FSU Football Puts on Dominant Show on Homecoming

One week after crushing William Paterson by the score of 59-7, No. 16 Frostburg State (6-1, 5-1) returned home on Saturday and looked to be firing on all cylinders once again in a 62-3 blowout over NJAC opponent Montclair State (3-4, 3-3) on Homecoming weekend.

Bobcat junior quarterback Connor Cox threw two touchdown passes to Malik Morris in the first quarter; one a 72-yard strike and the other a 46-yard score, giving FSU the lead over the Red Hawks 14-0. Senior kicker Hassan Mostafa followed up with a 26-yard field goal to extend the lead to 17-0. Then, late in the quarter, freshman linebacker Jake Broschart blocked a punt and returned the ball 22 yards for a TD, making the score 24-0.

Midway through the second quarter, Montclair State quarterback John Apicella was intercepted by senior defensive back Josh Washington at the MSU 26, which led to Mostafa nailing a 27-yarder to extend Frostburg’s lead to 27-0.

The shutout ended when MSU kicker Hunter Daly made a 29-yard kick to cut the deficit to 27-3. But Cox continued to prevail by hooking up with junior wideout Sergio Andino for an 18-yard TD with the score 34-3 at halftime.

Early in the third, FSU freshman defensive lineman Zach Strand returned a fumble 75 yards to the house to extend the rout to 41-3. Then, later in the quarter, Cox found Andino again in the corner of the end zone with the score 48-3.

In the fourth, running backs Gavin Lavat and Aizsha Horne scored from nine and seven yards out respectively to finalize the score at 62-3.

On offense, Frostburg amassed 518 total yards, while the defense held the Red Hawks to just 178 yards and three points.

For the second consecutive week, Cox finished with four touchdowns. He also passed for 295 yards and 12 completions on 17 attempts. Morris hauled in a career-best 138 yards on four catches with two TDs, while Andino made three receptions for 61 yards and two scores.

Lavat led FSU in rushing for the second time this year as he finished with 101 yards on nine attempts, averaging 11.2 yards per carry. Horne ended the game with two carries for 23 yards and a score, as he averaged 11.5 yards per carry.

The Bobcats made 16 stops behind the line of scrimmage and held MSU to negative yardage on four drives.
Senior Dante Chinnery and junior Josh Scales each finished with a team-high nine tackles. Chinnery contributed two tackles for loss and two pass break ups, while Scales added two tackles for loss. Senior Niles Scott sacked the quarterback twice in the game.

This 59-point win is the largest margin of victory in program history. The previous record was set in the year 1997 when the Bobcats steamrolled over Greensboro 60-3. DeLane Fitzgerald’s squad has also won their last four homecoming games.

FSU returns to action next Friday night as they head out to Buena Vista, Va. to take on Southern Virginia for a 7 p.m. showdown.