Bobcats Cruise to Seventh Consecutive Win Over Wheeling

Frostburg State University football continued their winning ways this past Saturday on the road against Wheeling University. The Bobcats dismantled the Cardinals by a score of 42-13 for their seventh consecutive win after an 0-1 start that now seems lightyears away. The Bobcats only seem to be improving as the season goes on, as this was their third consecutive victory of over 20 points.

Frostburg has shown great mental toughness all season with their ability to withstand early deficits and not be fazed by their opponent’s big plays. Saturday’s game was no different. Frostburg turned the ball over twice in the first quarter, giving the Cardinals too many chances early on and ultimately surrendered a 34-yard touchdown run with 6:10 to play in the first quarter. However, a botched extra point only gave Wheeling a 6-0 lead.

From there, the Bobcats found a nice rhythm on both sides of the ball in the second quarter and rattled off 21 unanswered points to give themselves a 21-6 lead going into halftime. The Cardinals scored again in late the third quarter, but these would be their final points of the game. The same could not be said for the Bobcats as they took complete control of the game. FSU scored three touchdowns of their own in the second half of the fourth quarter to secure their seventh victory of the season.

Quarterback Will Brunson had a solid day with 166 yards passing on 19 attempts. He found his favorite target early on in junior wideout Dervonn Holton who had a career day with 116 yards on 5 receptions. Backup quarterback Chad Palmer had a “perfect” day with his only pass attempt going for a 41-yard touchdown to Holton in the waning minutes of the game. Frostburg’s rushing attack, which has been the offense’s staple all season had another big game with the Bobcats grinding out 212 yards on the ground. They were lead by Gavin Lavat who pitched in 126 yards of his own for his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season.

The FSU defense was led by Vincent Persichetti who had a game-high 11 tackles (10 solo) and forced a fumble. The highlight play of the day on defense came from Xavier Campbell who had a 51-yard interception return for a touchdown in the final minutes of the game.

After 8 weeks, Frostburg finds themselves as the second-ranked team in the Mountain East Conference and squarely in the middle of the race for the conference championship. They’ll have a chance to prove they’re worthy of such an honor in their first Division II season when they face Notre Dame (Ohio) next week in Bobcat Stadium. Notre Dame sits atop the Mountain East conference and is ranked as the No. 6 team in the country.

Next week’s game is an opportunity for the Bobcats to show they’re past just trying to fit in. Saturday’s game against Notre Dame gives the Bobcats a chance to show they shouldn’t just be respected in Division II but feared and seen as one of the premier programs in the division. They’ll need all the support they can get, so come out and cheer on the Bobcats this Saturday, Nov. 2 in Bobcat Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.