Kutztown University set to face Charleston in second round of NCAA Division II football playoffs
Nov. 24—For the third time since 2019, Kutztown University will play in the second round of the NCAA Division II football playoffs.
With experience on their side, the Golden Bears will try to reach the quarterfinals for the second time in program history.
"We've won big games in the playoffs and we've lost some heartbreakers in the playoffs," Kutztown coach Jim Clements said. "They've been through it."
The third-seeded Golden Bears will play at second-seeded Charleston (W.Va.) in a second-round game Saturday at 1 p.m.
"Our seniors realize this is it," Clements said. "It's win or go home, and we want to keep playing."
Riding a 10-game winning streak, Kutztown (10-2) is coming off a 38-14 win over sixth-seeded Virginia Union in the first round. The Golden Bears took a 28-0 lead in the first half before cruising.
"It comes down to how we practice," said linebacker Brandon Hile, who led the team with nine tackles last week. "We go in every day, just go to work with each other."
The win marked the seventh straight game in which Kutztown allowed 17 or fewer points. Allowing an average of 14 points per game and 255.9 yards per game, the Golden Bears rank eighth in Division II in points allowed and 10th in total defense.
"We're a pretty strong unit when everyone does their job," said Hile, who ranks second on the team with 67 tackles this season. "We have all the confidence in the world in each other. We've been battling all year."
The victory over the 13th-ranked Panthers was Kutztown's second against a top-15 opponent in as many weeks, as it beat No. 4 Slippery Rock 31-7 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championship Game the week prior. The Golden Bears have committed just five penalties in the last two games, and their 3.58 penalties per game this season are the third-fewest in Division II.
"Guys are just playing better together," Clements said. "Guys feel a little bit more comfortable in the schemes."
Kutztown will try to defeat three straight ranked opponents for the first time in program history when it takes on the No. 24 Golden Eagles (10-1), who are coming off a 52-44 win over seventh-seeded New Haven in the first round. Mountain East Conference champion Charleston averages 45.2 points per game, the fifth-most in Division II.
"We just got to continue to take care of the football," Clements said. "We got to be really good, disciplined."
The Golden Eagles average 227 rushing yards per game, the eighth-most in Division II. Redshirt sophomore running back Chavon Wright ranks fifth in Division II with 1,394 yards and fourth with 20 rushing touchdowns in 11 games.
"We're going to need to do a great job of tackling," Clements said. "Their backs are very good, physical backs."
While another challenge awaits, the Golden Bears are eager to continue their postseason run.
"We can't wait," Hile said. "We're just taking every day (with a) 1-0 mentality."
