#18 Frostburg (4-1, 3-1 NJAC) vs William Paterson (0-5, 0-4 NJAC)
Saturday's game will be Homecoming for William Paterson
Wightman Stadium
Saturday, October 14 I 1:00 pm
Live Video I
Live Stats I
Live Audio
Directions to William Paterson
Frostburg Game Notes
Setting the Scene
Frostburg State looks to bounce back from its first loss of the season when the No. 18/19 Bobcats travel to Wightman Stadium to face William Paterson on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. The Bobcats enter Saturday's conference road game at 4-1 overall with a 3-1 mark in league play.
Frostburg had a 13-game winning streak snapped after a heartbreaking 27-24 overtime loss to Wesley last Saturday at Bobcat Stadium. After connecting on a 35 yard field goal to take the lead in overtime, the Wolverines blocked Frostburg's game-tying field goal attempt to end the game.
William Paterson (0-5, 0-4) is still looking for its first victory of 2017 following a 56-0 road loss to Kean last week. The Pioneers trailed 35-0 at the half and surrendered 327 yards of total offense.
Frostburg continues to lead the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) in rushing defense, allowing just 54.8 yards a contest. The Bobcats rushing defense ranks seventh in NCAA DIII, while the Pioneers rushing offense (62.8) ranks ninth in the league and 235 of 247 teams nationally.
The game will be broadcast live, courtesy of William Paterson athletics, with a live video and audio stream. You can follow the action by logging onto wpupioneers.com.
The Series
Saturday's matchup between Frostburg and William Paterson is the sixth meeting between the two and the Bobcats lead the all-time series 4-1.
The Bobcats have won the last three games in the series, including a 23-0 shutout at Bobcat Stadium last fall.
Frostburg is also undefeated in Wayne, N.J. downing WPU in both 1991 (46-16) and 2015 (37-19).
Scouting William Paterson
William Paterson is one of two NJAC teams that are still winless on the season and the Pioneers enter the matchup with Frostburg at 0-5 overall and 0-4 in the league.
The Pioneers have struggled to score this fall as they have totaled just 21 points in five games and have been shutout in three games. Paterson dropped its season opener 45-0 to RPI and it has been shutout in each of its last two league games (66-0 and 56-0).
William Paterson is under the direction of Jerry Flora and he is in his 10th season at the helm. He has led the Pioneers to 38 wins over his career including 23 wins in the NJAC.
This fall, WPU is averaging just 101.8 yards per game in offense and is ranked 246 of 247 Division III teams. The Pioneers run for just 62.8 yards per game and throw for 39.0.
Cahsim Henry leads the way in rushing with 128 yards on 35 carries, while Kyle Fanning has two of the team's three rushing touchdowns this fall. Under center, Mike Yarosz has completed 12 passes for 171 yards in five games.
Defensively, Charles Faulkner has posted 46 total tackles, including 23 solo stops. Corey Anthony is second on the roster with 34 tackles and has the team's only interception.
Scouting Frostburg
The No. 18/19 Bobcats are looking to bounce back for their fifth-consecutive win in the state of New Jersey this week against William Paterson. Head coach DeLane Fitzgerald is in his fourth season at the helm, and he has increased the Bobcats' win total each of his first three seasons. Fitzgerald has a 24-12 (.667) career record as the coach of the Bobcats, including a 14-2 (.875) mark since 2016.
Frostburg opened the 2017 season with four-straight victories despite a 27-24 overtime loss to Wesley last week, defeating then 18th-ranked Stevenson (33-7), The College of New Jersey (49-14), Christopher Newport (33-30) and Rowan (24-10)
Sophomore LB Monte Jones forced a fumble with the Bobcats trailing 21-10 in the third quarter last week, sparking an aggressive rally that energized a packed Bobcat Stadium. Junior QB Connor Cox threw two touchdown passes following the forced fumble to give the Bobcats a 24-21 edge with less than eight minutes to play in regulation. However, a Wesley field goal with under five minutes remaining in the game tied things at 24 and the Wolverines converted a 35 yard game-winning field goal in overtime.
The Bobcats boast a potent offensive attack that has the ability to strike quickly or hold onto the football. Frostburg ranks second in the conference in total offense (421.8), third in rushing offense (179.8), second in passing offense (242.0) and second in scoring offense (32.6). The Bobcats have got it done in a variety of ways on offense this season, as the team ranks eighth in the nation in time of possession (34:58) while also recording 10 scoring drives of two minutes or less.
Junior QB Connor Cox facilitates a big-play offense that has scored seven touchdowns of 20+ yards this fall. Cox leads the NJAC in total offense (249.8) and passing yards/game (232.4), while he ranks second in passing yards (1,162) and second in passing touchdowns (10). Junior tailback Jamaal Morant leads the team with 391 rushing yards and senior wideout Russell Neverdon paces the team with 28 receptions and 407 receiving yards.
Defensively, the Bobcats are among the best in the NJAC, leading the league in rushing defense (54.8) and tackles for loss (8.8). Senior DL Niles Scott is fifth in NCAA DIII in tackles for loss (2.2) and sixth nationally in sacks (1.3). Senior DB Dante Chinnery, the reigning NJAC Defensive Player of the Week, is third on the team with 25 tackles while LBs Aaron Gibson and Graylin Walker have recorded 19 tackles each this fall.
In the Rankings
The Bobcat football team slipped in both polls this week following the overtime loss to Wesley last Saturday. Frostburg is ranked 18th in the week six version of the D3football.com Top 25 poll, while the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Week Four poll has the Bobcats slated at 19th.
Prior to the loss, the Bobcats spend four-straight weeks at 11th in the D3football.com poll and they had ascended to ninth in the AFCA poll last week.
Frostburg was 17th in the D3football.com preseason poll and the Bobcats were ranked 12th in the first AFCA poll that was released four weeks ago.
The Bobcats were also ranked 15th in the Street & Smith's Preseason Poll, 16th according to the Lindy's Poll and were tabbed 19th in the College Football Yearbook Preseason Poll.
FSU was picked to finish second in the NJAC and received two first-place votes.
Head Coach DeLane Fitzgerald
DeLane Fitzgerald is in his fourth season at the helm of the Frostburg State football program in 2017 and his impact has been immediate. The Bobcats finished 4-6 overall in '14, posted a 6-4 mark in 2015 and rolled to an impressive 10-1 overall mark a year ago. FSU capped the '16 season with nine-straight wins, a share of the NJAC Title, the 18th Annual Regents Cup trophy and the Asa S. Bushnell Bowl Game trophy.
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, the Bobcats posted some of the most impressive numbers last fall. The FSU defense finished ninth nationally in total defense after holding opponents to just 240.6 yards per game. The Bobcats also led the nation in tackles for loss per game (10.7), and allowed just 13 points per game, good for the sixth-best scoring defense in Division III.
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 following the '15 campaign (6). FSU finished the 2015 season ranked 11th in the country in punt returns (15.63) and 15th in kickoff return defense (14.95). Last season, the Bobcats finished first in the NJAC and 12th nationally in blocked kicks.
Through five games this fall, the Bobcats are seventh in DIII in rushing defense (54.8), eighth in blocked punts (2) and fourth in kickoff returns (29.64). The Bobcats are also tied with a handful of schools for the national lead in punt return defense (0.00).
Fitzgerald's Weekly Quotes
On the Wesley loss ...
"Our players showed up to meetings and practice on Sunday with a great attitude, and that mental set has carried us through the week. We are using last week as motivation going forward. Our entire football program knows that all of our goals are still in front of us. We must take the next five weeks one week at a time, and win each week!"
On William Paterson ...
"We are William Paterson's homecoming game on Saturday, the atmosphere for the game should be very good. I won't have to give a great pregame speech to get our players ready to play."
"William Paterson is running a triple option offense this fall led by QB #4 Mik Yarosz, RB #23 Kyle Fanning, RB #11 RB Kelvin White and WR #8 Tyler Vivian. We must be unselfish this week and play good assignment football, we must tackle our assignments."
"On defense William Paterson is running a 3-4 defense which is led by LB #21 Charles Faulkner, S #6 Tyler Gross and #7 Omar Mahmound. We must execute our game-plan on offense and play with focus and intensity for three hours on Saturday."
"It's a big week for all our special teams units, we expect our kickoff, kick return, punt, punt return, field goal, and field goal block units to all come out and play great Saturday!"
A Win Would ...
- Lift the Bobcats to 260-280-8 overall in 56 seasons
- Land Fitzgerald his 25th victory at the helm of Frostburg
- Hand the Bobcats their fourth-straight win over Paterson
- Be the fifth-straight win in the state of New Jersey
Speaking of the NJAC
Eight of the 10 NJAC schools are in action this weekend and all four games are on Saturday afternoon.
Saturday, October 14
Kean at Wesley - 1:00 pm
Frostburg at William Paterson - 1:00 pm
TCNJ at Rowan - 2:00 pm
Salisbury at Montclair State - 2:00 pm
Oh Captain, My Captain
A foursome of Frostburg players will serve as team captains for Saturday's matchup with WPU: senior offensive linemen Jake Townsend and Christian Walsh, senior defensive back Dante Chinnery and senior defensive tackle Niles Scott.
NJAC Preseason Poll
The NJAC released the 2017 Preseason Coaches Poll in early August and Frostburg State was picked to finish second in the 10-team league. The Bobcats received two first-place votes after being selected as the league's dark horse prior to both the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
Wesley was selected to finish a top the league standings after receiving eight first-place votes. Salisbury sits one spot behind Frostburg in third, followed by Rowan.
Kean, the 2017 dark horse selection, is projected fifth. Christopher Newport, Montclair State, Southern Virginia, William Paterson and TCNJ round out the poll, slotted at the six through ten spots.
Frostburg Football History
Frostburg is in its 57th year of collegiate football in 2017 and the Bobcats have an overall record of 259-280-8. The Bobcats appeared in the 1993 NCAA Playoffs and have played in eight ECAC Bowl Games. The Bobcats capped their 2016 campaign with a 10-1 overall record that included a lopsided 38-14 win over then 22nd-ranked St. John Fisher in the ECAC's Asa S. Bushnell Bowl Game.
The '17 season marks the third 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.
Double Feature
Over the first five weeks of the season, Frostburg has proven that it has three of the NJAC's best running backs in the same backfield. In wins over Stevenson and TCNJ, junior Grayson Boyce ran the ball 24 times for 159 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged 6.6 yards per carry in the two contests and was the NJAC Offensive Player of the Week after running for 122 yards and two TDs against TCNJ.
In wins over Christopher Newport and Rowan, junior Jamal Morant stepped up to rush for 197 yards and two touchdowns while adding four receptions for 85 yards. He was named the NJAC Offenisve Player of the Week following CNU as he totaled 191 yards in total offense and two scores.
In last Saturday's overtime loss to Wesley, sophomore Gavin Lavat averaged over 17 yards per carry after running for 155 yards on nine attempts. In the third quarter, he took a handoff at the Frostburg one and darted for 79 yards that kick started Frostburg's rally from a 21-10 deficit.
Preseason All-American
Bobcat senior defensive tackle Niles Scott has racked up the preseason awards heading into his final season in a Bobcat uniform. Scott received preseason All-American honors from D3football.com, HERO Sports, Street & Smith's and Lindy's Sports. He capped his junior campaign ranked 47th in the country in TFLs (1.6) and 49th in sacks (0.82).
Through five games this season, Scott is fifth in the nation in tackles for loss (2.2) and sixth in the country in sacks (1.30).
Scott currently leads the Bobcats with 27 total tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and a blocked kick.
On the Defensive
Over the last eight games dating back to last season, Frostburg has held its opponents to 393 rushing yards on 236 carries, a 1.66 yard per carry average. The Bobcats have held four of their last eight opponents to negative rushing yardage.
This fall, Frostburg has allowed 274 rushing yards and just one touchdown through five games.
