#11/12 Frostburg (3-0, 2-0 NJAC)  vs  Rowan (3-0, 2-0 NJAC)
Frostburg enters Saturday afternoon having won 12-straight games

Coach Richard Wackar Stadium
Saturday, September 23  I  1:00 pm
Live Video  I Live Audio |  Live Stats
Directions to Rowan

Frostburg Game Notes
Rowan Game Notes
 

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Setting the Scene
The 11th-ranked Bobcats are on the road for the second-straight week, as they travel to Rowan Saturday afternoon for another New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) showdown at 1:00 p.m. from Richard Wackar Stadium. Frostburg is off to a hot start to begin the 2017 season, entering the game with a 3-0 record after recording wins over Stevenson (33-7), The College of New Jersey (49-14) and Christopher Newport (33-30). 
 
Overall, the Bobcats have won their last 12 games, including a 10-game winning streak in conference play. Frostburg notched a 33-30 come-from-behind victory over Christopher Newport last week and held steady at #11 in the D3football.com Top 25 Poll for the third-straight week. 
 
Rowan (3-0, 2-0) rolled to its first road victory of 2017 with a 41-14 triumph over William Paterson last Saturday. The Profs are under the direction of 16th-year head coach Jay Accorsi and boast one of the league's top defenses. 
 
Frostburg outscored the Profs 12-0 in the fourth quarter to rally for a 24-14 win last season at Bobcat Stadium. Senior wideout Russell Neverdon had four receptions for 111 yards, including a crucial 33-yard touchdown grab in the fourth quarter. 
 
The game will broadcast live Saturday, courtesy of Rowan athletics, with a live audio and video feed. 
 
The Series
Saturday's matchup between Frostburg and Rowan will be the 11th between the two schools. The Profs lead the all-time series 7-3.
 
The Bobcats won last year's meeting in Frostburg, 24-14, and at the time was the sixth-straight victory for the Bobcats.
 
In 2015, Frostburg and Rowan met for the first time as members of the NJAC and the Profs won 15-6 in Glassboro.
 
The two schools opened the series and 1966 and met for the last time in 1987 prior to FSU joining the NJAC. RU won six of the first eight matchups.
 
Scouting Rowan
Rowan has gotten off to a strong start in 2017 with wins over Widener (6-0), Southern Virginia (28-19) and William Paterson (41-14). The Profs boast an aggressive defensive unit, led by LB Chris Noesges and DE Kevin Stokes, that leads the NJAC in scoring defense (11.0) and total defense (195.7).
 
Rowan also features one of the top rushing offenses in the conference. Junior RB Anthony Diorio enters the game with 415 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Diorio has rushed for over 100 yards in all three games this season and is second in the NJAC in rushing yards/game (138.3) and second in scoring (10.0). 
 
The Profs scored 34 unanswered points to begin the game last week against William Paterson and it took Rowan just two offensive plays to get on the scoreboard. 
 
Following the FSU matchup, Rowan returns to action on September 30 for a road contest against Christopher Newport at 6:00 p.m.
 
Scouting Frostburg
The 11th-ranked Bobcats were pushed to the limit last Saturday in a turnover-filled 33-30 road win over Christopher Newport. Junior QB Connor Cox tossed the game-winning touchdown down the seam to a wide-open Christian DiPaola with less than three minutes remaining to seal the come-from-behind win. The Bobcats and Captains played a game that featured over 750 yards of combined offense, 63 points and eight turnovers. 
 
Frostburg remained at #11 in the D3football.com Top 25 Poll for the third-straight week and the Bobcats also had another individual take home a league honor for the third week in a row. Junior RB Jamaal Morant picked up NJAC Offensive Player of the Week honors after rushing for 108 yards and two touchdowns. In addition, the Baltimore, Md. native hauled in three passed for 83 yards, including a 49-yard screen pass in the fourth quarter. 
 
The Bobcat defense continued its dominance against the run, limiting the Captains to -8 rushing yards on 24 attempts. Senior DL Niles Scott notched seven tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks. Junior LB Aaron Gibson also had a breakout performance with six tackles and 1.5 TFLs. 
 
In 2016, the Bobcats finished at 10-1 overall and captured a share of the NJAC Championship. Frostburg finished the season ranked ninth in the country by allowing 240.6 yards of offense per contest. 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. 
 
In the Rankings
The Bobcat football team remained at 11th in the D3football.com week three poll, their highest ranking in program history. It's the third-straight week that the Bobcats have been at 11th after being ranked 17th in the preseason poll.
 
Following a 33-7 week one win over then 18th-ranked Stevenson, the Bobcats moved from 17th to 11th and have since collected wins over TCNJ (49-14) and Christopher Newport (33-30).

Late Monday, the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) released its first top 25 poll of the 2017 season and the Bobcats were ranked 12^th. It's the highest ranking for Frostburg since it ascended to 12^th in the AFCA poll for three weeks in October 1999.
 
Frostburg garnered plenty of preseason attention in the rankings from multiple outlets, checking in at 15th in the Street & Smith's Preseason Poll, 16th according to the Lindy's Poll and were tabbed 19th in the College Football Yearbook Preseason Poll.
 
Last fall, FSU finished 10-1 overall and was ranked 23rd in the final D3football.com Top 25 Poll and they reached 24th in the final AFCA Division III Top 25 Poll.
 
FSU was picked to finish second in the NJAC and received two first-place votes.
 
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 three weeks this fall, the Bobcats lead DIII in rushing defense (11.00) and punt return defense (-13.00). They also rank fifth in blocked punts (1), fifth in fumbles recovered (5), sixth in team sacks (4.67) and ninth in blocked kicks (2).
 
Fitzgerald's Weekly Quotes
On the Rowan matchup ... 
"A game between two of the top teams in the NJAC playing for sole possession of first place in the conference. Motivation for both teams this week should be easy!" 
 
On Rowan's defense ...
"Rowan's defense has been good for a long time, they are traditionally one of the best defenses in the country and this year is no different. The difference in Rowan this fall and past seasons is how well they are playing on offense."
 
"Rowan's defense is led by #9 DE Kevin Stokes, #43 LB Chris Noesges and #51 LB Godwin Asamoah. Rowan plays tough hard-nosed defense, they run to the ball and tackle well when they get there."
 
On Rowan's offense ...
"Rowan's offense is led by #18 QB Nalby Tavarez, #22 RB Anthony Diorio and #1 WR J.J. Kulcsar. Tavarez is doing a good job managing the offense, their offensive line is blocking well and they have two running backs that are running the football harder than anyone else in our conference." 
 
On Frostburg ...
"Defensively, to be successful on Saturday we must play with great effort, tackle well and be solid in coverage. Offensively, we have to secure the football, be physical up front, and execute when opportunities present themselves."
 
A Win Would ...
- Lift the Bobcats to 259-279-8 overall in 56 seasons
- Hand Frostburg its 13th-straight win dating back to week three of the 2016 season
- Tie the school record for 13-straight wins that was set between the 1989 and 1990 seasons
- Give the Bobcats their 11th-straight win in conference play
- Mark the second-straight win over Rowan
- Land Fitzgerald his 24th victory at the helm of Frostburg
- Be FSU's sixth-straight win away from Bobcat Stadium
- Hand the Bobcats' their fourth-straight win in the state of New Jersey
 
We're Going Streaking
Heading into its matchup with Rowan, Frostburg has won 12-straight games dating back to week three of the 2016 campaign and the Bobcats are one win away from tying the school record of 13-consecutive wins that was set back in the 1989 and 1990 seasons. Since week three of last season, the Bobcats have also captured 10-straight wins in NJAC play.
 
During the current 12-game win streak, Frostburg is a perfect 7-0 at Bobcat Stadium and is 5-0 on the road.
 
Last Saturday's win over Christopher Newport pushed Frostburg's record to 8-0 in night games in DeLane Fitzgerald's four seasons at the helm.
 
Speaking of the NJAC
All 10 NJAC schools are in action this Saturday and all 10 are in league action. 
 
Saturday, September 23
Salisbury at TCNJ - 12:00 pm
Kean at Southern Vriginia - 1:00 pm
Frostburg at Rowan - 1:00 pm
Wesley at William Paterson - 1:00 pm
Christopher Newport at Montclair State - 1:00 pm
 
Oh Captain, My Captain
A foursome of Frostburg players will serve as team captains for Saturday's matchup with Rowan: senior offensive linemen Jake Townsend and Christian Walsh, senior defensive back Dante Chinnery and senior defensive tackle Niles Scott.
 
NJAC Preseason Poll
The NJAC released the 2017 Preseason Coaches Poll in early August and Frostburg State was picked to finish second in the 10-team league. The Bobcats received two first-place votes after being selected as the league's dark horse prior to both the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
 
Wesley was selected to finish a top the league standings after receiving eight first-place votes. Salisbury sits one spot behind Frostburg in third, followed by Rowan.
 
Kean, the 2017 dark horse selection, is projected fifth. Christopher Newport, Montclair State, Southern Virginia, William Paterson and TCNJ round out the poll, slotted at the six through ten spots. 
 
Frostburg Football History
Frostburg is in its 57th year of collegiate football in 2017 and the Bobcats have an overall record of 258-279-8. The Bobcats 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.
 
Double Feature
Over the first three weeks of the season, Frostburg has proven that it has two of the NJAC's best running backs in the same backfield. In wins over Stevenson and TCNJ, junior Grayson Boyce ran the ball 24 times for 159 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged 6.6 yards per carry in the two contests and was the NJAC Offensive Player of the Week after running for 122 yards and two TDs against TCNJ.
 
Last Saturday, junior Jamaal Morant gashed Christopher Newport's defense to the tune of 191 yards in total offense en route to being named the NJAC Offenisve Player of the Week. In the come-from-behind win over the Captains, Morant ran for 108 yards (32 carries) and two TDs and caught another three passes for 83 yards.
 
Boyce is currently 12th in the nation in rushing TDs and 25th in the country in points scored (30).
 
Preseason All-American
Bobcat senior defensive tackle Niles Scott has racked up the preseason awards heading into his final season in a Bobcat uniform. Scott received preseason All-American honors from D3football.com, HERO Sports, Street & Smith's and Lindy's Sports. He capped his junior campaign ranked 47th in the country in TFLs (1.6) and 49th in sacks (0.82).
 
Through three games this year, Scott is currently sixth in the nation in sacks (1.67) and 17th in tackles for loss (2.3).
 
On the Defensive
Over the last six games dating back to last season, Frostburg has held its opponents to 152 rushing yards on 164 carries, a 0.93 yard per carry average. The Bobcats have also held four of their last six opponents to negative rushing yardage.