FAIRMONT, W. Va. – The Frostburg State football team defeated Fairmont State on the road by a score of 49-14 on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Bobcats didn't get off to the start they had scripted, as the Fighting Falcons struck early with a touchdown on the second play of the game. The 73-yard pass up the sideline, with a strong run after the catch gave Fairmont the lead. The Bobcats came out with good field position after a squib kick was used to avoid dangerous kick returner, graduate Zae Giles. The first possession of the game for Frostburg was a three and out ending in an interception from redshirt freshman Graham Walker. The Bobcat defense came out and forced Fairmont to a punt that went into the endzone. Frostburg came out with a different look on their second possession, marching down the field for an 11-play, 80-yard scoring drive. The Bobcats' touchdown came from senior Gavin Lavat on a run from six yards out. Sophomore Dayne Koontz added the extra point and then had a great kick-off, giving Fairmont a short return. The defense again forced a three and out, getting the ball around midfield. Fueled by strong runs from Lavat, the Bobcats moved down the field quickly and punched the ball in on a QB sneak from Walker. The first quarter ended with the Bobcats up 14-7.
 
After losing their early lead, Fairmont had a drive going to start the second quarter. The drive fizzled out when the Bobcat defense had two great plays to force the Falcons to punt. First, sophomore Billie Walker made a shoestring tackle on a scrambling QB to prevent a long run. That was followed up by a nice pass breakup from senior corner Stacey Watts, his third of the game.  The Frostburg offense again started on the 20-yard line after a punt through the end zone. Senior Malcolm Facey ripped off a 22-yard run to put the Bobcats into Fairmont territory. The drive stalled after a broken-up attempt for senor Lincoln Ikwubuo that would have produced a first down. The second quarter then saw punts exchanged by the teams until the Frostburg defense got a takeaway. Redshirt freshman Takai Davis made a great play on the ball and returned it down to the Fairmont five yard line. Lavat was able to score on the following play to extend the lead to 14 points. Both teams flirted with the idea of a late half drive, with neither team able to put it together. Frostburg went into the half with a 21-7 lead.
 
The second half of the game started off with another quick score. This one came from Lavat on a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage. The Bobcat defense came to life following the touchdown, collecting three sacks on the drive and two in a row to force a Fairmont punt, however the defense got a short rest with Walker throwing an interception to Geo-di Tolbert. The Fighting Falcons capitalized on the takeaway with 22-yard touchdown catch from Javon Hayes, making the score 28-14. With the lead cut to 14, the Bobcats went back to the ground, racking up 53 yards on the ground on their way to the fourth touchdown of the game from Lavat. Coming off a game where he had six sacks, senior Carl Igweh came up with his first on the day, pushing Fairmont back 13 yards and forcing a punt. The third quarter ended with the score 34-14 Bobcats.
 
Junior Luke Freeman collected another sack to start the fourth quarter, getting the ball back in the hands of the offense. Senior Malik Morris had a 19-yard catch and run to open the drive, followed by big plays from Facey and graduate Kyle Belack. The drive was capped off by Lavat's fifth touchdown of day, tying a school and conference record. The score was made 41-14 as Koontz stayed perfect on the day. The Bobcats tacked on another score when redshirt freshman Isaiah Lester found Ikwubuo, who was able to find the endzone. The game finished with Frostburg winning 49-14.
 
The Bobcats were led on offense by Lavat, as he racked up 191 yards on 19 carries and five touchdowns. Defensively, it was a group effort keeping Fairmont under 200 yards of offense and forcing them to negative 13 yards rushing on the day.
 
 
With the win, Frostburg improves to 7-1 on the year, while Fairmont falls to 3-5. The Bobcats return to action next Saturday, October 23, when they travel to Alderson Broaddus for a 1 PM kickoff. For more information visit frostburgsports.com.