s third straight 50-point-plus effort — a first in program history.
In three tournament games the Golden Bears have have averaged 53 points and won by an average of nearly 34 points.
“Our offense was unbelievable today,” Clements said of a unit that reached the end zone on seven of its first eight possessions in building a 49-23 lead one play into the fourth quarter. “I thought they dominated the game. That’s what we expected out of them. They’ve been great all year.”
No. 24 Frostburg State (11-3) put together a 75-yard scoring drive on its opening possession and used a 58-yard kickoff return to set up a TD on its second possession.
It wasn’t until defensive end Lawron Short’s strip sack a minute into the second quarter that the Golden Bears stopped them and began to take command of the game. Frostburg’s next possession ended with a blocked punt that set up another short-field TD.
“(It was) a little uncharacteristic at times in the first half, giving up some big plays, which is really not our M.O.,” Clements said. “(Our defense) settled down in the second half. (We) held them to a field goal (on the opening drive of the second half), then we kind of settled in.”
The Mountain East Conference champion Bobcats pulled within 28-20 when backup quarterback Myles Fulton – who went in after starter Jordan Brooks was knocked out of the game – found Amirr Coles in the back of the end zone on a third-and-15 from the 24. The ball glanced off linebacker Eden Johnson’s hand, then off another Frostburg receiver before Fulton leaped to collect it and somehow manage to get a foot down before falling out the back of the end zone.
The play, which pulled Frostburg within 28-20, was reviewed but upheld.
Johnson, a Governor Mifflin grad, said that neither that play, nor Frostburg’s big first-half output against a usually dominant defense, bothered his unit.
“They scored some points but that was (mostly on) two big plays,” Johnson said. “We felt man for man they weren’t better than us; they couldn’t move us off the line. (At halftime) we felt: ‘OK, we’ll regroup, come back out and get stops, get turnovers. It’s that simple.”
Turns out it was.
Frostburg had a third-and-4 at the Kutztown 16 right after halftime but Freddie Retter – the PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year last season – came up with a sack and the Bobcats had to settle for a field goal.
“Were in a good position going into halftime, and we came out got an opportunity to cut the lead down to one,” said Frostburg coach Eric Waggoner. “It didn’t work out and we got the field goal. After that, we ran out of gas, had some unforced errors.”
Kutztown cornerback Zach Perta picked off a pass at the Frostburg 25 in the final seconds of the third quarter to set up a short field score, but even before that it was apparent Frostburg’s defense was unable to contain the Golden Bears.
Novak, a Manheim Central grad and a Harlon Hill finalist, threw touchdown passes on Kutztown’s first two possessions of the second half, then put the game away following Perta’s interception when he found tight end Luke Maxwell with a 5-yard scoring pass for a 49-23 lead.
“We knew if you give them opportunities, on turnovers, they take advantage of that and they did,” Waggoner said. “They got momentum on their side, and they were hard to stop.”
Kutztown will host Harding (14-0) while Ferris State (13-0) plays Newberry (12-1) in the NCAA semifinals.
“We’ve been in this opportunity now for the third time in five years,” Clements said of playing in a region championship. “We lost (in 2021) by a Hail Mary (to Shepherd); that was a heart-breaking game.
“I’m just proud that we’re able to check that box (again), and as Luke (Maxwell) said, on to the next. This is a special team, special players, great seniors. We’re just excited and ready to go play wherever we need to go.”
