Football 9/2/2011 3:49:00 PM

Football Travels to Geneva for Opener

Frostburg (0-0)
vs.
Geneva (0-0)

Saturday, Sept. 2, 2011
7:00 pm
Reeves Field - Beaver Falls, Pa.

Season Opener for both schools
Series - Geneva leads 11-8-1

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Frostburg Game Notes

Setting the Scene
The Frostburg State Bobcats open the 2011 season against the Geneva Golden Tornadoes for the third-consecutive season. Last season, Geneva won a tight contest at Frostburg, 32-27. Bobcat quarterback Josh Volpe (Germantown, Md./Northwest) threw for 147 yards and a touchdown while running for another score in the defeat.

The Series
The Bobcats trail in the series, 8-11-1, and have lost the two most recent meetings with the Golden Tornadoes. Geneva defeated Frostburg, 41-28, in 2009 before winning, 32-27, last season.

This Week in the Empire 8
Sept. 3
Brockport at Ithaca 1:00 pm
Apprentice School at Salisbury 1:00 pm
Utica at St. Lawrence 1:00 pm
Frostburg State at Geneva 7:00 pm
Hartwick at Morrisville 7:00 pm

Coaching the Cats
Tom Rogish is in his fourth season as head coach of the Bobcats. Last season, Rogish guided FSU to a 2-8 overall record.

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.

Frostburg State Football History
The Bobcats kick off their 51st season of action with an overall record of 227-246-8. The Bobcats have reached the postseason eight times, including a trip to the NCAA Quarterfinals in 1993. The school's most recent postseason appearance occurred in 2005 when FSU lost the ECAC Southwest Championship to Moravian, 14-7.

Returning Starters
Frostburg welcomes back five starters on offense and six on defense. Quarterback Josh Volpe, wide receiver Anthony Young (Hyattsville, Md./Northwestern) and three offensive lineman highlight the offensive returners. On the defensive side of the football, senior defensive backs Marcus Wilson (Woodstock, Md./Randallstown) and Jim Lohr (Bowie, Md./Archbishop Spalding) are the team's leading returning tacklers with 71 and 62 total tackles, respectively. They each also had an interception apiece. Junior defensive back Brendon Blanchette (Westminster, Md./Francis Scott Key) was fourth on the team in tackles with 58. Senior linebacker Drew Rudisill (York, Pa./Red Lion) came in just behind with 56 tackles.

Number Eight With a Bullet
Quarterback Josh Volpe is climbing the charts in career passing yards. He should move into eighth place against Geneva, as he trails Keith Shelly by only 20 yards heading into Saturday's contest. Currently, Volpe is only 814 yards away from jumping into fifth place on the all-time list.

Young and the Catches
Senior wideout Anthony Young came on strong at the end of last season. His 248 yards receiving against Apprentice on Nov. 6 is a school record, while his 15 receptions in that game are just one behind the record in that category. On the whole, Young finished tied for fourth in receptions in a single season (56) and eighth in yards (739). Young should find himself on some career top-ten lists as the 2011 season progresses.

Feel the Rush
Despite the fact that the Bobcats lost their top two rushers from a year ago, and that the top two returners combined for 83 yards last season, Frostburg is very optimistic about that group getting the chance to carry the load. Senior Garfield Lampkin (Clinton, Md./Surratsville) and sophomore Chuky Iweh (Baltimore, Md./Eastern Tech) are those top two returners, but they're both chasing the new kid on the block. Freshman Mike King (Bryans Road, Md./Lackey) has impressed in camp and enters the Geneva game as the probable starter.

A Win for Frostburg State Would ...
- Lift FSU to 229-246-8
- Give the Bobcats their first win over the Golden Tornadoes since 1989 and just their second win over GC in the last eight meetings
- Hand Frostburg State its first season opening win since FSU defeated Apprentice, 14-0, in 2004
- Give the Bobcats their 22nd season opening win
- Give FSU its first win over a team from Pennsylvania since 2006, a string of seven consecutive losses
- Hand the Bobcats their first win over a PAC school since FSU downed Westminster, 14-6, in 2006

Last Time Against the Golden Tornadoes
Gerard Muschette ran for 180 yards and three touchdowns to power Geneva to a 32-27 victory over Frostburg State in the season opener for both schools, at a chilly Bobcat Stadium.

The Golden Tornadoes (1-0) overcame five turnovers, including three fumbles, with 398 yards of total offense behind 234 on the ground. Muschette scored on runs of two, seven and 12 yards to account for three of Geneva's four touchdowns.

Meanwhile, the Bobcats (0-1) capitalized on two of the five turnovers, but just ran out of time in the end. FSU narrowed the score to 32-27 with 1:50 left in the fourth quarter but an onside kick was recovered by Geneva.

Senior Anthony King (Germantown, Md./Northwest) ran for 60 yards and two touchdowns and caught four passes for 65 yards for the Bobcats. Junior signal caller Josh Volpe (Germantown, Md./Northwest) completed 13-of-24 passes for 147 yards and one touchdown through the air and one on the ground.

Muschette scored from 12 yards out with 2:58 left in the first quarter for the game's first touchdown as Geneva led 7-0 after the first. The Bobcats got on the board on their first drive of the second quarter. FSU recovered a fumbled punt return at Geneva's 18-yard line and five plays later, Volpe tossed a five-yard touchdown to sophomore Anthony Young (Hyattsville, Md./Northwestern) to tie the game at 7-7.

The Golden Tornadoes scored on their next two possessions. Nick DiPietro knocked home a 28-yard field goal midway through the second quarter and Muschette found the back of the endzone with 3:22 left in the half as Geneva extended its lead to 17-7.

However, Frostburg State wasn't done for the half as it marched 58 yards on six plays in a little over two minutes and King found the endzone from six yards out as FSU trailed by just three, 17-14, at the break.

Geneva's Pat Matty added a one-yard touchdown at 8:52 in the third quarter as the visitors surged ahead 24-14. The big play of the drive came on a 59-yard pass from David Girardi to Corey O'Patchen that set up GC at the Bobcat five-yard line.

Two drives later, FSU again capitalized on a Geneva turnover. Bobcat sophomore linebacker Dwayne Washington (Germantown, Md./Bowie State) stripped the football from Geneva's Alex Mack and recovered it at the GC 42. Volpe and King connected on a 29-yard pass play down to the Geneva three yard line and three plays later, King scored from a yard out to cut the deficit to 24-20. The extra point try was blocked and returned for two points by the Golden Tornadoes for a 26-20 lead.

Geneva used most of the fourth quarter clock to tack on its final touchdown of the contest. The Golden Tornadoes were pinned at their five yard line after an FSU punt was downed deep inside their territory. GC then marched 95 yards on 10 plays using 10:47 and Muschette found the endzone for the third time as Geneva led 32-20 with just 4:43 to play.

The Bobcats again answered with a touchdown of their own with just 1:50 to play in the final quarter. Volpe completed three passes of 15 yards or more and was hit late as he was running out of bounds, drawing a 15-yard penalty, that set Frostburg State up at the Geneva two yard line. Volpe later scored on a bootleg to his left that cut the deficit to 32-27.

FSU tried an onside kick, but Geneva recovered and ran out the final 1:49 on the clock to earn the win.

Junior linebacker Michael Ezeani (Glenn Dale, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt) made a game-high 9.5 tackles while junior Travis Blair (Upper Marlboro, Md./Oxon Hill) posted eight stops.

Next Up
The Bobcats hit the road for the season's second game as they travel to Springfield, Mass to battle Springfield College next Saturday (Sept. 10) at 1:00 pm. The game will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

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Football Travels to Geneva for Opener