Frostburg State (2-1, 0-0)
vs.
Ithaca (2-0, 0-0)
Saturday, Sept. 22
1:00 pm
Bobcat stadium
Live Stats
Directions to Bobcat Stadium
FSU Game Notes
Radio (Ithaca Broadcast)
Setting the Scene
Frostburg State is coming off a dramatic 17-16 win over Case Western, last week. After Case scored to take a 16-10 lead with less than five minutes to play in the final quarter, sophomore quarterback Ken Emmons got the ball on the Frostburg 19 yard line and drove the Bobcats 81 yards down the field and connected with junior Chuky Iweh for the game winning touchdown with 38 seconds showing on the clock. Rowan Pinkett sealed off the win with a pick of Case's quarterback to give Frostburg back the ball with 18 seconds left.
Ithaca enters Saturday's game coming off an exciting 27-24 win of its own. The Bombers tied the game at 21 with 1:39 left and after Union kicked a 30-yard field goal, Ithaca drove down the field with six plays to score the game winning touchdown.
The Series
Ithaca and Frostburg meet for the fourth time in school history. The Bombers hold a 3-0 series lead.
Last time the two teams met, Ithaca kicked a field goal as time was expiring to win 13-10 in Ithaca, N.Y.
This Week in the Empire 8
Sept. 22
Alfred at Buffalo State 12:30 pm
Ithaca at Frostburg State 1:00 pm
Hartwick at St. John Fisher 4:00 pm
Coaching the Cats
Tom Rogish is in his fifth season as head coach of the Bobcats. Last season, Rogish guided FSU to a 4-6 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 52nd season of action with an overall record of 233-253-8. 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.
Empire State of Mind
This Saturday marks the opening weekend for Empire 8 action. Last season, the Bobcats posted a 3-4 record in their first year in the league. FSU looks to win its opening league game for the first time in the Empire 8. The Bobcats won their league-opener in 2004 when they defeated Apprentice to open ACFC action.
I'm Honored
Sophomore quarterback Ken Emmons was named the Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week, last week, for his performance against Case Western. Emmons accounted for 314 yards of total offense and guided the Bobcats on the game-winning drive in the closing minutes. Down 16-10 with just 4:47 showing on the fourth quarter clock, Emmons led FSU on a 10-play 81-yard drive for its second victory of the season.
On the final drive, Emmons ran for 57 yards on four carries and completed four passes for 24 yards, including a six yard strike to junior running back Chuky Iweh for the game winning touchdown with 43 seconds left.
Emmons finished the afternoon with 221 yards passing (23-of-38) and led the team in rushing with 93 yards on just 13 attempts.
Where They Stand
Sophomore quarterback Ken Emmons is currently fourth in the Empire 8 averaging 248.3 yards passing per game while senior Anthony Young is fourth in the conference with 89.3 receiving yards per game. Junior Chuky Iweh is tied for second with three rushing scores.
Senior defensive back Brendon Blanchette ranks second in the league averaging 13.7 tackles a game.
Young and the Catches
Senior wide receiver Anthony Young is set to rewrite the record books as he enters his final season in a Bobcat uniform.
Young remains third in school history with 152 receptions, just five away from tying second. He is also tied for seventh in receiving touchdowns (13) and moves closer to fourth in receiving yards (1,884). He has started the last 23 games at wide receiver and has caught a pass in 25-straight games.
Strong D
Senior defensive back Brendon Blanchette put up another double-digit tackle performance this past Saturday, totaling 13 tackles against Case Western Reserve to bring his season total to 41.
In his career, Blanchette has nine double-digit performances and three so far this season.
A Win for Frostburg State Would ...
- Lift FSU to 234-253-8
- Hand the Bobcats their first win over Ithaca in series history
- Give FSU its second-straight win over a school from N.Y., dating back to last season's 35-28 win over Hartwick
- Even the Bobcats overall record in the Empire 8 to 4-4
- Give FSU a conference-opening win for the first time since 2004 when the Bobcats defeated Apprentice 14-0 to kick of ACFC action
- List the team to 3-1, it's best start since opening the 1999 season 6-0
Bobcats Last Week
FROSTBURG, Md. – Following a six yard touchdown toss from sophomore Ken Emmons to junior Chuky Iweh with 43 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Frostburg State junior kicker Jonathan Adams knocked home the extra point to give the Bobcats a 17-16 win over Case Western Reserve, Saturday afternoon.
The Bobcats (2-1) have proven they like dramatic and thrilling endings this season as they collect their second victory of the season on the final drive of the game.
After trailing for much of the second half, Frostburg started the game winning drive with 4:47 showing on the fourth quarter clock. On the second play of the drive, Emmons scrambled for 16 yards to the Bobcat 35. After three completions the Bobcats were at the Case 41 when Emmons again called his own number and scrambled for 32 yards to the nine. He ran for three yards on first down before finding Iweh for the winning touchdown with 43 seconds left.
Frostburg, which defeated Geneva in its season opener on a last minute touchdown, outgained Case Western 396-222 in total offense and held a significant edge in time of possession (36:05-23:55).
Emmons threw for 221 yards and collected another 93 yards on the ground to lead all players in rushing. Emmons tossed a pass to six different receivers while senior Cory Shank (38 yards) and sophomore Michael Forth (60 yards) each caught six passes.
After forcing a punt on Case's first possession, the Frostburg offense chewed up a good chunk of the first quarter clock on its way to the endzone and a 7-0 lead. The Bobcats marched 86 yards on 14 plays that covered 6:21 and Iweh ran in from a yard out to give the visitors the lead. Emmons completed four passes for 55 yards on FSU's opening drive.
The Spartans (2-1) answered on the ensuing drive covering 65 yards before knotting the contest at 7-7. On third and five, Erik Olson tossed a 17 yard touchdown to Manny Sicre for the hosts first score of the afternoon.
The Bobcats had a pair of miscues in the second, an interception and missed field goal, before gathering themselves late in the quarter. On its final drive of the half, Frostburg managed an eight play 62 yard drive that ended with an Adams field goal with just 12 seconds left for a 10-7 advantage at the half.
Early in the third quarter, the Spartans seized the momentum after blocking a punt deep in FSU territory. Case started its first drive of the second half at the FSU 29 but the Frostburg defense didn't back down. Case needed 10 plays and a fourth down conversion before finally scoring. However, the Spartans missed the extra point and led just 13-10.
The Bobcats appeared to have an answer, driving down to the Case 20 on the ensuing possession. However, a missed 32 yard field goal left the score at 13-10.
Case added to its lead on the first drive of the final quarter. The Spartans started at the FSU 45 following a 28 yard punt return. However, FSU's defense held the hosts to just a field goal after forcing an incomplete pass on third down at the Bobcat seven. The Spartans converted three times on third down and once on fourth down before having to settle for a field goal with 4:58 remaining in the fourth and a 16-10 advantage.
Case was held to season low numbers by the Frostburg defense. The Spartans entered the showdown with FSU averaging 175.0 yards on the ground but mustered just 86 yards rushing. Case managed 14 first downs and was held to nearly 200 yards below its season average in total offense.
Sicre totaled 112 yards of total offense behind 91 rushing (27 attempts) and 21 receiving (4 receptions). Olson finished with 136 yards passing on 10-of-21 attempts.
Defensively, senior Aaron Gruber finished with 13 tackles, including a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss. Classmate Brendon Blanchette posted 13 stops, his third-straight contest with 10 or more tackles.
Last Time Against the Bombers
ITHACA, N.Y. - A week after winning in dramatic fashion the tables were turned against Frostburg State University this time around. Ithaca mounted two fourth-quarter scoring drives and kicker Andrew Rogowski booted a 34-yard game-winning field goal as time expired to lift the Bombers to a 13-10 win over Frostburg in Empire 8 action.
The Bobcats, searching for some late-season momentum after a huge victory over defending Empire 8 champion Alfred last Saturday, scored 10 unanswered points for a 10-3 lead early in the fourth quarter.
However, the Bombers (4-4, 2-4) scored on their final two drives to steal the win. IC capitalized on good field position on its second-to-last drive as it needed just 41 yards to score the game-tying touchdown. With 1:09 to play, Phil Neumann tossed a four-yard touchdown to Dan Ruffrage to knot the contest at 10-10.
After holding FSU (3-5, 2-3) to a three-and-out, the Bombers took over at their 47 and with two quick completions found themselves at the FSU 18-yard line. After moving the ball to the 17, Rogowski knocked home the game winner.
Most of the action took place in the second half as Ithaca scored the only points of the opening two quarters. Rogowski kicked a 34-yard field goal with 4:53 to play in the opening half for a 3-0 halftime edge.
After posting just 78 yards in the first half, the Frostburg offense put up 212 yards in the second half. Freshman tailback JD Hook capped FSU's 12-play 76-yard scoring drive with an eight-yard scoring run with 9:26 showing in the third quarter. Sophomore kicker Jonathan Adams tacked on a 25-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter that pushed the FSU lead to 10-3.
Frostburg finished the afternoon with 290 yards, including 120 on the ground and held the ball for 29:12. Hook led both teams with 97 yards on 25 carries. Senior quarterback Josh Volpe threw for 170 yards and completed 70.3 percent of his passes (19-of-27). He was held without a touchdown toss for just the second time this season. Junior Anthony Young hauled in six passes for 43 yards.
Ithaca scored just three points in the first half due in large part to the Frostburg defense. The Bobcats forced Ithaca to turn the ball over on downs on the game's first drive and freshman Anthony Chase intercepted a Neumann pass deep in FSU territory on IC's third drive. Ithaca also punted once and missed a 24-yard field goal on its second drive.
Ithaca finished with 309 yards of offense and held a slim 18-16 edge in first downs. Neumann helped the offense overcome just 63 yards on the ground with 246 passing yards on 26-of-42 attempts with one touchdown and one interception. Joseph Ingrao led all receivers with 76 yards on eight receptions. Jarrett Naiden led IC with 52 rushing yards on 13 attempts.
Defensively, senior Drew Rudisill and junior Brendon Blanchette each made a team-high eight tackles. Chase finished with six tackles and an interception.
