Making their first playoff appearance in the 95-season history of the football program, the Golden Bears earned the highest reward for completing a historic regular season with a 10-1 overall record.
Kutztown will receive a first-round bye and play a second-round home game on Saturday, November 27 at noon against the winner of the contest between fourth-seeded Shepherd (10-1 overall) and fifth-seeded Shaw (9-2).
“I am happy for all of the players and the hard work that they have put in this season,” Kutztown University head football coach Raymond Monica said. “The coaching staff has done a great job this year. This is a wonderful accomplishment, and I am happy for the university. We are excited to have earned the No. 1 seed. To be the first Kutztown football team in 95 seasons to make the playoffs is a big deal.”
In the other half of the Super Region One bracket, second-seeded Mercyhurst (9-2) received the other bye and will host the winner of the No. 3 California, Pa (10-1) and No. 6 Bloomsburg (9-2) contest. The other No. 1 seeds were Albany State (Super Region Two), Minnesota-Duluth (Super Region Three) and Abliene Christian (Super Region Four)
“This is a huge moment for all of us,” Kutztown sophomore quarterback Kevin Morton said. “This is a lot of fun. I know the bye is going to be good for us and being the No. 1 seed is an exciting feeling. It is really nice to see our hard work rewarded.”
Kutztown has enjoyed a fantastic season. The Golden Bears set school records for wins (10), conference victories (six), points scored (433), and consecutive wins to begin a season (nine).
Kutztown scored 30 or more points in its first 10 games of the season and topped the 50-point mark twice. Kutztown finished the season as the top scoring team in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), averaging 39.3 points per contest. KU also led the conference in passing offense (298.3 yards per game). The Golden Bears were third in passing efficiency (155.0) and total offense (425.9).
“Being selected to the NCAA playoffs is the biggest moment our team has ever had as players,” Kutztown senior linebacker Joel Irwin said. “At the start of the season, this was one of our goals to qualify for the playoffs and it’s great to see that happen. This is so exciting and to keep making history is an unbelievable feeling. We’re looking forward to playing at home and getting healthy during our bye.”
Ticket information will be made public as soon as it’s available.
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