#15/17 Frostburg (11-1)	vs.	#2/2 Mount Union (12-0)

NCAA Playoffs Quarterfinal Round
Mount Union Stadium  I  Saturday, December 2
Alliance, Ohio  I  12:00 pm

Live Video
Live Stats
Radio - Broadcast by WCBC Radio (Cumberland)

Directions to Mount Union

Frostburg Game Notes
NCAA Playoff Bracket
 

---

Setting the Scene
The 15th-ranked Frostburg football team set another program record by advancing to the NCAA quarterfinals this Saturday for the first time in history.

The Bobcats knocked off No. 10 Washington & Jefferson, 46-23 last Saturday and will travel to No. 2 Mount Union for a 12:00 pm kickoff on Dec. 2.

Frostburg received one of five at-large bids to the NCAA Playoffs when the field was announced, while the Purple Raiders received an automatic bid after winning the Ohio Athletic Conference for the 28th time.

The matchup with UMU will have the Bobcats facing yet another undefeated team as the Purple Raiders are 12-0 following wins over Washington & Lee (21-0) and Case Western Reserve (45-16) in the first two rounds.

Frostburg handed Wittenberg its first home loss since 2014 in the first round and ended W&J's 30-game home winning streak a week ago.

The Bobcats will visit Alliance, Ohio having won seven-straight games and they are outscoring their opponents 268-60 during the run.

Mount Union is in the middle of its 26th-consecutive trip to the NCAA Playoffs and the Purple Raiders have appeared in the Stagg Bowl 19 times since 1993 with 12 National Championships. The Purple Raiders also boast a 114-1 record at home since midway through the 2005 season.

The Series
Saturday's matchup between Frostburg and Mount Union will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

Frostburg is currently in its second trip to the NCAA Playoffs in program history while Mount Union has captured 12 National Championships since the 1993 season.

Scouting Mount Union
Mount Union is in familiar territory as it is making its 26th-straight trip to the NCAA Playoffs and it boasts a 96-16 record in the playoffs in 29 overall trips. The Purple Raiders are 12-0 on the season and entered the playoffs after taking the Ohio Athletic Conference crown for the 28th time.

Mount Union, which has held steady at No. 2 in both polls all season, shutout Washington & Lee in the first round 21-0. UMU scored two first-quarter touchdowns and limited Washington & Lee to just 269 yards in total offense.

In a battle of Ohio schools in round two, Mount Union rolled to a 45-16 victory over Case Western Reserve. The Purple Raiders passed for 233 yards, ran for another 223 yards and forced four Spartan turnovers.

Mount Union dropped a home game late in the season a year ago but has collected a 114-1 record at Mount Union Stadium since midway through the 2005 season.

The Purple Raiders are perfect this fall behind the nation's top scoring offense that averages 52.8 points per game. Mount Union is also first in the country in completion percentage (71.0), 13th in the nation in total offense (483.6), fourth in total defense (227.3), fourth in scoring defense (9.7) and 10th in rushing defense (77.4).

Sophomore quarterback D'Angelo Fulford leads DIII in passing touchdowns (48) and passing efficiency (241.7). He has completed 154-of-219 passes for 2,629 yards and he has tossed a touchdown to eight different receivers on the season.

Justin Hill is sixth in the country with 16 receiving touchdowns to go along with 39 receptions for 831 yards. Jared Ruth has hauled in 13 TDs on 32 catches for 654 yards.

On the ground, Jawanza Evans-Morris has rushed for 962 yards on 123 carries and eight touchdowns. He has eclipsed 100 yards in a game five times this season, including a 110-yard effort last week against Case.

Charlie Dear leads the team with 78 total tackles, including 9.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. Elijah Berry paces the team with 13 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.

Scouting Frostburg
The 15th-ranked Frostburg State football team is making its first appearance in the NCAA Quarterfinal round (32-team bracket) in school history and faces yet another tough test on the road against No. 2 Mount Union.
 
The Bobcats have rolled through the first two rounds of the playoffs, defeating previously unbeaten Wittenberg (35-7) in the first round and previously unbeaten Washington & Jefferson (46-23) on November 25. Last week's victory against 10th-ranked W&J was the first in school history against the Presidents and also snapped their 30-game home winning streak that dated back to the 2012 season.
 
Fourth-year head coach DeLane Fitzgerald enters the playoff matchup with a 31-12 (.720) career record as the coach of the Bobcats, including a 21-2 (.913) mark since 2016. Frostburg has rolled through the latter portions of its schedule with seven-straight wins, outscoring opponents 268-60 in that span.
 
The Bobcats feature a balanced offensive attack that averages 35.9 points/game. Frostburg has converted 106 first downs on the ground with 130 through the air. Junior quarterback Connor Cox is a versatile threat that is second in school history in touchdown passes (54) with a career-high 25 this season. Junior running back Jamaal Morant leads the Bobcat ground game with 953 rushing yards and junior wideout Sergio Andino is the team's top receiving option with 539 yards and 12 touchdowns.
 
Junior defensive back Josh Scales is the team's leading tackler (70) while senior defensive back Dante Chinnery is second on the team with 54 stops this season.
 
Running the Gauntlet
Frostburg's road through the 2017 NCAA Playoffs has no doubt been tough and the case can be made that the Bobcats have the toughest path of all 32 teams in this year's playoffs.

In the first round, Frostburg defeated Wittenberg, NCAA Division III's second winningest football program of all-time. Last Saturday, the Bobcats took down Washington & Jefferson, NCAA Division III's third winningest program.

This Saturday, Frostburg has earned a trip to Alliance, Ohio to battle 12-time National Champion Mount Union, DIII's all-time winningest program. The Purples Raiders boast 769 wins since their first year of football in 1893.

Since 1990, Mount Union has totaled 357 wins and 11 undefeated seasons, compared to just 18 losses. The Purple Raiders haven't had a losing season since 1977 and they have appeared in the NCAA Playoff semifinals 22-consecutive times.

Pulling Rank
Frostburg has been ranked inside the D3football.com Top 25 poll for the enitre season, including the preseason poll, while Mount Union has sat comfortably at No. 2 all season.

Heading into it's midseason overtime loss to Wesley, Frostburg had moved to ninth in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25 poll.

The Bobcats currently sit at No. 15 in the D3football poll and are 17th in the AFCA Poll.

We're Talking About Playoffs
Frostburg rolled to a 35-7 road win at ninth-ranked Wittenberg in the first round of the NCAA Playoffs behind a stout defense and a bruising running game. The Bobcats limited the nation's 22nd ranked offense to just 271 total yards and just 60 rushing yards. The Bobcats allowed the Tigers' only touchdown in the third quarter, forced three Wittenberg turnovers and held them on fourth down three times.

On the offensive side of the field, Frostburg averaged nearly seven yards a carry after totaling 385 yards on 57 carries. Junior Jamaal Morant ran for 168 yards on 26 carries, including a 61-yard touchdown in the fourth. Senior defensive back/punter Dante Chinnery faked a punt in his own endzone and raced 93 yards for a touchdown midway through the fourth for a 28-7 lead.

In the second round, Frostburg collected a 46-23 win over 10th-ranked Washington & Jefferson, snapping a 30-game home winning streak for W&J. The Bobcats ran for 248 yards and three scores and tossed another two touchdowns. Sophomore tailback Gavin Lavat averaged 9.1 yards per carry after running for 146 yards on 16 carries and one touchdown.

Frostburg limited the high-powered President offense to just 323 yards, including 263 through the air. W&J entered Saturday at 15th in the country in total offense (479.3) and 13th in passing offense (320.5).

The Last (and First) Time In the NCAA Playoffs
Frostburg's only other appearance in the NCAA Playoffs came back in 1993 and that squad finished at 10-2 overall. The Bobcats posted their first-ever NCAA Playoff win in the first round in dramatic fashion by rallying with 19 fourth-quarter points for a narrow 26-25 win at Wilkes.

After falling behind 25-7 after three quarters of action, Frostburg started its rally when junior quarterback Gilbert Telleria scored from a yard out to narrow the deficit to 25-13 early in the fourth. With 4:41 left, senior halfback Kevin Bellamy posted a 14-yard scoring run that further narrowed the deficit to 25-20. Both scores were setup by Wilkes turnovers and the final touchdown came when freshman Chris Jackson blocked a punt at the Wilkes 21 and junior Germain Norman scooped up the loose ball and raced 20 yards for the game-winner.

In the second round of the playoffs, Frostburg hosted undefeated Washington & Jefferson and the winner would be crowned as the top team in the NCAA South Region.

The Presidents built a 14-0 lead and limited Frostburg to just one touchdown in a 28-7 W&J win. Freshman E.J. Fuller caught a 46-yard touchdown pass from Telleria early in the second quarter that narrowed the score to 14-7. However, Washington & Jefferson scored two more touchdowns and finished the afternoon with 359 yards of offense.

Head Coach DeLane Fitzgerald
DeLane Fitzgerald is in his fourth season at the helm of the Frostburg State football program in 2017 and his impact has been immediate. The Bobcats finished 4-6 overall in '14, posted a 6-4 mark in 2015 and rolled to an impressive 10-1 overall mark a year ago. FSU capped the '16 season with nine-straight wins, a share of the NJAC Title, the 18th Annual Regents Cup trophy and the Asa S. Bushnell Bowl Game trophy.

Frostburg hasn't just improved in the win/loss column, but the team GPA has improved every semester since Fitzgerald became head coach. Fitzgerald and his staff also see vast improvements in the weight room and around campus and in the town of Frostburg in terms of volunteer hours.

On the field, the Bobcats posted some of the most impressive numbers last fall. The FSU defense finished ninth nationally in total defense after holding opponents to just 240.6 yards per game. The Bobcats also led the nation in tackles for loss per game (10.7), and allowed just 13 points per game, good for the sixth-best scoring defense in Division III.

Fitzgerald also placed an emphasis in special teams since the day of his arrival at Frostburg. Following the '14 season, the Bobcats finished 17th in the nation in blocked kicks (6) and they finished 18th following the '15 campaign (6). FSU finished the 2015 season ranked 11th in the country in punt returns (15.63) and 15th in kickoff return defense (14.95). Last season, the Bobcats finished first in the NJAC and 12th nationally in blocked kicks.

Through 12 games this fall, the Bobcats lead the nation in fourth down conversion defense (0.143). They are also eighth in DIII in rushing defense (73.4), 11th in blocked punts (3) and 12th in kickoff returns (24.34). Frostburg is 12th in the nation in team tackles for loss (8.5), 22nd in sacks (3.17), eighth in total defense (242.4) and 12th in scoring defense (12.7).

A Win Would ...
- Lift the Bobcats to 267-280-8 overall in 56 seasons
- Land Fitzgerald his 32nd victory at the helm of Frostburg
- Hand Frostburg its eighth-straight win
- Be the Bobcats' fourth NCAA Playoff victory
- Be the 12th-straight win away from Bobcat Stadium
- Hand Mount Union its only loss of the 2017 season
- End the Raiders' eight-game home winning streak
- Be Mount Union's second home loss in its last 115 games dating back to 2005

Oh Captain, My Captain
A foursome of Frostburg players will serve as team captains for Saturday's matchup with Mount Union: senior offensive linemen Jake Townsend and Christian Walsh, senior defensive back Dante Chinnery and senior defensive tackle Niles Scott.

Frostburg Football History
Frostburg is in its 57th year of collegiate football in 2017 and the Bobcats have an overall record of 266-280-8. Prior to their wins over Washington & Jefferson and Wittenberg, the Bobcats last appeared in the 1993 NCAA Playoffs and have played in eight ECAC Bowl Games. The Bobcats capped their 2016 campaign with a 10-1 overall record that included a lopsided 38-14 win over then 22nd-ranked St. John Fisher in the ECAC's Asa S. Bushnell Bowl Game.

The '17 season marks the third year for the Bobcats as a member of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC). It was announced in March 2014 that Frostburg, along with Christopher Newport, Salisbury and Wesley, would become associate members of the NJAC beginning with the 2015 season. Southern Virginia joined the conference a year earlier in 2014.

The NJAC also contains Rowan, Montclair State, The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), William Paterson and Kean.

Prior to the NJAC, the Bobcats competed in the Empire 8 from 2011-14 and the Atlantic Central Football Conference for 12 seasons from 1999-2010, capturing league titles in 1999, 2003 and 2004.

Spreading the Wealth
Frostburg enters its quarterfinal playoff matchup with Mount Union ranked 41st in the country in points per game (35.9). Since their early October loss to Wesley, the Bobcats have rebounded in an impressive way and they are outscoring their opponents 268-60 during their current seven-game winning streak

The Bobcats have scored over 40 points in four games this season, the first team to do so since 1994.

Seven different players have scored a rushing touchdown for Frostburg this fall and eight players have hauled in a scoring pass. First-year defensive end Zach Strand returned a fumble 75 yards for a score against Montclair, senior Jordan Proctor pounced on a loose ball in the end zone for a score in the season opener against Stevenson and senior Dante Chinnery took a fake punt 93 yards for a touchdown in an NCAA first round win over Wittenberg.

On offense, junior Connor Cox has thrown 25 touchdowns and his favorite target is classmate Sergio Andino. On the ground, junior Jamaal Morant has rushed for a team-high 11 touchdowns, while classmate Grayson Boyce has found the end zone six times.

Third Down Success
The Bobcats have had plenty of success on third down this season on both sides of the ball. Frostburg led the NJAC in both third down offens and third down defense this fall.

Offensively, the Bobcats are 12th in the nation in third down conversions at 49%, converting 86 of 176 attempts. On defense, Frostburg is allowing opponents to convert just 23% (34-145) of their third downs, a mark that ranks fourth in Division III.

All He Does Is Catch Touchdowns
Bobcat junior receiver Sergio Andino transformed in mid-October into one of the nation's top wideouts after recovering from an early-season injury. Since his first catch against Wesley on Oct. 7, Andino has hauled in 36 passes for 529 yards and 12 touchdowns. He has scored in eight-consecutive games and has pulled down two TD passes in four of those contests.

He is finding the endzone on one of every three receptions and is currently 25th in the nation in touchdown receptions.

On the Defensive
Through 12 games this fall, Frostburg has held its opponents to 895 rushing yards on 354 carries, a 2.5 yard per carry average. The Bobcats are eighth in the nation in rushing defense, holding three opponents to negative yardage this fall while allowing just two rushing touchdowns on 354 rushing attempts.