SALISBURY, Md. – The Frostburg State University football team fell behind early in the first quarter and never recovered in a 49-7 loss to in-state rival Salisbury in the 13th Annual Regents Cup, Saturday.
Box Score
The Sea Gulls (9-1, 7-0) raced out to a 28-0 lead after the first quarter and led 42-0 at halftime as they posted their eighth-straight win in the series.
Salisbury’s Ross Flanigan rushed for two scores and ran for a game-high 105 yards (eight carries) to lead the SU ground game. The Sea Gulls finished with 430 total yards of offense, including 348 rushing yards.
Flanigan’s two scores put the Sea Gulls ahead 14-0 early in the first quarter. He was awarded Mike McGlinchey Most Valuable Player honors for SU.
Randal Smedley scored from six yards out with 3:54 showing in the opening quarter and Dan Griffin scored on a one-yard plunge (1:27) to cap the first quarter. Griffin started the second quarter as he finished the first with a four-yard touchdown (9:57) that put the hosts up 35-0.
Jonathan Briscoe tacked on the final score (6:00) for Salisbury in the opening half with a 14-yard touchdown and a 42-0 lead.
The second half was a different story for Frostburg State, including the Bobcat defensive unit. FSU forced three punts, held the Sea Gull offense to just four offensive yards in the fourth quarter and intercepted a pass deep in SU territory. It was the first time an opposing defense has intercepted a Salisbury pass this season.
The Bobcats held Salisbury to just 102 total yards in the second half. SU’s only touchdown came on its longest drive of the contest. The Gulls marched 68 yards on six plays and Tyler Curley scored a five-yard touchdown with 1:13 to play in the third quarter for a 49-0 lead.
Late in the fourth quarter, the Bobcats capitalized on the SU interception. Sophomore Paul Johnson stepped in front of a Joey Jones pass and returned it nine yards to the SU eight. Four plays later, senior Garfield Lampkin pushed his way into the end zone from a yard out for the game’s final touchdown.
Senior quarterback Josh Volpe threw for 125 yards and freshman tailback JD Hook ran for 75 yards to lead the offense. Lampkin finished with 13 yards and the fourth quarter score. Junior Anthony Young led all receivers with eight catches for 64 yards. His eight grabs handed him the school record for catches in a season (72).
Junior defensive back Brendon Blanchette earned McGlinchey MVP honors for the Bobcats after leading both teams with 12 tackles, including two for loss. Freshmen Joseph Ross and Anthony Chase each finished with 10 stops.
The loss capped the season for FSU with a 4-6 overall record and a 3-4 mark in Empire 8 action. The four victories are the most for the Bobcats since 2005.
Notes: Volpe’s 125 yards through the air moved him into third place all-time with 4,681 yards … He also finished his career first all-time in completion percentage (59.6%), third in completions (396) and fifth in attempts (664) and touchdowns (31) … Young moved into fourth in career receptions (133) and fifth in yards (1,616).
