The Kutztown Golden Bears (4-0, 1-0 PSAC East) leaned on Craig Miller and a punishing ground game to beat the Shepherd Rams (3-1, 0-1) 28-18 Saturday at Andre Reed Stadium in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, extending their NCAA Division II-leading regular-season winning streak to 35 games.
Miller ran for a career-high 136 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries as the third-ranked Golden Bears piled up 249 yards on the ground and outgained the Rams 391-210.
Miller breaks through the weather
Rain and wind from a coastal Nor’easter made offense difficult early, and the opening quarter ended scoreless.
Miller changed that three plays into the second, bursting through the middle and racing 46 yards for the game’s first touchdown.
A Shepherd special-teams mistake quickly handed Kutztown another opportunity. A high punt snap sailed into trouble and, rather than accept a safety, the Golden Bears declined the penalty and took possession at the Rams’ four. Jaedyn Stewart punched it in on the next play for a 14-0 lead.
Shepherd finally answered late in the half when quarterback Michael Hardyway scrambled 17 yards for a touchdown on fourth-and-three. The missed extra point left Kutztown ahead 14-6 at halftime.
Golden Bears regain control
Neither team scored in the third, but Kutztown was already knocking on the door when the fourth began.
Judd Novak had connected twice with Noah Kracyla for 25 yards and found Benny Liles III for another 11 on the drive. On the first snap of the fourth quarter, Novak hit Brady Collins across the middle for a 15-yard touchdown and a 21-6 advantage.
Novak finished 13 of 20 for 142 yards and a touchdown without an interception, while also adding 43 yards rushing.
Rams make a late push
Shepherd refused to disappear. Hardyway found Daryl Harper for a 23-yard touchdown with 3:33 remaining, cutting the margin to 21-12 after Jaime Rivera knocked down the two-point attempt.
The Rams tried an onside kick, but Trey Hamlin III recovered. Three plays later, Miller found another opening and exploded 40 yards for his second touchdown, effectively putting the game away at 28-12.
Hardyway and Harper connected again from 11 yards with 50 seconds left, but another two-point try failed. Hamlin then recovered Shepherd’s second onside kick to end the threat.
Hardyway completed 17 of 24 passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns, with Harper catching six passes for 57 yards and both scores.
The bigger difference came on the ground. Kutztown averaged 6.2 yards per carry while holding Shepherd to 98 rushing yards, allowing the Golden Bears to control a weather-beaten afternoon and keep their remarkable regular-season streak rolling.