Frostburg (#5 D3football.com  /  #6 AFCA)	vs.	William Paterson

Bobcat Stadium  I  Saturday, Oct. 13
Frostburg, Md.  I  1:00 pm
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Frostburg Game Notes (PDF)
 

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Setting the Scene
The fifth-ranked Bobcats welcome William Paterson to Bobcat Stadium this afternoon for a 1:00 pm showdown. The matchup is the second home game of the fall season for the Bobcats and they carry an unblemished 4-0 record into the contest. The Pioneers, meanwhile, are 0-5 on the season and have lost their last 21 games.

The Bobcats are off to their second-straight 4-0 start after downing Stevenson (34-7), TCNJ (47-7) and Rowan (34-7) in their first three games. Last week, Frostburg ended an 11-game losing streak to No. 5/6 Wesley when FSU escaped from Delaware with a 35-34 win.

With a win over WPU, Frostburg will have its first 5-0 start since 1999 and the program's seventh unblemished record through five games.

FSU has won 12 of its last 13 games at home and holds a 5-1 record in the series with the Pioneers.

WPU enters the week without a win and has been held scoreless in each of its last two games. The Pioneers were picked to finish 10th in the NJAC Preseason Coaches' poll after finishing the 2017 campaign at 0-10 overall and 0-9 in the league.

William Paterson's last win came on Oct. 1 in 2016 and its current 21-game losing skid started with a 23-0 shutout at Bobcat Stadium the next Saturday on Oct. 8.

The Series
Today's matchup between Frostburg and William Paterson is the seventh between the two schools and the Bobcats lead the series 5-1.

Since joining the NJAC in 2015, Frostburg has dominated the three meetings, winning by an average of 31 points per game.

Frostburg's only loss to WPU came back in 1973 with a 24-18 setback, while in 1991, the Bobcats defeated the Pioneers 46-16 in Wayne, N.J. in an ECAC Bowl Game.

Scouting William Paterson
William Paterson (0-5, 0-4 NJAC) is under the direction of 1st year head coach Dustin Johnson, who is also the team's offensive coordinator. Johnson came to WPU after serving five years as Stevenson University's defensive coordinator, helping to lead Stevenson to a Mid-American Conference title in 2016.
 
WPU's 0-5 start has added to a losing streak of 21-straight games, dating back to October 8, 2016 when the Bobcats downed the Pioneers, 23-10. Last week, William Patterson was shutout by Kean, losing 16-0 at home and it was its second scoreless effort in as many games. WPU totaled 156 yards on offense, with only 18 yards coming on the rushing attack on 28 attempts.
 
Through five games, the Pioneers are averaging 189.4 yards per game in total offense. Their 22.8 yards rushing per game is ranked last in the nation.
 
William Patterson has mixed in two quarterbacks in all five of their games so far this season, junior Tracy Fudge, Jr. and classmate Cornelius Kinchen. Fudge, a transfer from Stevenson currently in his first season with the Pioneers, has passed for 523 yards and one touchdown, while Kinchen has thrown for 303 yards and a score.
 
Junior wide receiver RaeQuawn Bridgeman is leading WPU with 274 yards receiving while sophomore tight end William Frese has caught both of the Pioneers' touchdown passes. Bridgeman had six receptions for 95 yards in the Pioneers' season debut against FDU-Florham. Freshman running back Kobe Roberts leads the rushing attack with 106 total yards on the season.
 
Defensively, William Paterson is allowing 353.2 yards per game in offense, and are allowing an average of 30.8 points in its first five games of the season.
 
Scouting Frostburg
Frostburg enters the game at 4-0 after defeating fifth-ranked Wesley on the road last week, 35-34. The Bobcats are off to their second 4-0 start in two years and with a win against William Paterson, FSU would be 5-0 for the first time since 1999 and for the seventh time in the program's history.
 
Head coach DeLane Fitzgerald is currently in his fifth season at the helm for the Bobcats. He is the program's all-time winningest coach with 35 wins and he led the Bobcats to the NCAA Playoffs last fall.
 
In last week's victory over Wesley, Frostburg rallied from a 14-0 deficit in the second quarter and scored the game-winning touchdown with 2:43 left in the game. Senior running back Jamaal Morant led the charge for the Bobcat offense as he ran for a season-high 162 yards and scored the game-winner. Morant was named the NJAC Offensive Player of the Week for his effort in the victory. Morant now has three rushing touchdowns on the season to go along with 395 yards on 85 attempts.  
 
Senior quarterback Connor Cox has completed 51-of-80 passes for 847 yards and seven scores in his four games this fall. Cox has also been a threat to run the ball into the endzone, collecting four rushing touchdowns. Junior receiver Malik Morris is currently fourth in the nation in yards per reception (29.27) after hauling in 11 receptions for 322 yards and two touchdowns.
 
The Frostburg offense is currently second in the league in scoring (37.5) and third in total offense (421.5).
 
Defensively, the Bobcats are led by junior linebacker Wayne Palmer, who has 2.5 sacks and leads the team with 30 tackles. Sophomore defensive lineman Zach Strand leads the team with 6.5 tackles for losses, including three sacks.
 
FSU leads the conference in sacks per game (4.3) and turnovers gained (11).

Head Coach DeLane Fitzgerald
DeLane Fitzgerald is in his fifth season at the helm of Frostburg and has pushed the program to new heights in a short amount of time. He has guided the Bobcats to 35 wins in four years, including 10 wins in 2016 and 11 wins last fall. Fitzgerald has increased his win total in each of his four seasons after inheriting a 1-9 team.

In a week four win over Rowan,  Fitzgerald became the program's all-time winningest coach with 34 victories. He is the 13th head coach in the program's 58-year history.

Fitzgerald was one of 23 head football coaches hired in 2014 in Division III. Among those 23, he is third with 35 wins, but is the only coach in the group with two 10+ win seasons.

Thirty is a Magic Number
The Bobcats have scored over 30 points in all four of their games this season, and last seven games overall dating back to 2017. Under DeLane Fitzgerald, the Bobcats are 20-1 when scoring 30 or more, and it's the longest streak of scoring 30+ since FSU went over 30 in eight-straight weeks in 1990.

The Rankings
Frostburg moved up to sixth in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25 Poll after last week's 35-34 win over then #5/6 ranked Wesley. The Bobcats remained fifth in the D3football.com Week 5 Poll, the highest ranking in program history. FSU entered the season ranked eighth and have spent the last 23 weeks in the D3football.com poll.

Tough To Come By
In his four seasons at the helm, Fitzgerald has led the Bobcats to a 22-1 record when holding opponents to less than 100 yards rushing.

A Win Would ...
- Lift the Bobcats to 271-281-8 overall in 58 seasons
- Land Fitzgerald his 36th victory at the helm of Frostburg
- Be the 14th win in the last 16 home games
- Hand FSU it's fourth-straight win over William Paterson
- Land Frostburg a five-game winning streak
- Be the Bobcats' seventh 5-0 start in program history
- Be the first 5-0 start since 1999
- Be the 13th-straight win over a school from the state of New Jersey

First To Score
In its home opener, a 34-7 win over Rowan, Frostburg scored first on a 68-yard touchdown pass from Connor Cox to Malik Morris. The victory for Frostburg marked the 22nd-consecutive victory when scoring first. Under DeLane Fitzgerald, FSU is 29-3 overall when having the initial score.

Program History
Frostburg is in its 58th year of collegiate football in 2018 and the Bobcats have an overall record of 270-281-8. The Bobcats have made two appearances in the NCAA Playoffs (1993 & 2017) and have played in eight ECAC Bowl Games.

At Home
Frostburg has won 13 of its last 15 home games dating back to a 29-15 win over Kean during the 2015 season.

The Bobcats are currently riding a three-game winning streak at Bobcat Stadium and are outscoring their opponents by nearly 30 points during those three matchups.

Elite Company
In 2016 and 2017, the Bobcats posted back-to-back double-digit win seasons for the first time in program history. Only six other programs in Division III accomplished the same feat in the past two seasons (Mount Union, Mary Hardin-Baylor, UW-Oshkosh, St. Thomas, North Central and Wittenberg).

FSU is one of 12 teams to reach the national quarterfinals in the same timespan.

Most Wins in Division III in 2016 & 2017
# Team    Wins
1. Mary Hardin-Baylor    29
2. Mount Union    27
3. UW-Oshkosh    25
4. St. Thomas    23
T5. Frostburg State    21
T5. North Central (Ill.)    21

65 And Counting
Through four games in his senior season, Bobcat signal caller Connor Cox is currently eighth in Division III among active quarterbacks with 65 career touchdowns.

In the win over Rowan, Cox threw for 257 yards and became FSU's all-time leader in passing yards, surpassing Bobcat Hall of Famer Grant Burrough.

By Land and Air
Cox is one of 10 active quarterbacks in Division III who have thrown for  4,000 yards and run for 1,000 in their career. Of those 10 QBs, Cox is seventh in total yards amassing 7,779 total yards behind 6,671 passing and 1,108 rushing yards.

Mr. 2,000
On the final play of the first quarter in the win over Rowan, senior running back Jamaal Morant ran for 10 yards and eclipsed the 2,000 yard plateau for his career. He is the eighth Frostburg player to accomplish the feat and the first since Shanorm Young ran for 2,230 from 2005-07.

Big Play Threat
Bobcat junior receiver Malik Morris is fourth in the nation in yards per reception at 29.3. In the season opener, he hauled in a 92-yard pass in the first quarter, while in the win over Rowan, he scored the game's first touchdown with a 68-yard pitch-and-catch from senior Connor Cox.

Morris has caught 11 passes this season and six of those receptions have gone for at least 20 yards.

Pitch A Tent
The Frostburg defense has made a living in the backfield's of their opponents since the beginning of the 2016 season. During those 27 games, the Bobcats are averaging 9.4 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks per contest.

Comeback Cats
In Frostburg's 35-34 win at No. 6 Wesley, the Bobcats trailed 14-0 in the first quarter before rallying to victory. It's Frostburg's first comeback win of at least 14 points since overcoming a 14-0 deficit against Montclair State to win 17-14 in 2005. Two of the four Bobcat wins this season have come after trailing at the end of the first quarter, but the Bobcats have led after halftime and the third quarter in all four victories this season.

Ranked Wins
Frostburg's 35-34 win at No. 6 Wesley is the sixth ranked victory by the Bobcats under DeLane Fitzgerald. It's the third-consecutive season that the Bobcats have picked up a ranked win, and the third ranked win on the road in the last two years.