FROSTBURG (0-6)
VS.
ITHACA (4-2)

Saturday, Oct. 17
Bobcat Stadium

Time: 1:00 pm
Series: Ithaca leads 1-0

Directions to Frostburg
Live Stats
Frostburg State Game Notes



Media Contacts
Frostburg State
Noah Becker - nzbecker@frostburg.edu
Office Phone - 301-687-4371
Internet web address - www.frostburgsports.com

Ithaca
Mike Warwick - mwarwick@ithaca.edu
Office Phone - 607-274-1401
Internet web address - www.bombers.ithaca.edu

Setting the Scene
Frostburg State looks to avenge its 51-24 loss to Ithaca last season in Ithaca, N.Y.

The Bobcats are not only looking for their first win of the season, but also their
first win at home since beating Apprentice last season, 20-7. A win against the Bombers will stop a seven-game losing skid and prevent the Bobcats from going 0-7 for the third time in school history.

FSU looks to improve its Homecoming record to 7-3 over the last 10 years with a win over Ithaca.

The Series
This is only the second meeting between the two teams. Ithaca won the first match (51-24) in New York and the Bobcats look to even the series at Bobcat Stadium. 

This Week in the ACFC
Oct. 10
Ithaca at Frostburg 1:00 pm
Wesley at Apprentice 1:00 pm
Salisbury at Lake Erie 1:00 pm

Coaching the Cats
The Bobcats are led by Tom Rogish in his second season as head coach in the program’s 48-year history. Last season, Rogish guided FSU to a 3-6 overall record against arguably the nation's toughest schedule. The Bobcats led the ACFC in interceptions (12) and turnover margin (+2) and finished second in red zone offense (81.8), pass offense (182.7) and pass efficiency (138.1).

Rogish brought over 30 years of coaching experience to Frostburg State including 29 years in the collegiate ranks. He spent the last 22 years at the Division II level at perennial powers Indiana (Pa.) and Shepherd (W.Va.).

Prior to his arrival in Frostburg, Rogish spent two years on the defensive staff at Shepherd College. The Rams made back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2006 and 2007 including a run to the NCAA Division II Northeast Region championship this past fall.

First Year Hits
This year, the FSU coaching staff has also seen some additions and changes that will bring new perspective and excitement to the all ready veteran staff. 

Jim Crawley, legendary coach and avid supporter of Frostburg State athletics, rejoins the staff in 2009 and will be in charge of the kicking game. Crawley served as head football coach for seven seasons from 1968-74 and is the winningest coach in school history with 33 victories. Crawley coached 17 FSU Hall of Fame selections, including Bob Maddox, who was drafted by the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals in 1972. 

Tom Vent, who helped the Bobcats in 2008, returns to the coaching staff in 2009 as the director of quality control. He will oversee all aspects of the team and will be in charge of gameday and pressbox organization. He will also serve as the chief alumni liaison, as he is an alum himself (Class of 1972). 

Four-year NFL veteran Javin Hunter joins the Frostburg State staff this fall as the wide receivers coach after playing for both the Baltimore Ravens (2002-04) and the San Francisco 49ers (2005). While with the Ravens, Hunter helped the team to 26 wins and the franchises first-ever AFC North Division Title in 2003. Hunter will direct a wide receiver group featuring three returners that make up one of the finest units in the ACFC. 

Jeff Rogish, son of head coach Tom Rogish, also joins the FSU staff this fall, bringing a strong background in computer technology and video to the team’s efforts. He will direct the technology side of the staff and will also work with the tight ends.

Frostburg State Football History
Frostburg State is 224-235-8 all-time in the programs 48-year history.

Home Grown Talent
FSU’s roster consists of 114 players from seven different states. The largest number coming from Maryland (101) while neighboring Pennsylvania (6) comes in second.

Here is a breakdown of the FSU roster:
Maryland - 101
Pennsylvania - 6
Virginia - 2
Washington, D.C. - 2
Delaware - 1
New Jersey - 1
West Virginia - 1

ACFC Honors
Two Bobcats were honored for their preformances on the field last week. Sophomore quarterback Josh Volpe was named the ACFC Offensive Player of the Week. Volpe accounted for all three FSU touchdowns against Randolph-Macon, throwing one and running for two more. Volpe tossed his only touchdown on the game's opening drive, finding freshman wide receiver Christian Cook for a 19-yard score on fourth and four.
Volpe finished the afternoon 20-of-27 (74%) for 183 yards passing. He also ran for 14 yards on 12 carries.

Cook was selected as ACFC Rookie of the Week for his preformance against the Yellow Jackets. Cook led all players with 61 receiving yards on five receptions and that first quarter score. He caught a season-long pass of 25 yards from Volpe late in the first quarter, that setup Volpe's second quarter scoring run.

Sophomore lineback Travis Blair was also mentioned as ACFC Defensive Player of the Week honor roll for his 10 tackles and one fumble recovery.

Leading the Way
Seven Bobcats are on top of the leaderboard for the ACFC this week. Linebacker Travis Blair and free safety Jim Lohr lead the league in tackles with 59 and 50, respectively. Senior wide receiver Avery Willie has control of all-purpose yards (817) with classmate wide receiver Makiha Cooper directly behind him with 583.

Junior running back Anthony King joined Willie and Cooper sitting at third in all-purpose yards with 491. Cooper sits alone on top of receiving yards with 583 on 29 catches and is averaging 89.7 per game. King also holds the lead in rushing yards with 409 on 105 attempts. 

As a team, the Bobcats are in control of three spots on the team leaderboards this week. FSU's pass offensive leads with 108 completions on 201 tries with 1471 yards and 12 touchdowns. Frostburg State holds the lead for third down conversions converting 38 of 66. The Bobcat redzone offense sits alone at the top by scoring 17 times in 21 chances with 13 touchdowns and four field goals.

All-Purpose Player
The Bobcats senior wide receiver Avery Willie has proven to be the go-to-guy when the Bobcats want to move the ball down field. Last week against Wesley, Willie picked up 56 more yards to bring his total to 817 all-purpose yards so far this season including 467 from kickoff returns and 289 receiving yards.

Making History
In just three career starts, sophomore quarterback Josh Volpe has made an impressive impact on the field. After competing in his third game, Volpe has thrown for a total of 784 yards and five touchdowns and has surpassed injured freshman Phoenix Butler-Poole's three-game total by 97 yards. Volpe stepped in to replace Butler-Poole starting three weeks ago against Widener. 

Leading the Rush
Frostburg State junior running back Anthony King is running away with the Bobcats rush offense. King is leading the team with 409 yards in 105 carries.

Above and Beyond
Frostburg State senior wide receiver Makiha Cooper continues to build on his over 1,000-yard receiving career. Cooper picked up just 31 yards against Randolph-Macon to bring his all time total to 1,337, bringing him just two yards shy of 10th all-time. Cooper is averaging 89.7 yards a game and should surpass ninth all-time against Ithaca this Saturday.

The Big Stop
Sophomores Jim Lohr and Travis Blair continue to build on their season success leading the team in tackles together averaging 18.1 tackles a game. The duo of Lohr and Blair have combined for four interceptions, 3.5 TFL, three pass break ups, seven passes defended and two forced fumbles. Following closely behind are seniors Mike Iheakanwa and George Feiser and junior Terryl Monroe who are averaging a combined 16.2 tackles per game and have posted two interceptions, 11.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks, three pass break ups, five passes defended and forced one fumble.

I'll Take That...
Frostburg State has caused a turnover in 21 of its last 24 games, including one forced fumble and two interceptions against Randolph-Macon last week.

Total Offense
In the first six games of the season, the Bobcats have averaged 326.8 yards of total offense a game. At this mark last season, FSU was averaging 275.6. FSU looks to continue this success against the Ithaca defense which has allowed 352.0 total offensive yards a game.

A Win for Frostburg State Would ...
- Lift FSU to 225-235-8
- Even the series between the Bobcats and the Bombers at one game each
- Snap a seven-game losing skid for the Bobcats
- Hand the Bobcats their seventh win on Homecoming in the last 10 years
- Would improve the Bobcat record against teams from New York to 11-17-1

A Loss for Frostburg State Would ...
- Drop FSU to 224-236-8
- Give Ithaca a three-game road winning streak
- Give FSU a 0-7 record for just the third time in school history

The Bobcats Last Week ...
Randolph-Macon blocked a punt late in the fourth quarter that setup an Austin Faulkner one-yard rushing touchdown with 5:13 left in the fourth as the Yellow Jackets rallied for a 23-19 win over Frostburg State, on a chilly Saturday afternoon. 

The Bobcats (0-6) dominated the Yellow Jackets (4-2) in every facet of game, except special teams where RMC came up big. Frostburg State led in total offense (262-163), passing yards (183-88), rushing yards (79-75), first downs (17-11) and time of possession (37:04-22:56). 

However, Randolph-Macon blocked two extra points, the first it returned for two points following the game’s opening touchdown. The Yellow Jackets also recovered a bad snap on a punt in the endzone midway through the third quarter for a 16-13 lead. In the fourth, Randolph-Macon set up the game winning touchdown when Brandon Easter recovered a blocked punt at the FSU one, setting up Faulkner’s touchdown. 

The Bobcat defense held the Yellow Jackets to season-lows in total yards ( 163), first downs (11), time of possession and forced a season-high three turnovers. FSU also limited RMC wide receiver Earl Peoples, who came in averaging 133 yards per game, to just 27 yards on five receptions. 

The Frostburg State offense posted 262 yards in total offense, including 183 passing and 79 rushing. The Bobcats also converted 7-of-16 third downs and 3-of-5 on fourth down. Sophomore quarterback Josh Volpe (Germantown, Md./Northwest) accounted for three Bobcat touchdowns. He threw for 183 yards on 20-of-27 completions and the game’s opening touchdown. He also rushed for two scores, one in both the second and fourth quarters. 

On the game’s opening drive, Volpe connected with freshman wide out Christian Cook (Reisterstown, Md./Calvert Hall) on fourth and four for a 19-yard touchdown as FSU assumed a 6-0 lead. The extra point was blocked by RMC’s Jeremy Bowry and returned for two points by Scott Shope as the scoreboard showed 6-2. 

Sophomore linebacker Travis Blair (Upper Marlboro, Md./Oxon Hill) came up with a loose ball on RMC’s second drive that setup the first of Volpe’s touchdown runs. The Bobcats started their drive at the Randolph-Macon 47 and used nine plays for a touchdown. Volpe, who kept the drive alive with a 14-yard completion to senior Avery Willie (Aberdeen, Md./Aberdeen) on fourth and six, pushed his way into the endzone behind his offensive line from a yard out just six seconds into the second quarter as FSU led 13-2. 

The Yellow Jackets got on the board on their second drive of the second quarter. Faulkner found Ian Overstreet in the back of the endzone for a five-yard scoring toss as RMC trimmed the deficit to 13-9.
Randolph-Macon took its first lead of the ballgame at 6:42 left in the third quarter. With FSU in a punt formation on fourth and nine at its own 25, Brandon Harrison recovered a bad snap in the endzone for a touchdown and a 16-13 edge. 

However, Frostburg State answered early in the fourth quarter when Volpe again scrambled for a touchdown, this time from four yards out, to cap a 10-play 60-yard drive at 9:14. The PAT was again blocked, and the Bobcats led by just three points, 19-16. 

On its ensuing possession, the Bobcats had their punt blocked at the 14 and RMC’s Easter recovered it at the one-yard line setting up the game-winning score. 

Blair led the Bobcats with his second-straight 10 tackle performance. Freshman linebacker Gideon Obamwonyi (Frederick, Md./Gettysburg) made nine stops and senior linebacker George Feiser (Hagerstown, Md./Smithsburg) had seven tackles.

The Last Meeting with The Bombers ...
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. 

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 endzone 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.