Frostburg State (1-1, 0-1 NJAC)  vs.  Southern Virginia (1-0, 0-0 NJAC)
Live Stats  I  Live Video
Frostburg Game Notes
Bobcat Stadium  I  7:00 pm
 

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Setting the Scene
Frostburg State hosts Southern Virginia in a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) matchup this Saturday, Sept. 17 at 7:00 pm. It's the second home game of the season for the Bobcats and is their second night game of the campaign. The 2016 season marks the first time that two night games have been hosted at Bobcat Stadium in the facilities' 43-year history.

FSU and SVU have met three previous times and Frostburg currently leads the series 2-1.

The matchup will be the second league game for the Bobcats as they endured a 43-7 loss at #17 Wesley last Saturday. Meanwhile, the contest will serve as the conference opener for the Knights and their second game of the season. The Knights had a bye last week after downing Earlham 28-18 in their season opener.

Frostburg is trying for its third 2-1 start under third-year head coach DeLane Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald is the only coach in Frostburg's history to win his career opener and he has guided the Bobcats to three season-opening wins during his tenure.

Last fall, the Bobcats finished their season at 6-4, including a 5-4 finish in their first season as a member of the New Jersey Athletic Conference. FSU collected a five-game winning streak during the middle part of the season, the longest streak in the program since the 1999 team opened the season 6-0.

Southern Virginia won its season opener under first-year head coach Joe DuPaix. A year ago, the Knights finished 0-10 and they were just 1-9 in 2014. DuPaix and his coaching staff have installed a triple option attack on offense and SVU ran for 336 yards in the win over Earlham.

The Series
Saturday's matchup between the Bobcats and Knights is just the fourth in the series for the two program's.

Southern Virginia captured a 35-20 win in Frostburg in 2007 in the first-ever meeting.

The Bobcats have rebounded to win the last two games, including a 42-7 win in Buena Vista last fall.

Scouting Southern Virginia
Southern Virginia is under the direction of first-year head coach Joe DuPaix in 2016. He arrived after a two-year stint at BYU as the recruiting coordinator and running backs coach, helping the Cougars to 18 wins, including a 10-win season in '11.

Prior to that, Dupaix coached the slot backs at the U.S. Naval Academy, helping the Midshipmen to three-straight bowl games and two Commander-In-Cheif trophies.

At Southern Virginia, DuPaix has installed the triple option attack that was successful at the Naval Academy and SVU rushed for 336 yards on 68 carries in the season opener.

SVU scored 28 points and four different ball carries scored for the Knights. Michael Frye led the way with 81 yards on 11 carries, followed by Lakeith Hopkins with 68 yards on five carries.

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' five-game winning streak is the longest since the 1999 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.

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 Southern Virginia's rushing attack ...
"This will be the third time in our last four games that our defense has faced a triple option offense. Being successful against a triple team comes down to one thing, You Must Tackle Your Responsibility On Every Play. Offensively we must play with energy and enthusiasm while executing at a high level."

On the program heading into game three ...
"We have focused on committing to get better each day this week and committing to be as competitive as possible. Our football program has had a good week of practice. We are excited about playing football again on Saturday night and having the opportunity to get back on track."

On the matchup with SVU ...
"SVU is coming into Bobcat Stadium with a new coaching staff and a 1-0 record. That's a dangerous combination for us. SVU will play very hard on Saturday night and we have to be ready to play for 60 minutes."

A Win Would ...
- Lift the Bobcats to 247-279-8 overall
- Give the Bobcats their third 2-1 start in three seasons
- Improve Frostburg's record to 3-1 against Southern Virginia
- Hand the Bobcats a 2-0 record at Bobcat Stadium this year
- Be coach DeLane Fitzgerald's 12th win in three seasons
- Keep Fitzgerald's record in night games as Frostburg's head coach perfect at 6-0
- Be Frostburg's third win at night at Bobcat Stadium in three seasons

Night Games
Since head coach DeLane Fitzgerald's arrival at Frostburg he is 5-0 heading into Saturday's contest in night games. In his first season in '14, the Bobcats defeated Geneva at home 24-19 before traveling to Shenandoah for a 20-10 win. In year two, Fitzgerald led Frostburg to road, night-game victories over Geneva (52-21) and Christopher Newport (19-14).

This fall, Frostburg downed Geneva two weeks ago in the season opener 31-10.

Speaking of the NJAC
All 10 NJAC schools are in action on the third weekend of the 2016 season and all are in league play. On Friday night, TCNJ visits Kean and William Paterson travels to Rowan and both kick off at 7:00 pm. Saturday's action opens with Montclair State at Salisbury at noon.

Friday, September 16
TCNJ at Kean - 7:00 pm
William Paterson at Rowan - 7:00 pm

Saturday, September 17
Montclair State at Salisbury - Noon
Wesley at Christopher Newport - 6:00 pm
Southern Virginia at Frostburg - 7:00 pm

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 has been recognized for the second-straight preseason for his excellence on the football field and in the community as he has been selected to the 2016 Fred Mitchell Award watch list.

The Fred Mitchell Award recognizes 27 place-kickers on its annual Watch List for their excellence on the football field during the previous season and for continued community service during their off-season.

Of the 27 place-kickers on the watch list, Robinson is one of just four kickers from Division III and is the only NJAC representative on the list.

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.

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.

Bringing Home More Bacon ...
Robinson's Fred Mitchell Award Watch List honor isn't the only preseason nomination for a national award that also honors his work off the field. In mid-July, the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) announced its 25th Anniversary Allstate Good Works Team nominees and Isaac Robinson was among the 156 nominations.

The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team has recognized college football players from across the country who exemplify a superior commitment to community service and volunteerism.

During his time at Frostburg, 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.

A 2015-16 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) All-Academic selection, Robinson is also a two-time Empire 8 Athletic Conference President's List honoree and a four-time Dean's List Student. He majors in engineering and carries a 3.56 GPA.
 
On the field, Robinson was named a 2015 ECAC South All-Star and was a 2015 First Team All-NJAC Special Teams player after leading the league in field goals (12), FG's per game (1.20) and FG percentage (75.0). He was third in the conference in PATs with 23.

He was the lone AFCA Good Works Team nominee from the NJAC.

Special Teams
When 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. The Bobcats have blocked six kicks in each of the last two seasons and have finished 17th and 18th, respectively, in NCAA Division III.

The Bobcats also finished the 2016 season ranked second in the nation in punt return touchdowns (4), 11th in punt returns (15.63), 15th in kickoff return defense (14.95) and 40th in net punting (34.41).

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 seventh-ranked 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 246-279-8. 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.

Last Time Against Southern Virginia
Frostburg  42    Southern Virginia  7    Buena Vista, Va. - The Fields (stadium)    Sept. 19, 2015
Frostburg shook off a sluggish start by running for 228 yards en route to a 42-7 victory over Southern Virginia. The Bobcats totaled 28 points in the second half to improve to 2-1 on the season.

Freshman Gavin Lavat ran for 66 yards on 12 carries and a pair of touchdowns He scored in the first and third quarters and helped the Bobcats open up a 21-0 cushion. The Bobcat defense scored a touchdown when sophomore Josh Washington picked off a pass and returned it 40 yards for a score. Freshman Sergio Andino also returned a punt 49 yards for a score and the 42-7 final.