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KUTZTOWN, Pa. - The Bloomsburg University football team spotted Kutztown University 27 points in the opening 21 minutes of the contest and could not complete the comeback as the Huskies dropped a 34-24 decision at Andre Reed Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The loss dropped Bloomsburg to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division while the Golden Bears took over sole possession of first place in the division as they improved to 3-3 overall and 3-0 in league play.

The Golden Bears scored on four of their first six possessions and had the ball in the red zone on the other two drives as they raced out to a 27-0 lead over the Huskies with 9:02 left in the opening half.

Kutztown quarterback Collin DiGalbo, who had a huge afternoon for the Golden Bears, found Nathan Hollander on a 22-yard touchdown pass to get the first points on the board with 11:28 left in the opening quarter. Then, after Kutztown forced a three-and-out, the Golden Bears drove to the Bloomsburg 12 yard line but turned the ball over on downs after a dropped pass in the endzone nullified further damage.

On the Huskies' ensuing possession, it appeared that Bloomsburg had tied the game when senior running back Lawrence Elliott Jr. (Utica, N.Y./Thomas R. Proctor) broke a 61-yard run into the Golden Bears' endzone. However, it turned out to be, arguably, the changing point as the Huskies were flagged for an offsides penalty and the Bloomsburg drive stalled.

The hosts took advantage on their next possession. Facing a third-and-three from his own 18-yard line, DiGalbo drew his own number, found a hole, and scampered up the left sideline for an 82-yard touchdown run to give the Golden Bears a 13-0 lead. Redshirt junior Nick Pellechia (Churchville, Pa./Council Rock South) blocked the extra point.

In the first quarter alone, Kutztown held a 172-12 advantage in yards of total offense and jumped out to a 13-0 lead.

Things got worse for the Huskies as the Golden Bears scored on their first two possessions of the second quarter to take a 27-0 lead. Craig Reynolds scored the first touchdown on a 30-yard run with 12:37 left in the opening half. Then, after another three-and-out from the Huskies' offense, DiGalbo found paydirt again, this time from 15 yards out, with 9:02 left for Kutztown's 27-point lead.

Bloomsburg got on the board on its next drive, aided by a 50-yard screen pass from redshirt junior Chris Palubinsky (Ringtown, Pa./Shenandoah Valley) to Elliott Jr. that took the ball to the Kutztown 14 yard line. Three plays later, Elliott Jr. scored from seven yards out and, after redshirt sophomore Ryan Abbott (Hagerstown, Md./Saint James School) added the extra point, the Huskies trailed 27-7 with 6:25 left in the first half.

The Golden Bears drove all the way to the Bloomsburg 10 yard line on their next drive but redshirt senior Jerrin Toomey (York, Pa./West York) forced a fumble that was recovered by redshirt senior Andrew Harris (Bethlehem, Pa./Whitehall) to give the Huskies life in the closing moments of the half. However, the Huskies were forced to punt again and the half came to a close with the hosts leading by a 27-7 margin.

In the opening thirty minutes, Kutztown amassed 222 yards on the ground on only 21 carries and added another 147 yards through the air for 369 yards of total offense. The Huskies, on the flip side, were held to 107 yards which included only 15 yards on the ground.

Bloomsburg's defense made some adjustments at halftime and was able to keep the Golden Bears off the scoreboard in the third quarter. However, the Huskies continued to struggle moving the ball against Kutztown and were held to just a 31-yard field goal from Abbott with 2:31 left in the third to cut the Golden Bears' lead to 27-10 heading to the fourth quarter.

With Kutztown driving at the start of the fourth quarter, the Huskies were able to force the Golden Bears to turn the ball over on downs for a chance to cut further into the lead. On Bloomsburg's possession, Palubinsky went 6-of-7 for 80 yards and capped off the drive when he found redshirt freshman Michael Allen (Oley, Pa./Oley Valley) on an 11-yard touchdown pass with 9:43 left as the Huskies found themselves only down ten, 27-17, with plenty of time left. The touchdown reception was the first score of Allen's career.

However, the Golden Bears put together an 11-play, 67-yard drive that took 6:50 off the clock on their next possession with DiGalmo finding Hollander for a three-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 34-17 with just 2:53 remaining. On the drive, Kutztown was able to convert a third-and-13 from its own 43 and a fourth-and-three from the Bloomsburg 23.

Bloomsburg made one last ditch effort at a comeback as it drove 65 yards on eight plays in 1:19 with Elliott Jr. capping off the drive with a two-yard run - his second touchdown of the game and 14th of the season. Abbott added the extra point to cut the lead to 34-24 with 1:34 left. The Huskies tried an onside kick but the Golden Bears were able to recover and run out the clock for the victory.

Kutztown finished the day with 542 yards of total offense while the Huskies managed only 299 against the Golden Bear defense. Bloomsburg finished the day with only 32 rushing yards on 25 carries - the lowest rushing output by the Huskies in a single game since prior to the 1999 season. Bloomsburg's previous low since the 1999 campaign came on September 13, 2003 when the Huskies managed only 36 rushing yards on 33 carries.

Kutztown's 542 yards of total offense were the most allowed by Bloomsburg since giving up 554 yards to Shippensburg on October 31, 2013.

Elliott Jr. finished the day with a season-low 43 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Redshirt senior Joe Parsnik (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./Coughlin) added 14 yards on the ground on five totes. Palubinsky was sacked three times, however, for a loss of 28 yards which lessened the rushing total. The redshirt junior quarterback did have a nice day throwing the football, though, as he was 18-of-35 for a career-high 267 yards and one touchdown. Allen caught a career-high seven passes for 88 yards while redshirt senior Chad Hoffman (Drums, Pa./Hazleton) caught six passes for 73 yards.

Both DiGalmo and Reynolds finished with at least 100 yards on the ground as DiGalmo led the way with 126 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries. Reynolds added 106 yards on 19 carries. DiGalmo was also 29-of-37 passing for 247 yards and two touchdowns but was picked off once, by redshirt sophomore Dexter Jordan (Wernersville, Pa./Conrad Weiser). Kellen Williams caught nine passes for 94 yards to lead the Golden Bear receiving corps.

Defensively, Harris led the Huskies with 12 total tackles. Senior Jarell Boyd-Ross (Pittsburgh, Pa./Dickinson (N.J.)) posted a career-high 11 tackles while Toomey added a career-best ten stops and a forced fumble. Jordan had seven tackles, one tackle for a loss, and his third interception of the season. Jalen Nieves led Kutztown with 11 tackles, three tackles for a loss, and a sack.

Bloomsburg will look to bounce back against arch-rival West Chester University on Saturday, October 15 on Homecoming Weekend at Danny Hale Field at Redman Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.