Frostburg State (3-5, 1-5 E8)
vs.
Hartwick (2-5, 1-4 E8)

Saturday, Nov. 1
Wright Stadium - 2:00 pm

Frostburg Game Notes
Live Video/Stats
 

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Setting the Scene
Frostburg State travels to Hartwick this Saturday (2:00 pm) for its final road contest of the 2014 season.

The Bobcats sit at 3-5 overall on the season after defeating both Geneva (24-19) and Shenandoah (20-10) in their first two contests and knocking off 25th-ranked Ithaca on Homecoming in double overtime (38-37).

Hartwick sits at 2-5 overall and 1-4 in the league after dropping its last three games, all in Emipre 8 play. The Hawks defeated Western Connecticut State in its season opener, 43-38, before picking up a 34-30 victory over Alfred in league action.

The Series
Saturday's matchup between the Bobcats and Hawks will be the fourth meeting between the schools and the previous three meetings have come in the three seasons since FSU joined the Empire 8.

Frostburg leads the series 2-1 after winning in both 2011 (35-28) and 2012 (28-26).

It's A New Day
DeLane Fitzgerald was named Frostburg's 13th head football coach following a national search in January 2014. Upon his arrival at Frostburg, Fitzgerald quickly filled out his coaching staff and began recruiting his first class. He also set about raising the team's G.P.A. through new study hall rules.

On the field, Fitzgerald has Frostburg off to a 3-5 start. The Bobcats defeated Geneva (24-19) and Shenandoah (20-10) in their first two games before upsetting 25th-ranked Ithaca on Homecoming in double overtime (38-37).

Fitzgerald came to Frostburg following an eight-year stint at Southern Virginia in Buena Vista, Va., including the last five seasons as head coach. Prior to his arrival, SVU averaged just two wins per season and after his fifth year, Southern Virginia finished 8-2 and was ranked No. 1 in the United States Collegiate Athletic Conference coaches' poll.

Fitzgerald also has coaching stints at Bethel University (Tenn.), Tennessee-Martin, James Madison and the Bridgton Academy (Maine).

Frostburg Football History
Frostburg is in its 54th year of collegiate football in 2014 and the Bobcats have an overall record of 238-273-8. The Bobcats appeared in the 1993 NCAA Playoffs and have played in seven ECAC Bowl Games, the last coming at Bobcat Stadium against Moravian in 2005.

Prior to joining the Empire 8, FSU competed in the Atlantic Central Football Conference for 12 seasons from 1999-2010, capturing league titles in 1999, 2003 and 2004.

A Win Would ....
- Lift the Bobcats to 239-273-8 overall
- Be the second four-win season for Frostburg in four years
- Hand FSU its 16th win over a school from the state of New York (15-38-1)
- Give Frostburg a 3-1 series lead over Hartwick

Empire 8 Update
All nine Empire 8 football schools opened their 2014 seasons with a week-one victory. Following last weekend, however, the Empire 8 Athletic Conference is without an undefeated team. St. John Fisher sits at 6-1 overall, while Ithaca, Brockport and Buffalo State are all 5-2.

This Week In The Empire 8
Eight of the nine Empire 8 teams are in action in week nine of the 2014 football season and eight schools are in conference play. Alfred travels to Salisbury, Buffalo State visits St. John Fisher, Brockport welcomes Ithaca and Frostburg will travel to Hartwick.

Alfred at Salisbury - Noon
Buffalo State at St. John Fisher - Noon
Ithaca at Brockport - 1:00 pm
Frostburg State at Hartwick - 2:00 pm

Empire 8 Preseason Poll
The Frostburg State football team was picked to finish ninth in the 2014 Empire 8 Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll released in late August. St. John Fisher received eight of the nine first-place votes along with 64 points and was picked to win the league title. Salisbury (53 pts.) and Ithaca (52 pts.) round out the top three.

The Coaches
Fitzgerald hit the ground running following his hire at Frostburg State and he quickly filled out his staff with some of the nation's top coaches. Tye Hiatt (OC/QB), John Kelling (DC/LB) and Peter Mayer (ST/DB) will serve as the Bobcats' coordinators. Joining them are Ben Crowder (RB), Sam Daniels (DT), Pete Hansen (DE), Angelo Luvara (T/TE), Nate Sievers (OL), Tyler Condiff (Asst. LB), Kenny Johnson (WR), Tyler Stevens (Asst. WR), Dernard Bryan (Asst. OL), Victor Andersen (Asst. DB) and Tim Arnold (Asst. RB).

Preseason All-American
Frostburg has had several players named Preseason Division III All-Americans by USA College Football over the last few years and this summer junior linebacker Rowan Pinkett was named to the preseason third-team defense.

Pinkett had a breakout season last fall after leading the Bobcats and finishing fifth in the Empire 8 with 104 total tackles. For his efforts, he was named to the All-Empire 8 Second Team. He averaged 10.4 tackles per contest and finished with 10 or more tackles in five games.

Pinkett picked up in week one where he left off a year ago, finishing with 12 total tackles, one tackle for loss with a forced and recovered fumble against Geneva. Those numbers earned him both Empire 8 and ECAC Northeast Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Following eight games, Pinkett leads the Bobcats and is fourth in the league with 71 total tackles. He also paces the conference with three recovered fumbles.

Behind Enemy Lines
Following seven weeks of the 2014 season, sophomore defensive end William Sewell is tied for fifth in the conference with 8.0 tackles for loss. He is also tied for second with 5.5 sacks.

Secondary Force
After forcing a pair of fumbles against 25th-ranked Ithaca, Bobcat junior defensive back Salaman Riddell is second in the Empire 8 with three forced fumbles on the season.

I'll Take That
The Frostburg State defense has generated 11 turnovers in eight games this season, six fumbles and five interceptions.

Where The Bobcats Rank
Blocked Kicks - 6
- Eighth in Division III
- First in the Empire 8

Fewest Penalties Per Game - 4.75
 - 25th in Division III
- Second in the Empire 8

Junior DL Roland Kamara
    - Ranked 13th in the nation and leads the Empire 8 with two blocked kicks

Junior LB Rowan Pinkett
    - Ranked third in Division III and leads the Empire 8 with three recovered fumbles

Calling the Signals
Senior Ken Emmons returns for his third year as the starting quarterback for the Bobcats and has the talent around him to have his best season to date. He enters his final season ranked ninth in program history in passing yards (2,866), eighth in touchdown passes (18) and seventh in career completions (218).

A year ago, Emmons accounted for 1,718 yards in total offense and 13 total touchdowns. He threw for 1,338 yards and nine touchdowns. Over the past two seasons, Emmons has also rushed for 626 yards and seven touchdowns.

Through eight games, Emmons has accounted for 1,133 yards in total offense and eight touchdowns.

On The Horizon
Frostburg State University, along with Christopher Newport University, Salisbury University and Wesley College recently agreed to become associate football members of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) beginning in the 2015-16 academic year. In addition, Southern Virginia will be an affiliate member of the NJAC starting in the fall of 2014 and will elevate to associate member in 2015-16.

Frostburg State currently competes in the Empire 8 as an affiliate football member and will begin its fourth season of competition in the league this fall (2014). The other associate football members, like FSU, compete primarily in the Capital Athletic Conference; the CAC does not sponsor football.

With the addition of the five schools in 2015-16, the NJAC will increase its football membership to 10 institutions, including full-league members Kean University, Montclair State University, Rowan University, The College of New Jersey and William Paterson University.

Last Time Out
Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014     -     Alfred 14, Frostburg 3

ALFRED, N.Y. – Sophomore Isaac Robinson booted a 33-yard field goal in the second quarter, but Frostburg State suffered a 14-3 loss at Alfred in Empire 8 action, Saturday.
 
Alfred (4-3, 2-3) limited Frostburg offensively and scored a pair of touchdowns in the first and third quarters. AU quarterback Tyler Johnson ran for both scores to lead an offense that ran for 155 yards and totaled 294 yards of offense.
 
FSU (3-5, 1-5) managed 171 total yards behind 151 on the ground. Senior tailback Ben Sasu rushed for 118 yards on 25 carries to pace both teams. Robinson's field goal came with 4:24 to play in the second quarter that capped a seven-play drive that started at Alfred's 35 yard line.
 
Johnson finished with 108 yards rushing and scored the Saxons' first touchdown on a five yard run in the first quarter. The drive lasted five plays and 80 yards and handed the hosts a 7-0 lead with just 34 seconds to go in the first. Johnson called his own number again in the third quarter with an eight yard scoring run that capped a 10-play 75-yard drive at 8:51.
 
Frostburg junior linebacker Rowan Pinkett finished with 10 tackles, with a tackle for loss and pass breakup. Junior Marcus Moody posted six tackles, one behind the line, and an interception return for 30 yards in the first quarter. As a team, Frostburg generated two turnovers, an interception and fumble.