#16/17 Frostburg (8-1, 7-1 NJAC)  vs  Salisbury (7-2, 7-1 NJAC)

Sea Gull Stadium  I  19th Annual Regents Cup
Saturday, November 11  I  1:00 pm
Live Video  I  Live Stats
Directions to Salisbury

Frostburg Game Notes

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Setting the Scene
The 16th-ranked Frostburg State football team will wrap up the 2017 regular season with a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) road matchup against in-state foe Salisbury for the 19th Annual Regents Cup. Kickoff from Sea Gull Stadium is slated for 1 p.m.
 
Frostburg (8-1, 7-1) dropped two spots in this week's AFCA Top 25 Poll despite a four-game winning streak that included a hard-fought 17-14 Senior Day win over Kean last Saturday at Bobcat Stadium. The Bobcats, led by first-year quarterback T.J. Peer, scored on their first two possessions of the second half while the defense stifled the Cougar offense in the comeback effort.
 
Salisbury (7-2, 7-1) had a seven-game winning streak snapped on the road last week against No. 13 Wesley. The 30-20 defeat was the first loss in conference play for the Sea Gulls, who racked up over 350 rushing yards in the contest. The Sea Gulls had 156 rushing yards from their superbacks in the option-style attack while linebacker Tom Montag posted a team-high 12 tackles.
 
Always a heated rivalry, Frostburg claimed a thrilling 21-17 victory over the Sea Gulls last season at Bobcat Stadium. Frostburg scored with just over a minute left in the game to secure its eighth-straight win at the time.  
 
The game will be broadcast live, courtesy of Salisbury athletics. You can follow all the action by logging onto suseagulls.com.

The Series
Saturday's matchup between Frostburg and Salisbury is the 45th between the two schools and serves as the 19th Annual Regents Cup. The longest series against any one opponent in Frostburg history, the Bobcats and Sea Gulls have met every season since 1973 and SU leads the all-time series 28-16.

Last season, Frostburg snapped a 12-game losing skid to the Sea Gulls with a 21-17 win at Bobcat Stadium.

Prior to SU's 12-game winning streak, Frostburg captured 13 wins in 15 games in the series between 1989 and 2003.

The last 18 meetings have had a little more incentive with the advent of the Regents Cup Game.

The Regents Cup is held the last Saturday of the regular season and members of the USM Board of Regents present the winning coach and team captains with the trophy. Frostburg and Salisbury are Maryland's only public, football playing schools at the NCAA III level.


Scouting Salisbury
Salisbury (7-2, 7-1) suffered its first loss in NJAC play last week after collecting seven-straight wins to open league play. The seven-consecutive wins propelled the Sea Gulls into the D3football.com Top 25 Poll and carried them into a tie for first place in the league standings.

Last Saturday, SU suffered a 30-20 setback to No. 13 ranked Wesley as both teams put up over 400 yards in offense. The Wolverines rallied from a halftime deficit and shutout the Gulls in the second half for the win.

Behind its multiple option offense, Salisbury is consistently one of the nation's top rushing attacks as it currently ranks ninth in the country behind a 295.4 yard per game average. SU has rushed for over 300 yards in four games this fall, including 390 in mid-October against Montclair State.

Defensively, Salisbury is third in the NJAC and 14th in the nation in total defense as it limits opponents to 256.7 yards per game. SU also holds opponents to just 95.1 yards on the ground.

Twelve different players have scored a rushing touchdown on the season for Salisbury. Senior quarterback Brandon Lewis leads the way with nine rushing touchdowns and six passing touchdowns. He has accounted for 1,154 yards in offense. Senior super back Malique Pratt leads the team in rushing with 627 yards on 93 carries to go along with six touchdowns.

While the Gulls have attempted just 79 passes all season, junior wideout Sean Rowland leads the team with 12 catches for 142 yards and one score.

Junior Tom Montag paces the Sea Gull defense with 61 total tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss with one and a half sacks. Sophomore linebacker Patrick Bernardo and senior defensive back Dakarai Ellis are second and third respectively, with 52 and 45 tackles.

Salisbury enters the matchup with Frostburg having won all four home games this season.

Scouting Frostburg
The Bobcats wrap up their 2017 regular season Saturday and enter the long-standing rivalry game winners of four-straight games following a 17-14 victory over Kean last Saturday at Bobcat Stadium. Frostburg is ranked 16th in this week's D3football.com Top 25 Poll and 17th in the AFCA Coaches Poll. Fourth-year head coach DeLane Fitzgerald enters the conference matchup with a 28-12 (.700) career record as the coach of the Bobcats, including an 18-2 (.900) mark since 2016.
 
Frostburg battled back in its victory over Kean with a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter and have outscored opponents 173-27 over the last four games. First-year quarterback T.J. Peer, the reigning NJAC Offensive Rookie of the Week, made his first career start and finished with 216 passing yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore defensive back Vincent Presichetti had a team-high seven tackles in the win.
 
Junior wide receiver Sergio Andino leads the conference with nine touchdown receptions this season and has become on of the most potent offensive threats on the team. Junior running back Jamaal Morant leads the team with 602 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.  
 
Defensively, senior defensive lineman Niles Scott is second in the league in sacks (9.0) and ranks fourth in the league in tackles for loss with 14.5. Junior defensive back Josh Scales leads the team in tackles (50) and fumble recoveries (2).
 
The Bobcats lead the conference in scoring offense (37.3), first downs (21.9), third down conversions (48.1%), time of possession (34:01) and rushing defense (57.3).

Pulling Rank
Frostburg is ranked inside the top 20 in both major weekly polls that were released Monday. Despite rallying past Kean, the Bobcats slipped two spots to 16th in the D3football.com Top 25 poll and they remain at 17th in the AFCA Coaches Poll.

Frostburg pushed its overall record to 8-1 and collected its fourth-consecutive win thanks to a two touchdown rally in the second half against Kean.

Last week, Frostburg was ranked 14th in the D3football.com poll, ahead of both Case Western Reserve and Washington & Jefferson. However, this week both teams remain perfect at 9-0 and both moved ahead of the Bobcats.
 
FSU held strong at 17th in the AFCA, one spot behind Case Western and remained in front of Concordia-Moorhead.

The NCAA released the second and final regional rankings of the 2017 season on Wednesday and the Bobcats remained fifth, one spot behind Wesley. The NCAA Regional Rankings are used to determine selections and seedings for the NCAA Division III National Championships that will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 12.
 
The Bobcats were ranked 17th in the D3football.com preseason poll and they have spent the entire season ranked inside the top 20.

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 nine games this fall, the Bobcats are sixth in DIII in rushing defense (57.3), seventh in blocked punts (3) and fourth in kickoff returns (27.73). The Bobcats are also fourth in the nation in team tackles for loss (9.6), sixth in rushing defense (57.3), 11th in  sacks (3.44), ninth in total defense (229.2).

Fitzgerald's Weekly Quotes
"Frostburg football vs. Salisbury is the biggest sporting event in the state of Maryland this week. We are playing for a spot in the NCAA Playoffs. I haven't given many motivational speeches this week as our players understand exactly what we are playing for!"

"The Regents Cup has been a close game the last three years and I expect it to be close/competitive again on Saturday. It's two very good football teams playing for a trophy. Our football program has had a great week of preparation, the guys are focused on the task at hand."

"Offensively, Salisbury runs a slow huddle triple option attack led by #15 quarterback Brandon Lewis, #22 fullback Malique Pratt, and #3 slot Brandon Kolb. Lewis, Pratt and Kolb can all beat us if we don't tackle them. We must tackle our assignment on defense every single play!"

"Defensively, the Sea Gulls run a 3-4 Okie defense led by defensive back #1 Shane Gaines, linebacker #40 Zach Wolfrey and nose guard #58 Brandon Robeson. Salisbury's front seven are as good as anyone in the conference. We have to play well up front to move the football on them."

A Win Would...
- Lift the Bobcats to 264-280-8 overall in 56 seasons
- Land Fitzgerald his 29th victory at the helm of Frostburg
- Be the second-consecutive win over Salisbury
- Mark the first time the Bobcats have defeated the Sea Gulls in back-to-back years since 2002 and 2003
- Be the eighth-straight win away from Bobcat Stadium
- Be Frostburg's seventh nine-win season in program history
- Hand Salisbury its first loss at home this season

Speaking of the NJAC
All 10 NJAC schools are in action this weekend and four of the five games are on Saturday.

Friday, November 10
Southern Virginia at TCNJ - 5:00 pm
Saturday, November 11

Christopher Newport at Wesley - Noon
Frostburg at Salisbury - 1:00 pm
Rowan at Kean - 1:00 pm
William Paterson at Montclair State - 1:00 pm

Oh Captain, My Captain
A foursome of Frostburg players will serve as team captains for Saturday's matchup with Salisbury: 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 263-280-8. 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.

Spreading the Wealth
Frostburg enters Saturday's contest with the Gulls as the NJAC leader in scoring as it averages 37.3 points per contest and is on pace to set the program record in points in a season.

The Bobcats have scored over 40 points in three games this season, the first team to do so since 1994.

Six different players have scored a rushing touchdown for Frostburg this fall and eight players have hauled in a scoring pass. First-year punt returner Chad Gleason returned a punt 77 yards for a score against TCNJ, first-year linebacker Zach Strand returned a fumble 75 yards for a score against Montclair and senior Jordan Proctor pounced on a loose ball in the end zone for a score in the season opener against Stevenson.

On offense, junior Connor Cox has thrown 20 touchdowns and his favorite traget is classmate Sergio Andino. The tandem has connected on seven touchdowns in a four-game stretch earlier this season. Andino currently leads the NJAC and is 44th in DIII with nine touchdown receptions.

On the ground, junior Jamaal Morant has rushed for a team-high seven touchdowns, while classmate Grayson Boyce has found the end zone six times.

Third Down Success
The Bobcats have had plenty of success on third down this season on both sides of the ball.

Offensively, the Bobcats lead the NJAC and rank 23rd in the nation in third down conversions at 48.1%, converting 63 of 131 attempts. On defense, Frostburg is allowing opponents to convert just 20.2% (22-109) of their third downs, a mark that leads the NJAC and ranks second in the nation.

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 eight games this season, Scott is 20th in the nation in sacks (1.00) and 35th in DIII in tackles for loss (1.6).

Scott is second on the roster with 41 total tackles to go along with 14.5 TFL's, 9.0 sacks and a blocked kick.

On the Defensive
Through eight games this season, Frostburg has held its opponents to 516 rushing yards on 258 carries, a 2.0 yard per carry average. The Bobcats lead the conference in rushing defense, holding three opponents to negative yardage this fall while allowing just one rushing touchdown on 258 rushing attempts. Aside from Wesley rushing for 195 yards and Southern Virginia's 151 rushing yards, the Bobcats have held the other six opponents to under 100 yards per game.