FSU Football Suffers First Loss Since September 2016

The last time the No. 9 ranked Frostburg State Bobcats (4-1, 3-1) lost a game was Sept. 10 of last year. The opponent that beat them: the Wolverines of Wesley College. On Saturday, No. 19 Wesley (4-1, 3-1) came into Frostburg and won in an OT thriller 27-24, ending the Bobcats’ 13-game winning streak.

The first score of the game came in the middle of the first quarter when Wesley quarterback Khaaliq Burroughs found receiver Alex Kemp in the end zone for the 7-0 lead.

In the second quarter, Frostburg junior tight end Christian DiPaola hauled in a pass from junior quarterback Connor Cox for a 13-yard touchdown, tying the game at 7-7. Senior kicker Hassan Mostafa added on with a 29-yard field goal to give the Bobcats a 10-7 lead at the half.

However, the Wolverines took control early in the third when Burroughs hooked up with Kemp again for a 56-yard score, taking a 14-10 lead. Then, running back E.J. Lee took the handoff 67 yards to the house to extend Wesley’s lead to 21-10.

But when Lee looked to score his second touchdown of the game, the ball was knocked out of his hands by sophomore linebacker Monte Jones at the FSU five-yard-line and recovered by junior defensive back Josh Scales at the one yard line.

Frostburg quickly capitalized on the turnover when sophomore tailback Gavin Lavat took the ball 79 yards all the way to the Wesley 20, which led to Cox connecting with junior Sergio Andino in the corner of the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown, pulling the Bobcats within four points with the score 21-17.

After FSU’s defense stepped up and forced the Wolverines to punt, Frostburg converted on a third down twice as Cox hooked up with senior receiver Joe Beckford for an 18-yard score to give the Bobcats a 24-21 lead with 7:40 to go in regulation.

However, on the ensuing possession, Wesley’s Marcquan Greene took the kickoff deep into FSU territory, which led to Nick Bruhn tying the game at 24-24 with a 26-yard field goal.

On their last possession of regulation, Frostburg moved to the Wesley 32, but Mostafa’s 49-yard field goal was pushed wide right, sending the game to overtime.

In OT, Bruhn converted on a 35-yard field goal to give the Wolverines the 27-24 lead. On FSU’s possession, a dropped pass led to a 40-yard field goal attempt from Mostafa, but it was blocked, handing the visitors the victory.

Both schools combined for nearly 1,000 yards in total offense and 43 first down. Frostburg’s total time of possession was 37:32, while out-gaining Wesley 501-439.

Despite the heartbreaking loss, the Bobcats finished with a season-high 279 yards on the ground behind 43 carries. Lavat ran for a career-best 155 yards on just nine carries, while junior Jamaal Morant had 89 yards on 23 rushing attempts.

Cox finished the contest with 233 yards and three touchdowns while completing 27-of-43 passes through the air. Beckford finished with nine catches for 81 catches and a touchdown, while DiPaola made four receptions for 42 yards and a score. DiPaola has now scored a touchdown in four straight games and leads FSU with four touchdowns on the season.

On the defensive side of things, senior defensive back Dante Chinnery posted a career-high 14 tackles, with a tackle-for-loss and an interception. Senior defensive tackle Niles Scott finished the day with two tackles for loss and four total stops, while senior DB Josh Washington made nine total tackles.

Frostburg will look to bounce back next Saturday Oct. 14 when they head to William Paterson for a 1 p.m. showdown.