#24 Frostburg (9-1, 8-1 NJAC) vs. #22 St. John Fisher (8-2, 6-2 Empire 8)
Asa S. Bushnell Bowl
ECAC D3 Football Fest I #ECACD3FBFEST
Franklin Field I Philadelphia, Pa.
Saturday, November 19Â IÂ 5:00 pm
Live Video IÂ
Live Stats
Frostburg Game Notes
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Setting the Scene
Frostburg State travels to historic Franklin Field on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania this Saturday for the Asa S. Bushnell Bowl Game as part of the 2016 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Football Fest. The Bobcats will face the Cardinals of St. John Fisher on Saturday at 5:00 pm in the second bowl game of the day.
FSU carries a 9-1 overall record and an eight-game winning streak into the matchup with SJFC. Last Saturday, the Bobcats defeated in-state rival Salisbury for the first time in 12 years and earned a share of the '16 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championship.
Following the win over the Sea Gulls, Frostburg moved into the top 25 according to the week 11 edition of the D3football.com poll and the Bobcats are ranked 24th. According to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) week nine poll, FSU is the third team receiving votes with 43.
Frostburg is playing for its first 10-win season since 1993 and just the second 10-win season in the 56-year history of the football program. The Bobcats are also looking for the program's second-ever nine-game winning streak (1990).
St. John Fisher earned its 14th-straight postseason appearance when the ECAC announced it would face Frostburg in the bowl game. The Cardinals enter the contest with an 8-2 overall record following a loss in the Empire 8 Championship game last Saturday at Alfred (38-17).
SJFC opened the 2016 season with six-consecutive wins and worked its way to 14th in the D3football.com. The Cardinals finished their regular season with a 2-2 record over their final four games.
Saturday's bowl will be the sixth meeting between the Bobcats and Cardinals and SJFC leads the all-time series at 5-0.
The two schools met in consecutive years from 2010-14. For four years from '11-14, the two met as members of the Empire 8 Athletic Conference. Frostburg joined the NJAC prior to the 2015 campaign.
The Series
Saturday's matchup between Frostburg and St. John Fisher is the sixth meeting and the schools met five-straight times from 2010-14. SJFC leads the series at 5-0.
Scouting St. John Frisher
St. John Fisher is under the direction of Paul Vosburgh and he is in his 26th season as head coach. Heading into the '16 season, Vosburgh has guided the Cardinals to a 154-111 overall record with 14-straight postseason appearances. Over the last 10 years, Vosburgh has led the Cardinals to 91 wins.
This fall, SJFC is 8-2 overall and finished runner-up in the Empire 8 standings with a 6-2 league record. The Cards opened the season with six-straight wins and climbed to 14th in the D3football.com top 25 poll.
St. John Fisher boasts a high-powered passing attack and it ranks 76th in the country in total offense, averaging 417.8 yards per contest behind the nation's 33rd ranked passing game (288.9). The Cardinals also average 36.2 points per game.
SJFC finished sixth in the Empire 8 in total defense (380.9) and fifth in both passing yards allowed (231.6) and scoring defense (26.6).
Quarterback Matt Naton capped his regular season ranked second in the Empire 8 in total offense at 315.1 yards per contest. He is third in the league in passing yards (2,369) and second in passing touchdowns (23). His favorite target is William Coon who has hauled in 43 receptions for 946 yards and nine touchdowns. Tony Fusco leads the way on the ground with 445 yards and seven TDs.
On defense, DJ Logory leads the charge with 106 total tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss. David Carroll is second on the roster with 89 stops but has 10.0 TFLs and 4.0 sacks.
Scouting Frostburg
Frostburg is in its third season under DeLane Fitzgerald and he has his program headed in the right direction. He has increased Frostburg's win total in each of his first two years and his squad enters this weekend's bowl game with a 9-1 overall record after capturing a share of the '16 NJAC Championship last Saturday.
The Bobcats enter the bowl with the nation's seventh-best defensive unit as they led the NJAC by allowing just 231.7 yards per contest. FSU is also fourth in the nation in team passing efficiency defense (87.94), fourth in team tackles for loss (10.1), fourth in passing yards allowed (130.3) and 11th in scoring defense (12.8).
On offense, Frostburg finished the regular season ranked fifth in the NJAC at 302.3 yards per game behind the league's fifth-best passing attack (161.8 ypg) and fifth-best rushing attack (140.5).
Senior preseason All-American defensive end William Sewell leads the NJAC and is 10th in the country in tackles for loss per game (2.0) and he currently leads the Bobcats with 73 total tackles. Junior linebacker Dre'Quan Reed is second on the roster with 59 stops. Junior nose tackle Niles Scott leads the Bobcats with 7.5 sacks and is second with 16.0 tackles for loss.
On offense, sophomore quarterback Connor Cox paces the team in total offense with 190.3 yards per game and he has accounted for 19 touchdowns. Sophomore Jamaal Morant leads the Bobcat ground game with 744 yards on 167 carries and four touchdowns and he has eclipsed the 100-yard barrier in three of the last six games. Junior Russell Neverdon is fourth in the NJAC in receiving yards per game (75.2) and receiving yards (752). He is second in the league with nine touchdown receptions.
National Ranking
After three weeks of receiving votes in the weekly D3football.com Top 25 poll, Frostburg cracked the rankings on Sunday afternoon. The Bobcats are currently ranked 24th in the poll with 57 points, one spot ahead of Huntingdon and just eight points behind 23rd-ranked St. Lawrence. It's the first time since the poll's inception in 2003 that Frostburg has been ranked.
According to the final regular-season poll from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Frostburg is the third team receiving votes (43), behind Case Western Reserve (48) and Wabash (44). FSU is looking to be ranked in the AFCA for the first time since the 1999 season.
St. John Fisher is two spots ahead of Frostburg in the D3football.com poll and checks in at 22nd in the country with 67 points. Following a season-opening win over Olivet, the Cardinals have spent 10 of 11 weeks ranked inside the top 25 of the D3football.com poll. Two weeks ago, SJFC climbed to 19th in the AFCA poll.
The Postseason ...
Frostburg carries a 9-1 overall record into the Asa S. Bushnell Bowl Game and is the eighth ECAC Bowl Championship appearance. Prior to Saturday's game, Frostburg has appeared in ECAC bowl games in 1990, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2002 and 2005.
The Bobcats have won two of those previous seven appearances with a 24-21 win over Wilkes in 1996 and a 46-16 victory over William Paterson in 1991. The Bobcats last played in an ECAC Bowl in 2005 and suffered a 14-7 loss at Bobcat Stadium to Moravian.
Frostburg narrowly missed a spot in the NCAA Playoffs after earning a share of the NJAC Championship last Saturday.
Fans can follow all of the action of the ECAC Championship Bowl Games at www.ECACsports.com.
Head Coach DeLane Fitzgerald
DeLane Fitzgerald is in his third season at the helm of the Frostburg State football program in 2016 and his impact has been immediate. The Bobcats finished 4-6 overall in '14 and posted a 6-4 mark a year ago. The six wins mark the first winning season for the Bobcats since the 2005 season, while the Bobcats' eight-game winning streak is the longest since the 1993 team.
Frostburg hasn't just improved in the win/loss column, but the team GPA has improved every semester since Fitzgerald became head coach. Fitzgerald and his staff also see vast improvements in the weight room and around campus and in the town of Frostburg in terms of volunteer hours.
On the field, Fitzgerald's squad continues to improve statistically in every aspect of the game. On offense, the Bobcats set the school record in completion percentage (61.1%) last fall and finished fourth in the New Jersey Athletic Conference in rushing (164.3 ypg.).
On the other side of the ball, the Bobcats' improved in total defense for the second-straight year. In his first year, Fitzgerald's defense allowed 359.6 yards per game, while a year ago, FSU finished third in the NJAC at 313.4 yards allowed per contest. Prior to Fitzgerald's arrival, Frostburg allowed 464.2 yards per contest during the '13 season.
Through 10 weeks this season, the Bobcats are currently seventh in the country in total defense (231.7). FSU is also fourth in the nation in team passing efficiency defense (87.94), fourth in team tackles for loss (10.1), fourth in passing yards allowed (130.3) and 11th in scoring defense (12.8).
Fitzgerald also placed an emphasis in special teams since the day of his arrival at Frostburg. Following the '14 season, the Bobcats finished 17th in the nation in blocked kicks (6) and they finished 18th a year ago (6). FSU also finished 11th in the country last season in punt returns (15.63) and 15th in kickoff return defense (14.95).
Fitzgerald's Weekly Quotes
On St. John Fisher ...
"Paul Vosburgh has built a great program at Fisher, the 14 straight postseason berths speak for itself! The St. John Fisher football program is a dynasty! We are the underdogs in this game, our coaches and players fully understand that."
"Fisher runs a spread offense led by their QB #12 Matt Naton, WR #1 Mike Collichio, and RB #15 Tony Fusco. Matt Naton has been very successful this fall throwing the football, we must contain their passing game to be successful on defense Saturday. Fisher is a base 3-4 defense, but often end up in a 4-2 front at the snap of the football. We are going to have to throw and catch the football better this week than we have the last couple of weeks to be successful on offense Saturday."
On Frostburg's preparation ...
"We've had a great week of practice, our players are excited to make the postseason and play in a bowl game. Playing in 55,000 seat Franklin Field should be a great atmosphere."
"It's everyone in the Frostburg football program's responsibility to send our 19 seniors out the right way, Period!" Â
A Win Would ...
- Lift the Bobcats to 255-279-8 overall in 56 seasons
- Give the Bobcats their first 10-win season since 1993
- Be the second 10-win season in the 56-year history of the program
- Hand Frostburg its first nine-game winning streak since 1990
- Be the second nine-game winning streak in program history
- Land FSU its third ECAC bowl game win
- Be Frostburg's first win over St. John Fisher in six meetings
- Hand coach DeLane Fitzgerald his 20th win in three seasons at FSU
National Rankings (Stats) ...
Through 10 regular-season games this fall, Frostburg is ranked among some of the nation's elite teams. The Bobcats enter their matchup with SJFC ranked seventh in Division III in total defense (231.7). FSU is also fourth in team passing efficiency defense (87.94), fourth in team tackles for loss (10.1), fourth in passing yards allowed (130.3) and 11th in scoring defense (12.8).
Frostburg is also ranked eighth in blocked kicks (6), ninth in third down conversion percentage defense (0.245) and 14th in the country in first downs defense (133).
Senior preseason All-American defensive end William Sewell is 10th in the country and is second in the NJAC in tackles for loss per game (2.0) and he is 29th in the nation in forced fumbles (2). Freshman Graylin Walker is 21st in Division III in blocked kicks (2), while senior kicker Isaac Robinson is 23th in the country and paces the NJAC in field goals per game (1.10).
Speaking of the NJAC
The NCAA and ECAC announced earlier this week that four of the 10 NJAC schools have earned postseason trips. Wesley earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Playoffs and is making its 12th-consecutive trip to the NCAAs, while Frostburg, Kean and Salisbury will all compete in ECAC bowl games.
Friday, November 18
Kean vs. SUNY Cortland - 3:00 pm - ECAC Bowl
Saturday, November 19
Stevenson at Wesley - 12:00 pm - NCAA Playoffs
Frostburg vs. St. John Fisher - 5:00 pm - ECAC Bowl
Saturday, November 20
Salisbury vs. Carnegie Mellon - 10:00 am - ECAC Bowl
All-Americans ...
Frostburg State had a pair of players take home preseason All-American honors during the month of the August. For starters, senior defensive end William Sewell was selected as a d3football.com Second Team All-American after leading the Bobcats in tackles (64), tackles for loss (14.5) and tied for the team lead with 6.0 sacks. He also garnered preseason All-American honors heading into the '15 season by USA College Football.
Sewell and senior return specialist Austin Bonsall were later named to the Football Gameplan 2016 Preseason D3 All-American Team. Sewell was named to the first team defense, while Bonsall was placed on the third team specialists as a punt returner.
A year ago, Bonsall was named the NJAC Special Teams Players of the Year after leading the NJAC and finished second in the nation with two punt return touchdowns. He also finished second in the league and 22nd nationally with a 12.9 yard per return average.
Kick It Up A Notch ...
Senior kicker Isaac Robinson is one of 16 place-kickers to be recognized during the month of October by the Fred Mitchell Award for his excellence on the football field and for his continued community service. He was also honored on the preseason watch list.
Of the 16 place-kickers on the watch list, Robinson is one of just seven kickers from Division III and is one of just two NJAC representatives on the list.
This fall, Robinson is 11-for-16 on field goal attempts with his longest FG coming from 47 yards out in FSU's 17-6 win over Christopher Newport. He is also 21-for-26 on extra point attempts.
Last year, Robinson earned First Team All-NJAC honors and was an ECAC All-Star kicker after finishing ninth in the nation in FG's per game (1.20) and 10th in the country in FG percentage (0.750). He led the NJAC with 12 field goals and he finished the season with 63 points that also included 23-of-26 PAT's.
In terms of community service, Robinson has volunteered with Beautify the Burg picking up trash around the city as well as mulching and painting parts of the town of Frostburg. He has volunteered at local nursing homes, Special Olympics, Storybook Forest, the Scottish Games and has helped with elementary school reading programs.
The recipient of the Fred Mitchell Award will be announced in mid-December based on performance on the football field and in the community. Details are provided at www.fredmitchellaward.com.
NJAC Preseason Poll
The NJAC released the 2016 Preseason Coaches Poll in early August and Frostburg State was picked to finish third in the 10-team league. The Bobcats were chosen as the league's dark horse team for the second-straight season and received one first-place vote.
Defending champion Salisbury was picked to repeat as the league champion in '16, followed by Wesley in second place. Rowan, which received one first-place vote, was picked fourth, while Kean was fifth. Rounding out sixth through 10th place are Montclair State (6th), Christopher Newport (7th), TCNJ (8th), William Paterson (9th) and Southern Virginia (10th).
Frostburg Football History
Frostburg is in its 56th year of collegiate football in 2016 and the Bobcats have an overall record of 254-279-8. 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 '16 season marks the second 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.
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