FSU Football Extends Winning Streak to 13

Following a nail-biter against Christopher Newport, the No. 11 Frostburg State Bobcats (3-0) were back on the road on Saturday afternoon against the Profs of Rowan University (3-0). The game was close by the beginning of the fourth quarter but a late touchdown and solid defense by FSU propelled them to a 24-10 victory.

The first score came late in the first quarter when Bobcats junior quarterback Connor Cox’s long pass was tipped by a Rowan defender and landed in the hands of senior Joe Beckford for a 59-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead. This play capped off a six-play 85-yard drive, the longest drive of the afternoon for Frostburg.

In the second quarter, the Profs cut the deficit to 7-3 on a 22-yard chip shot by Tyler Knighton. Then, Rowan quarterback Naldy Tavarez found his receiver Jamel Smith for an 11-yard touchdown to give his team a 10-7 lead.

Frostburg kicker Hassan Mostafa missed a 46-yard field goal that would have tied the game right before halftime, leaving the score 10-7 Profs.

But the Bobcats didn’t give up. In the third quarter, they would regain the lead when Cox hooked up with junior tight end Christian DiPaola for a 19-yard score and a commanding 14-10 lead.

Later in the third, Mostafa connected on a 19-yard field goal to extend Frostburg’s lead to 17-10.

With 5:06 left in the game, Cox threw his third touchdown pass of the game. This time to on a 43-yard bomb to sophomore Malik Morris in the end zone.

On offense, Cox finished with 238 yards passing on 13-of-25 attempts and three touchdowns. Neverdon hauled in six passes for 80 yards, while DiPaola made three catches for 50 yards.

Junior tailback Jamaal Morant led the rushing attack on 26 carries for 89 yards, while sophomore Gavin Lavat ran for 48 yards on 11 rushing attempts.

In the end, Frostburg’s offense totaled 375 yards, including 137 yards on the ground and 238 through the air from Cox.

The Bobcats entered the game with the nation’s top rushing defense and held the Profs to just 46 yards on the ground on 26 carries. Frostburg also held Anthony Diorio to just 54 yards on 21 rushes. Diorio was averaging over 138 yards per game entering Saturday’s contest and was the NJAC’s second-best rusher in terms of yards per contest.

In total, FSU held Rowan to just 214 yards in total offense and 10 second-quarter points.

With their record now 4-0, Frostburg has extended their winning streak to 13 games, which ties the school’s record that was set in the 1989 and 1990 season.

FSU will take a week off and return in two weeks on Oct. 7 to host No. 22 Wesley at 1 p.m. Wesley was the last team to beat Frostburg on Sept. 10, 2016.