It’s been only two seasons since the Golden Bears made their first-ever NCAA Division II semifinal appearance.
After a flawless 2025 campaign, head coach Jim Clements and his team are headed back.
Kutztown defeated Frostburg State, 51-29, at Andre Reed Stadium on Saturday afternoon in the Super Region One quarterfinals.
“These guys played their hearts out, and they’re going to continue to do that,” Clements said. “I’m just excited that we get another opportunity to play with this group. It’s a special team, special players, and great seniors. We’re just excited to go play wherever we need to go.”
The 2025 Golden Bears (14–0) have been dominant all season in all three phases of the game, leaving opponents struggling to find a weakness.
Kutztown will play Harding the semifinals on Saturday at a time and place to be determined.
“I did, absolutely without a doubt,” Clements said when asked if he envisioned a Final Four team back in the summer. “We had one last year, too, and it didn’t go our way at the end of that Slippery Rock game in overtime. That was really the fuel that set fire with this group. I feel like we did the best team in the region year after year after year, super proud.”
Kutztown University’s Lawron Short sacks Frostburg State quarterback Jordan Brooks causing a fumble in a 51-29 NCAA Division 2 quarterfinal victory over the Bobcats at Andre Reed Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. The turnover led to a KU touchdown. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Kutztown’s only other semifinal appearance came in 2023, when it fell to top-ranked Colorado School of Mines, 35–7.
As in every game this season, quarterback Judd Novak, a finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy (Division II’s Heisman Award), led the way offensively. The redshirt junior threw three touchdown passes and rushed for another. He completed 11 of 16 attempts for 151 yards and added 48 more on the ground.
Tight end Luke Maxwell recorded a hat trick of touchdowns, scoring twice on fullback dives and once on a catch in the back of the end zone.
“I just try to trust the game plan, do my job to the best of my ability, no matter what it is,” Maxwell said of his career day.
Defensively, after a relatively slow first half, the unit flipped a switch in the second. Freddie Retter finished with 2.5 sacks, while Lawron Short added two, including a strip sack. Zach Perta also came up with an interception.
“Our defense is deep,” linebacker and former Gov. Mifflin graduate Eden Johnson said. “Anybody can play, whether it’s the 1s, 2s, or 3s; it doesn’t matter. Anybody can go out there and make a play. I trust everybody.”
But early on, that dominance was far from certain.
The Bobcats (11–2) came into Andre Reed Stadium and immediately made their presence felt, confident they could upset the No. 3-ranked Golden Bears.
Kutztown University’s Steve Burkhardt gets a facemask penalty by Frostburg State’s Osman Fanny in a 51-29 NCAA Division 2 quarterfinal victory over the Bobcats at Andre Reed Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. The penalty put the Golden Bears in the Frostburg red zone. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
It was a competitive first half, capped by Frostburg State’s last-second touchdown before halftime, which cut the deficit to one score, 28–20.
A new face began taking snaps for the Bobcats after starter Jordan Brooks exited with an injury.
It turned out to be the spark they desperately needed after two empty possessions.
Backup quarterback Myles Fulton stepped in and quickly took command of the offense.
“Nothing changes, just get after the quarterback, doesn’t matter who’s back there,” Short said of the quarterback change. “Have to get after him.”
With a chance to pull his team back into the game, Fulton did exactly that, driving the Bobcats down the field with three minutes remaining.
They reached the 24-yard line with nine seconds left. Fulton dropped back, stepped up in the pocket, and launched a prayer to the end zone into triple coverage.
The ball ricocheted off multiple hands before Amirr Coles snatched it out of the air and toe-tapped in the back of the end zone for an incredible last-second touchdown heading into halftime.
Frostburg State had seized the momentum and was right back in the game.
Kutztown University quarterback Judd Novak takes the ball to the Frostburg State 4-yard line on a keeper in a 51-29 NCAA Division 2 quarterfinal victory over the Bobcats at Andre Reed Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
“I wasn’t concerned. We felt like we were better than them,” Johnson said. “We had to eliminate explosive plays. Go back to the half, regroup, come back out, and get stops and turnovers. It’s that simple.”
It may not be that simple for some football teams around the country, but for the Golden Bears, it is.
Kutztown’s defense came alive in the final 30 minutes, completely shutting down the Bobcats’ offense.
However, that came after Frostburg State’s opening series of the half.
On the first play, Fulton dropped back and delivered a beautiful back-shoulder pass to Ray Adames for a 41-yard gain.
The drive ended when Freddie Retter sacked Fulton, forcing the Bobcats to settle for a 38-yard field goal by Harrison Fritz, cutting the deficit to just five points early in the second half.
On the ensuing drive, the Golden Bears’ offense kept their foot on the gas.
At the 5:42 mark of the third quarter, Novak couldn’t find anyone open in the red zone. He rolled to his right and, while on the run, delivered a pass to Trevor Amorim, where only he could haul it in.
Kutztown extended their lead to two scores, 35–23.
Kutztown University defenders break up a 24=yard pass from Myles Fulton that was eventually caught by Amirr Coles for a controversial touchdown with 1 second left in the half in a 51-29 Golden Bear NCAA Division 2 quarterfinal victory over the Bobcats at Andre Reed Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
The Golden Bears’ defense continued to dominate in the second half, forcing a punt that set up a Gino Campagna touchdown. From the Bobcats’ 3-yard line, Novak faked a play-action in goal-line formation and then lofted the ball over the top for the score.
With 11 seconds left in the third quarter, Zach Perta intercepted Fulton, who was targeting Adames on an out route.
The turnover set up another Kutztown touchdown, officially breaking the game wide open.
Luke Maxwell completed his hat trick, this time through the air, hauling in a 5-yard touchdown pass.
“That guy’s a stud,” Clemtents said of Maxwell. “He’s all business, he’s humble and hungry.”
The Bobcats added a late touchdown when Fulton connected with Austin Paul-Umstead on a 65-yard go-route score.
On the ensuing two-point attempt, Amir Anderson intercepted the pass and returned it 101 yards, giving the Golden Bears a 50-point burger. The redshirt junior celebrated by making snow angels in the small amount of snow remaining at Andre Reed Stadium.
“I think it’s our line of scrimmage play,” Clements said of their dominance. “I think our offensive line and our defensive line have really dominated and played extremely well. We’ve got a lot of guys like around here that we can rotate in up front… This is just a really good group in all phases of the game. I think our coaches do a great job with them. I think they really are tight together. It’s a special group.”
To start the game, both teams traded blows.
Kutztown moved quickly on their opening possession, with Steven Burkhardt picking up gains of 10 and 21 yards to reach Bobcats territory.
That set up a four-yard touchdown run by Judd Novak.
Frostburg State responded immediately.
On their second play, Jordan Brooks dropped back under pressure from the Golden Bears’ pass rush and floated a pass to KJ Smothers on a running back screen. Smothers had nothing but open field, taking it 69 yards down to the Kutztown 3-yard line.
Four plays later, he punched it in on a 1-yard dive. The extra point was blocked, keeping the score at 7–6 in favor of the Golden Bears.
On the next series, Novak got his arm going, connecting with Luke Maxwell on back-to-back 22-yard gains down the left side. Novak then sent a player in motion across the formation and handed the ball to Jaedyn Stewart, who capped the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run.
The teams continued to trade blows, with neither defense able to make a stop.
On the verge of forcing a fourth-down stop in their own territory, the Bobcats converted a 4th-and-12 when Jordan Brooks connected with Jevonn Gilyard down the sideline. Gilyard slipped past the secondary and stepped out at the 1-yard line, but Smothers finished the job on a handoff out of the shotgun to the left side for the touchdown.
At the end of the first quarter, Kutztown held a 14–13 lead.
Kutztown University quarterback Judd Novak throws a 10-yard touchdown pass to Trevor Amorim against Frostburg State in a 51-29 NCAA Division 2 quarterfinal victory over the Bobcats at Andre Reed Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
With 11:48 remaining in the second quarter, Lawron Short stripped Brooks, and Brayden Pohlman recovered the fumble, giving the Golden Bears’ offense excellent field position.
“Plays like that can always affect the game,” Short said of the turnover. “I came around the edge, saw the ball, and got the ball out.”
It was a key takeaway, a major play that the Golden Bears capitalized on.
Novak connected with Lenniek Preston on a slant, with Preston dragging defenders down to the 1-yard line. On the next play, Clements returned the favor to Maxwell from an earlier series with a touchdown on a fullback dive.
That’s when Kutztown’s defense and special teams began to take control after a shaky start.
On a third-and-long passing situation, Eden Johnson and Freddie Retter sacked Brooks to end the drive.
On the ensuing punt, the Golden Bears’ return team rushed the punt and got a hand on the ball, once again setting up their offense in excellent field position.
And just like on the previous series, the big play came from the big man. Maxwell scored on another fullback dive, giving Kutztown a 28–13 lead with 3:26 remaining before the Bobcats’ miraculous last-second touchdown.
The two teams combined to go 11-for-11 on red zone opportunities. The quarterfinals were full of scoring, as Kutztown kept both their perfect season and NCAA Division II Championship hopes alive.
