ITHACA, N.Y. - Thomas Bergerstock ran for 196 yards and four touchdowns to lead the No. 23 ranked Ithaca Bombers to a 51-24 victory over Frostburg State, Saturday afternoon.

Box Score

FSU (2-4) capitalized on a turnover and got on the board first but Bergerstock scored three-straight touchdowns in the first and second quarters to put Ithaca (5-1) ahead for good. The Bombers amassed 489 yards in total offense on the afternoon including 272 on the ground. The hosts also led in time of possession, 37:09 to 22:51.

Both teams scored a pair of touchdowns off turnovers in the game and FSU found the enzone first off an interception just 4:20 into the game. Freshman Kevin Mathews (Temple Hills, Md./Oxon Hill) picked off a Dan Juvan pass and returned the ball 25 yards to the IC 38. On the next play, Bobcat junior quarterback Bryan Brosnan (Leesburg, Va./Heritage) hooked up with classmate Makiha Cooper (Baltimore, Md./Forest Park) for a 38-yard score as FSU jumped ahead early on.

Bergerstock then took over with his three-consecutive touchdown runs. He found the endzone from 12 yards out on his first score with 8:02 to play in the first half. His next two scoring jolts, both off FSU turnovers, came in the second quarter as he again scored from 12 yards out (7:35) and added a seven-yard run (5:15) for a 21-7 edge.

Zach Connett hauled in a seven-yard scoring pass from Juvan as Ithaca scored its final touchdown of the half for a 28-7 lead. Frostburg State answered with no time left on the clock as freshman Cory Schreiber (Fallston, Md./Fallston) capped a seven-play 47-yard drive, that spanned the final minute of the first half, with his first collegiate field goal (28-10).

Ithaca put up the first points of the second half up via a safety as a bad snap forced Bobcat punter Nick Payne (Frostburg, Md./Northern Garrett) out of the back of the endzone.

After a punt on its first drive of the third quarter, Frostburg State regrouped and added its second touchdown of the contest with 6:21 left in the third. Brosnan finished off a five-play 53-yard drive with a 16-yard scoring toss to sophomore Anthony King (Germantown, Md./Northwest) as the Bobcats cut into the Bomber lead (30-17).

On the ensuing possession, Bergerstock extended Ithaca's lead to 37-17 with his fourth touchdown of the game to cap IC's longest drive on the day, 10 plays 75 yards.

Brosnan tied a career-high with his third touchdown pass with 14:11 showing in the fourth. The Bobcats needed just three plays and 43 yards to capitalize on a Bomber fumble as Brosnan found Cooper again, this time from 30 yards out as the Bobcats trailed 37-24.

FSU picked off a Juvan pass for the second time on Ithaca's first drive of the fourth, but the Bobcats couldn't take advantage of the mistake and the Bombers recaptured the momentum a few minutes later as Jason Chier returned a Bobcat punt 61 yards for a touchdown and a 44-24 lead. With 2:24 left in the game, Matt Crandall scored an insurance touchdown from 14 yards out (13 plays and 74 yards) to bring the score to 51-24.

Brosnan finished the contest 14-for-28 for 190 yards and three touchdowns while Cooper caught five passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, junior George Feiser (Hagerstown, Md./Smithsburg/Salisbury) and freshman Jim Lohr (Bowie, Md./Archbishop Spalding) led the team with 10 tackles each. Mathews finished with six tackles, an interception and a tackle for loss.

Frostbrug State travels to Randolph Macon next Saturday for a 1:00 pm kickoff.