Frostburg (2-1, 1-1 NJAC)
vs.
Kean (3-0, 2-0 NJAC)Saturday, Oct. 3
Bobcat Stadium - 1:00 pm
Frostburg Game NotesLive StatsLive VideoÂ
Setting the SceneFrostburg State plays its second game at home this fall when it welcomes Kean to Bobcat Stadium for week five of the college football season. The Bobcats are now completely wrapped up in New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) action and Kean marks the third NJAC contest of the season for Frostburg.
Frostburg enters Saturday's matchup with a 2-1 record and is coming off a bye week. FSU opened the fall campaign with a 52-21 victory over Geneva and posted a 42-7 win over Southern Virginia in the third game. In between, the Bobcats suffered a 44-3 setback to fifth-ranked Wesley.
The win over Geneva marked the second-most points in a season opener in program history as Frostburg raced out to a 35-0 halftime lead.
Second-year head coach Delane Fitzgerald won his season opener for the second year in a row after guiding the Bobcats to a 4-6 overall record in 2014. He is the only coach in program history to win his first game as the head coach of the Bobcats.
Kean has opened the '15 season at 3-0, including two wins in NJAC play. Kean is receiving votes in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll and is 3-0 for the first time since 2011.
The Cougars were picked to finish seventh in the NJAC Preseason Coaches Poll, one spot behind the Bobcats, and are coming off of back-to-back two-win seasons.
The SeriesSaturday's matchup between the Bobcats and Cougars will be just the second meeting between the two.
Frostburg dropped the only game between the pair in 1994, 41-7 in an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Bowl Game.
Scouting KeanAfter winning just two games in both 2013 and 2014, Kean is off to a fast start this fall with a 3-0 overall record following wins over Bridgewater State (47-21), TCNJ (23-6) and William Paterson (27-24).
The Cougars are 15th in the nation in total offense, averaging nearly 540 yards per contest and 15th nationally in rushing offense at 297.0 ypg.
Tailback Damian Corredor paces the Kean attack at nearly 170 all-purpose yards per game, behind 129.0 yards per game in rushing. He is 29th in Division III in all-purpose yards per contest and 28th in rushing.
While the offense boasts the gaudy numbers, Kean's defense is quietly allowing just 321.0 yards per game, good for third best in the NJAC.
Head Coach DeLane FitzgeraldDeLane Fitzgerald is in his second season at the helm of the Frostburg State football program in 2015 and his impact has been immediate. The Bobcats finished 4-6 overall in '14 that included a 2-6 mark in the Empire 8 and a 38-37 double overtime upset of 25th-ranked Ithaca at Bobcat Stadium on Homecoming.
Frostburg didn't just improve in the win/loss column in Fitzgerald's first season, but statically all over the field. The Bobcats finished fifth in the Empire 8 in scoring defense (27.3) and fifth in total defense (359.6). When compared to the final statistics of the 2013 season, the Bobcats allowed 66 fewer first downs, improved their overall total defense by 104.3 yards per contest, allowed 57.3 fewer yards rushing per game and cut opponents' scoring by 17.4 points per game. Frostburg also led the Empire 8 and finished 12th in the nation for fewest turnovers with 12.
Fitzgerald also placed an emphasis on blocked kicks where the Bobcats finished 17th in the country and led the Empire 8 with six.
The Bobcats capped the season with four All-Empire 8 selections, three on defense, and a USA College Football All-American.
Fitzgerald was a speaker for the American Football Coaches Association (ACFC) in 2014 and was an AFCA Coaching Mentor in both 2014 and 2015.
Fitzgerald's Weekly QuotesOn Kean ..."Kean is a very good football team, talented and well coached. I'm not surprised that they have played well thus far this season. This is a big game and the coaches, players, students and fans know it. There is no getting around it!"
On Bye Week ..."We had a bye last week, so we've had two weeks to get ready for this game. The preparation has been great and our football program is ready to play."
Concerning his young talent ..."Our young players (freshmen/sophomores) have been our playmakers so far this year. I expect our upperclassmen to play better and to make more plays the remainder of the season. It's time for the older players to catch fire, and if they do we are going to play well."
Frostburg Football HistoryFrostburg is in its 55th year of collegiate football in 2015 and the Bobcats have an overall record of 241-275-8. 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.
The '15 season marks the first year for the Bobcats as a member of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC). It was announced in March 2014 that Frostburg, along with Christopher Newport, Salisbury and Wesley, would become associate members of the NJAC beginning with the 2015 season. Southern Virginia joined the conference a year earlier in 2014.
The NJAC also contains Rowan, Montclair State, The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), William Paterson and Kean.
Prior to the NJAC, the Bobcats competed in the Empire 8 from 2011-14 and 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 242-275-8 overall
- Mark the first 3-1 stsart for Frostburg since 1998; the 1999 Bobcats started 6-0
- Even the series at 1-1
- Give the Bobcats their first win at Bobcat Stadium this fall
- Be the first win over a school from New Jersey since 2005
- Hand Fitzgerald his 31st victory as a head coach
Preseason All-AmericansFrostburg has had several players named Preseason Division III All-Americans by USA College Football over the last few years and this summer Frostburg placed three players on the 26th annual All-American list.
Senior defensive back Salaman Riddell led the way after being named a Second Team All-American. Senior linebacker Rowan Pinkett and junior defensive end William Sewell were both placed on the third team.
Riddell finished third last season with 63 tackles and led the team with four pass breakups. A two-time preseason All-American, Pinkett led the Bobcats in tackles for the second-straight season after posting 88 total stops and finishing third in the country with three recovered fumbles. Sewell compiled 67 total tackles and tied for the Empire 8 lead behind 13.5 tackles for loss. He also finished 26th in the country with nine sacks.
All three players earned All-Empire 8 honors following the '14 season.
Speaking of the NJACAll 10 NJAC schools are in action on the fifth weekend of the fall season and all 10 are in league play. Salisbury travels to TCNJ on Saturday for a noon kickoff to open the weekend's action. Rowan at Christopher Newport closes Saturday with a 6:00 pm start.
Saturday, October 3Salisbury at TCNJ - 12:00 pm
Kean at Frostburg State - 1:00 pm
Southern Virginia at Wesley - 1:00 pm
William Paterson at Montclair State - 3:00 pm
Rowan at Christopher Newport - 6:00 pm
NJAC Preseason PollThe NJAC released the 2015 Preseason Coaches Poll in early August and Frostburg State was picked to finish sixth in the 10-team league. The Bobcats were chosen as the league's dark horse team and were picked ahead of seventh-place Kean, William Paterson (8th), TCNJ (9th) and Southern Virginia (10th). Wesley, ranked fifth in the D3football.com preseason poll, was picked to win the conference after receiving nine of 10 first-place votes. Rowan received one first-place vote and was selected to finish second. Salisbury (3rd), Montclair State (4th) and Christopher Newport (5th) round out the five schools selected ahead of Frostburg.
Special TeamsWhen head coach DeLane Fitzgerald was hired at Frostburg, he made special teams a point of emphasis and it has showed through his first two seasons. Last season, Frostburg finished 17th in the nation and led the Empire 8 in blocked kicks (6).
Fast forward a year to the 2015 campaign and Frostburg is at it again. The Bobcats and Hardin-Simmons are the only two schools in the country with three punt return touchdowns and they are the only two schools with three punt return touchdowns by three different players. FSU is also ninth nationally and leads the NJAC in kick return defense (10.23) and is 10th in Division III and second in the NJAC in punt return yardage (22.08).
Where they RankFollowing three weeks of the season, Frostburg ranks nationally in several statistical categories. The Bobcats are currently ...
Fumbles Recovered (4) - 1st in NJAC ... 34th in DIII
Kickoff Return Defense (10.23 ypr) - 1st in NJAC ... 9th in DIII
Kickoff Returns (22.77 ypr) - 2nd in NJAC ... 53rd in DIII
Punt Returns (22.08 ypr) - 2nd in NJAC ... 10th in DIII
Team Tackles For Loss (8.7) - 1st in NJAC ... 37th in DIII
Time of Possession (34:16) - 1st in NJAC ... 15th in DIII
Turnovers Lost (4) - 2nd in NJAC ... 49th in DIII
Sophomore Josh Piper
Kickoff Returns (34.0) - 1st in NJAC ... 7th in DIII
Junior Austin Bonsall
Punt Returns (14.1) - 1st in NJAC ... 17th DIII
Sophomore Joe Guididas
Punting (40.8 ypp) - 2nd in NJAC ... 20th in DIII
Junior J.R. Lowery
Sacks (0.83) - 3rd in NJAC ... 80th in DIII
Two Weeks AgoSaturday, Sept. 19, 2015 - Frostburg 42, Southern Virginia
BUENA VISTA, Va. – Frostburg State shook off a sluggish start and racked up 228 yards on the ground en route to a 42-7 victory over Southern Virginia in New Jersey Athletic Conference action, Saturday.
The Bobcats scored in all four quarters, including 28 second-half points as they open the season at 2-1 for the second time under second-year head coach DeLane Fitzgerald. The game also hands Fitzgerald a win over the Knights (1-2, 0-1) where he served as head coach from 2009-13.
The offense and special teams made up for it in the second half with a passing and rushing touchdown and a punt return for another score.
The defense, however, was just fine from start to finish as it held SVU to just 109 yards in total offense. The Knights threw for just 53 yards against the Frostburg secondary, including three interceptions.
Freshman Gavin Lavat ran for a game-high 66 yards in 12 carries and a pair of touchdowns. He scored the game's first touchdown with just 1:18 left in the first quarter from five yards out for a 7-0 lead. He later opened the second half with a three-yard scoring jolt just 4:34 into the third quarter to help the Bobcats to a 21-0 lead.
In between Lavat's end zone trips, junior Thomas Moore ran for a 31-yard touchdown early in the second quarter that handed Frostburg a 14-0 edge, a score that would remain the same at the half.
Midway through the third, sophomore Josh Washington picked off a Shawn Honeycutt pass and returned it 40 yards for the score and a 28-0 cushion.
Southern Virginia's LaKeith Hopkins posted a four-yard touchdown run early in the fourth, but Frostburg closed out the ballgame with two more scores.
Junior Austin Bonsall hauled in a 29-yard pass from freshman Connor Cox to cap Frostburg's longest drive of the contest (12 plays, 80 yards) and with under a minute remaining, freshman Sergio Andino returned a punt 49 yards for a score and the 42-7 final.
Cox finished with 131 yards on 13-of-17 passing. He found senior Antonio Wood seven times for a game-high 79 yards. The Bobcat offense turned all three Southern Virginia interceptions into touchdown producing drives and Frostburg held the ball for nearly 35 minutes.
