KUTZTOWN –– If the IUP Crimson Hawks were supposed to be intimidated by the unbeaten and untested Kutztown Golden Bears on Saturday, they weren’t.
And if a play here or there had gone their way, they’d wake up this morning as PSAC champs.
But things didn’t bounce their way, and despite holding a halftime lead on a team that had not trailed at any point in the season until then, the Crimson Hawks couldn’t come away with a win, losing to host Kutztown, 28-23 on Saturday at Andre Reed Stadium.
“That’s not the outcome we wanted to get, but we took the supposed No. 3 team in the country down to the wire,” said IUP center Matt Nelson. “There’s some good, some bad, and some ugly. Definitely some things we need to clean up—mental errors and mistakes across the board. If we do that, we’ll be all right. We should keep our heads up and not be too upset.”
Yet if the Crimson Hawks wanted to be upset, they could find a lot of things to single out.
On offense, they got outmuscled up front by the Kutztown defensive line and couldn’t effectively run the ball, finishing with minus-12 yards (they gained 39 yards and lost 51, mostly due to six sacks of quarterback Matthew Rueve).
On defense, IUP couldn’t make critical stops or get pressure on Kutztown quarterback Judd Novak. They also gave up a handful of 20-plus yard plays and couldn’t force a turnover.
“We could have played better in all three phases,” said IUP head coach Paul Tortorella.
Yet IUP had a chance to win the game, after taking possession with 2:50 to play at its own 19-yard line, but it couldn’t move the ball much and turned it over on downs when tailback Tavian Banks got tackled for a loss on fourth-and-1.
Kutztown outgained IUP 311-283 overall and 123 to minus-12 in rushing yards. Rueve completed 29 of 37 attempts for 295 yards and three touchdowns, two to Jeremiah Coleman and one to Devin Whitlock.
IUP took a 7-0 lead on a Rueve-to-Coleman 26-yard touchdown pass on its first possession, marking the first points scored against Kutztown in the first quarter all season, and the first time the Golden Bears had trailed at any point in any game this year.
“That was huge for the team,” Nelson said. “We heard all week about how Kutztown’s defense was special—they hadn’t allowed points in the first quarter. We wanted to challenge that. Going down the field and scoring on the first drive was big for us and gave us a great start.”
IUP took a 14-7 lead on Whitlock’s score, and then after Kutztown matched it with a touchdown, the Crimson Hawks took a 17-14 halftime lead on Nick Andrasi’s 50-yard field goal.
But the Golden Bears opened the second half with two quick touchdowns to take a 28-17 lead into the fourth quarter. IUP cut it to 28-23 on Rueve’s pass to Coleman, but the two-point conversion failed, setting up the final few minutes, when IUP had opportunities, it could not take advantage of.
“We just didn’t get the result we wanted,” said IUP safety Noah Johnston. “It’s hard, but we have to put it behind us and move on. We’re still chasing greatness. A minor setback for a major comeback.”
The Crimson Hawks are expected to hear their name called today when the NCAA Division II playoff field is announced. IUP was No. 4 in the regional rankings going into Saturday’s game. Kutztown was No. 1 and will likely retain that ranking and be the top seed in the playoffs.
“We just want to move on,” said IUP defensive lineman Logan Danielson. “We can’t dwell on the past. We’ll watch the film, learn from it, and get ready for the next game. That’s what’s important.”
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