The No. 11 Kutztown Golden Bears (9–1, 5–1) rolled to a 45–16 victory over the visiting Bloomsburg Huskies (7–3, 4–2) in Saturday’s NCAA Division II PSAC East clash at Andre Reed Stadium, extending their winning streak against the Huskies to 10 games.
The Golden Bears scored on the opening kickoff, never looked back and handed Bloomsburg its first road loss of the season.
Golden Bears strike in a hurry
The home crowd barely had time to settle into its seats before Kutztown delivered the game’s first knockout punch.
Noah Micks returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, electrifying more than 5,000 spectators just 13 seconds into the contest.
It was Micks’ second kickoff return touchdown this season, making him just the second player in program history to accomplish the feat.
Quarterback Judd Novak then took over, engineering a 15-play, 64-yard drive that ended with a two-yard touchdown pass to Kaden Weaver.
Bloomsburg responded with Peter Kashynski’s 33-yard field goal, but the Golden Bears were only getting started.
Novak takes command
Novak threw two more touchdown passes in the second quarter, connecting with Noah Kracyla and Benny Liles III on five-yard scoring strikes to extend the lead to 28–3.
The Huskies briefly found some offensive rhythm when quarterback Zayd Etheridge connected with Justin Wolfe for a six-yard touchdown.
However, Gavin Pereira’s 24-yard field goal as time expired restored Kutztown’s comfortable advantage, sending the teams into halftime with the Golden Bears leading 31–10.
Novak finished the afternoon completing 20 of 28 passes for 218 yards and four touchdowns, moving into second place on Kutztown’s career passing list with 9,426 yards.
Defense joins the scoring party
The Golden Bears weren’t content to let their offense and special teams have all the fun.
Kahlil Williams forced a fumble early in the third quarter, recovered by Mikey Gray, before Novak connected with Luke Maxwell for a 14-yard touchdown later in the period.
Then came the defensive exclamation point.
Trey Lear intercepted Etheridge early in the fourth quarter and raced 60 yards for a touchdown, stretching the lead to 45–10.
It was Lear’s second pick-six of the season.
Bloomsburg added a late touchdown on Eli Zimmerman’s one-yard run, but the outcome had long since been decided.
Kutztown dominates the numbers
The Golden Bears outgained the Huskies 350–248, including a 128–82 advantage on the ground.
Jaedyn Stewart led the rushing attack with 73 yards, while Ty Kephart paced the defense with eight tackles.
For Bloomsburg, Etheridge passed for 166 yards and a touchdown, while Wolfe caught seven passes for 59 yards. Brady Thompson led the defense with 10 tackles.
Kutztown finished its PSAC East campaign at 5–1, while Bloomsburg now prepares to close its regular season against California (Pa.).
For the Golden Bears, the convincing victory provided another reminder that they remain a formidable force heading toward the postseason.