CHESTER, Pa. - Widener University scored touchdowns on its first three possessions of the second half and wore down the Frostburg State University defense as the Pride earned a 35-16 win over the Bobcats, in non-conference football action Saturday afternoon. 

Box Score

All three drives covered over 60 yards and totaled toughly 16 minutes as the Pride (2-1) ate away much of the second half clock and kept the Bobcat (0-4) offense on the sideline.

WU amassed 442 total yards of offense, including 276 on the ground. Meanwhile, FSU totaled 357 yards behind 313 through the air and 44 on the ground.

Frostburg State starting quarterback Josh Volpe (Germantown, Md./Northwest) threw for all 313 yards in his first collegiate start, the eighth highest single game total in school history. He completed 21-of-36 pass attempts, including a touchdown to senior wide receiver Makiha Cooper (Baltimore, Md./Forest Park) and a one-yard scoring run, both in the fourth.

Cooper had an outstanding day catching the football. He finished with 202 yards, just nine yards shy of the school record. He also hauled in nine receptions and one touchdown. In the third, Volpe and Cooper hooked up on a 77-yard pass play that is tied for the 11th longest in school history.

Sophomore defensive back Jim Lohr (Bowie, Md./Archbishop Spalding) led the Bobcats with 10 tackles while sophomore Travis Blair (Upper Marlboro, Md./Oxon Hill) had nine stops.

Widener produced a touchdown in each of the first two quarters. Chris Haupt tossed an eight-yard touchdown to Dom DePasquale with 5:58 left in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead. In the second, Adam Smith found the endzone from four yards out to increase the Pride lead to 14-0 with just over a minute left in the half.

However, FSU got the ball back with 1:08 to play until halftime and moved 74 yards in seven plays. Volpe connected twice on the drive to Cooper for 50 and 18 yards and the Bobcats moved down to the WU one-yard line. Bobcat freshman Zachary Beukers (Lusby, Md./Calvert Hall) kicked an 18-yard field goal as time expired in the half as FSU trailed 14-3.

The first Widener touchdown of the third quarter capped an 85-yard 15-play drive (6:25) that resulted in a Marc Bandola 11-yard scoring pass to Tim Schaub. The second drive lasted 4:32, covering 75 yards on nine plays, capped by an eight-yard touchdown run by Ian Decker. The Pride’s final score came early in the fourth, as Adam Smith capped an 11-play 63-yard drive (5:22) that extended the host lead to 35-3.

The Bobcats scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Volpe found Cooper on a crossing route for a 15-yard touchdown at 7:41 that finished off a six-play 50-yard drive. After holding the Pride to just five yards on its ensuing possession, FSU found the endzone again. Volpe and Cooper hooked up again, this time for 77 yards, to put the Bobcats on Widener’s eight-yard line. Three plays later, Volpe plunged in for a one-yard score behind his offensive line.

Frostburg State opens ACFC play next Saturday as it travels to Wesley for a 1:00 pm kickoff.

Game Notes
Both Cooper and junior Anton Wade eclipsed 1,000 career yards at their respective positions in the first half … Wade rushed for 22 yards while Cooper caught five passes for 97 yards in the opening stanza.