Frostburg Drops Close Decision to Rowan on Halloween

October 31, the Frostburg football team traveled to Rowan University, hoping to keep their winning streak alive and capture win number seven for their season. Their trip would end without the desired effect however, due to the Bobcats being plagued by turnovers throughout the game. Despite being the first to score and carrying that lead into the fourth quarter, the Frostburg offense was unable to conquer the Rowan defense a second time. This led to the 15-6 loss to the Rowan Profs.

In the week prior to facing the Bobcats, the Profs lost narrowly to the Wesley Wolverines, a team who defeated Frostburg by a score of 47-3. The Rowan team had been ranked in the nation’s top 25 for several weeks leading up to this past week’s game against Frosburg. Despite losing their recognition as a top 25 team after their loss to Wesley, the Rowan Profs were still a very formidable opponent for a Frostburg team who was on a five game winning streak.

Rowan’s defense, one of the best in the country, held Frostburg at bay for most of the game. Frostburg’s only spark of scoring came in the 1^st quarter, when redshirt freshman quarterback Connor Cox passed to true freshman running back Gavin Lavat in the flat. Lavat made the snag on a swing route, cutting back to the middle of the field and outrunning both safeties up the middle, splitting the defense and coasting into the endzone untouched. Isaac Robinson’s extra point attempt was foiled by a bad snap giving Frostburg a 6-0 lead.

The Bobcat defense would hold Rowan without a score in the first half but second half mistakes would lead to the Bobcat’s demise. Running back Gavin Lavat fumbled three times in the game and quarterback Connor cox would throw three second half interceptions. The turnovers often gave Rowan a short field and led to their two scores of the day.

The first Rowan score came two plays after the Bobcat turnover. Quarterback Dante Pinckney loaded up and fired deep on second down for a wide open Zac Frantz, who made a diving grab in the back of the endzone. The Tyler Knighton extra point gave Rowan their first lead of the day and a 7-6 advantage.

The next Rowan touchdown came after FSU quarterback Connor Cox threw an interception deep in his own territory. The Profs scored just a few plays later, running the ball into the endzone from 6 yards out. The rushing touchdown gave the Profs a 15-6 lead which would go unaltered for the rest of the game, handing Frostburg their second loss of the season and ending their five game winning streak.

Anyone who would look at the statistics without seeing the score would be surprised to hear that the Bobcats lost. Frostburg led in first downs, total yards, passing yards, third down conversions and time of possession.

The Bobcat defense didn’t make the game easy for the Profs. The unit prevented any 3^rd down conversions for the Profs who were 0-13 when short of the sticks on third down. The defense also held Rowan to only 8 first downs in the whole game and only 158 total offensive yards.

With Rowan now behind the team, the Bobcats will head home to host one final home game this season. Frostburg’s Bobcat Stadium will be the venue to host the contest between FSU and Montclair State. MSU enters the game with a 3-5 overall record and has struggled on the defensive side of the ball this season. MSU has also given up an average of 324 offensive yards per game and has given up 500+ yards in a single game twice this season.

The Bobcats hope to put away MSU in spectacular fashion in order to keep their playoff hopes alive. If the Bobcats win their final two games of the season, they could still have a chance of making it to the tournament. Should they get left out of the big dance however, they could still qualify for a DIII postseason bowl game.