By The Keystone Newspaper KU’s victory marks a strong start for the back-to-back PSAC champs
By Tommy Scuderi
KU football opened its 2025 campaign against the Assumption Greyhounds on Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. KU won 51-14 in a five-and-a-half-hour game, its highest-scoring performance in six years.
Coming off back-to-back PSAC championship crowns in 2023 and 2024, expectations for the Golden Bears are high as the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll ranked them 7th nationally during the preseason poll.
KU opened the game with a nine-play, 66-yard drive on the ground before tight end Luke Maxwell crossed the plane for the first touchdown of the year. After forcing a three-and-out, KU turned to the air, driving down the field before quarterback Judd Novak completed a 22-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Lenniek Preston. The catch landed on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays of the Week on Friday morning.
Assumption would not go down without a fight. All-conference quarterback Jay Kastanian broke off a 46-yard run on the final play of the first quarter, then found wide receiver Keith Mancini for a 24-yard touchdown pass to put the Greyhounds back within seven.
That was the closest the Greyhounds would get, as on the next drive running back Jayden Stewart broke free for a 62-yard run that put KU back up by two scores. A safety on a wild snap over the Greyhounds’ punter added two more points and extended the lead to 23-7. The Golden Bears got the ball back, drove down the field again and capped the drive with another Luke Maxwell rushing touchdown to make it 30-7.
A well-executed two-minute drill from the Greyhounds would bring them down the field to score once more before the half and make it 30-14, but that would be the end of the scoring for the Greyhounds.
Photo Credit: Kutztown University Sports Information Department
The game remained scoreless until late in the third quarter, when lightning in the area forced about an hour delay. Play resumed around 10 p.m., and on the first snap back Jayden Stewart broke loose for a 39-yard touchdown to extend KU’s lead to 37-14. On the very next play, however, lightning caused a second delay, this one lasting about 90 minutes.
The teams finally returned to the field around 11:30 p.m., and KU added two more touchdowns. The first came on a 48-yard pass from quarterback Judd Novak to wide receiver Jaimen Bryant, and the second on a 27-yard run by redshirt freshman running back Eli Cunningham. KU went on to win 51-14 in a five-and-a-half-hour game, its highest-scoring performance in six years.
The game also carried special meaning as KU hosted Morgan’s Message, a mental health organization dedicated to student-athletes that works to eliminate stigma and encourage open conversations about challenges off the field.
KU player and ambassador Mikey Gray explained why the cause matters to him.
“By encouraging open dialogue and raising awareness, it helps individuals realize that mental health is just as important as physical health,” Gray said. “I decided to become an ambassador because of the mental health challenges I’ve faced such as season-ending injuries, struggling academically, and losing loved ones during the season.”
Gray also pointed out where mental health services are available to athletes.
‘Not only do I encourage someone who needs support to talk to one of us (ambassadors), but we also have a counseling center located in Beck Hall,” Gray said. “They offer services for students experiencing difficulties with anxiety, depression, family and relationship troubles, substance use, and other concerns at no additional cost.”