FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Football team made a statement win on Homecoming Weekend, holding one of the MEC's top offenses in check during their 33-7 victory over Concord.
 
Both teams were enjoying strong starts to their seasons in differing ways, as FSU entered ranked No. 23 in the AFCA poll following their 4-0 start with the league's best offense and defense in terms of points for and against per game. CU, despite their 2-2 record, held the league's best passing offense with quarterback Tyler Mizzell fifth in the country at 1,444 passing yards, while his favorite target, Dom Collins, ranked third in Division II with 554 receiving yards.
 
The Mountain Lions won the opening toss and elected to receive to set up their offense. Mizzell immediately opened the game with a 25-yard strike to Collins to get up to midfield. A false start put the visitors back to start the next set of downs, as the Bobcat defense stepped up their game. Junior Will Burns broke up a pass on first down, then after a six-yard run, redshirt sophomore Carter Mazalewski broke into the backfield to pressure Mizzell into a throwaway and force a punt.
 
In their first chance with the ball, Frostburg struggled to get going with a three-and-out, as redshirt sophomore Sam Dominguez punted 44 yards downfield. On a 2^nd-and-9 for CU, senior Wylan Harich came screaming into the backfield on a safety blitz, burying Mizzell for a 13-yard sack. On the very next play, Mizzell tried to find Keyon Concepcion over the middle, but Harich ripped the ball out of his hands for an interception, setting FSU up with great field position.
 
Redshirt sophomore Jordan Brooks looked for a big play to classmate Tra'Shaun Timmons down the right side, as he was dragged down from behind to draw a pass interference call. After gaining just three yards in three plays, head coach Eric Wagoner rolled the dice on a 4^th-and-7 from the Concord 38 and was rewarded as Timmons caught a crossing route from Brooks and scampered down to the 11. Back-to-back carries resulted in zero net yards, then on third down, Brooks floated a ball off his back foot that redshirt sophomore Cruiz Paul-Umstead was able to dive for and catch before it hit the ground for the game's first score. The resulting point-after was knocked through by redshirt sophomore Harrison Fritz for a 7-0 advantage.
 
Frostburg's defense continued to hold strong, as the Mountain Lions' biggest play on their next possession came by way of a pass interference, with senior CT Taylor forcing Mizzell to throw early and junior Tristin Forby breaking up a third down pass for another punt. Backed deep into their own territory, FSU got some breathing room on a pair of carries from redshirt junior Owen Doyle, then Brooks fired over the middle for Timmons on a 23-yard gain to end the first quarter.
 
Chewing up plenty of game clock, the Bobcats slowly but surely marched their way up the field, as redshirt sophomore KJ Smothers and senior JeVonn Gilyard converted a pair of third downs. After Frostburg drove down to the CU 10, they were forced to 4^th-and-6 and elected to go for a field goal. Fritz stepped up and was true from 27 yards out for FSU's first made kick of the year and a 10-0 lead.
 
Concord continued their offensive struggles and didn't help themselves out with a pair of penalties on their next drive. Mazalewski turned into a wrecking ball, combining with redshirt sophomore William King on a three-yard tackle for loss before sacking Mizzell himself all they way back to the five-yard line for another three-and-out. Doyle sparked a 14-yard run on the first play, followed by another defensive pass interference call, but the drive was then halted from the Mountain Lion 15. Facing another fourth down, Fritz lined up for another field goal, but on a trick play his pass to redshirt sophomore Max Heineman gained just one yard for a turnover on downs.
 
Taylor helped ensure that CU would have no easy tasks on offense, hurrying Mizzell once again for an inaccurate third down throw and another punt. Smothers toted the rock for 12 yards on the first play, while Gilyard went for 17 after being found by Brooks to get up to the Bobcat 48. A holding call got FSU into Concord territory, then junior Amari Hutson made a fantastic diving catch at the one-yard line, touching the ground just before getting into the endzone. Frostburg didn't have to wait long, however, as Smothers punched in to move ahead 17-0.
 
Starting their drive at their own 23, the Mountain Lions were able to march up to the 46-yard line on three Mizzell completions, but on 3^rd-and-6, he was forced to scramble as sophomore Amari Johnson brought him down at the line of scrimmage for a fourth down with 17 seconds left following an FSU timeout. Stopping the clock proved to be the right call, as Frostburg dialed up the pressure on the resulting punt, with redshirt freshman Elijah Anderson getting a hand on the ball for a block that rolled out of bounds at the Concord 47. With just 11 seconds to work with, Brooks dotted a quick sideline pass to sophomore Ray Adames that gained 24 yards and left six seconds on the clock. Fritz was sent out to try a 40-yarder, which he was able to sneak just over the bar for a 20-0 halftime score.
 
FSU's first half momentum was swiftly halted right from the second half kick-off, as a misplay and awkward bounce allowed the Mountain Lions to recover the ball at their own one-yard line. With just one play, Robert Shockey muscled his way in to put Concord on the board 20-7. It appeared that the visitors would be able to continue to get back into the game, as Frostburg muffed the resulting kick-off, but Forby was able to recover the ball at the CU 35.
 
After a Mountain Lion defender went offside to start the drive, the Bobcats went backwards two yards before Brooks was picked off in the endzone by Corey Radcliff, who came out eight yards to set up his offense. FSU's defense looked to have answered the call, forcing another incompletion on 3^rd-and-4, but they then jumped offside before the punt was kicked to keep the ball with Concord. The drive didn't last much longer, however, as senior Marquise Allsup put a hammer hit on Concepcion that broke up a would-be first down, then Taylor again got into the backfield to force a Mizzell throwaway. Junior Landon Alexander took advantage of the resulting kick, taking the ball back from the 50 all the way to the CU 16.
 
Smothers and the Bobcat offensive line muscled their way through four carries and all 16 yards before breaking through the endzone with a 27-7 advantage. A false start quickly put Concord back five yards, then on a miscommunicated snap, senior Rainer Halveland ran through unblocked to make an eight-yard tackle for loss. The Mountain Lions were gifted possession back, however, as another special teams miscue resulted in a dropped return and Brodee Rice recovering the ball at the Frostburg 34. Penalties continued to plague the visitors, however, with another pair of false starts preventing them from getting any momentum, with Allsup getting another PBU followed by an incompletion on 4^th-and-13.
 
Brooks was three-for-three on his first trio of throws on the next drive, with completions of nine, five, and nine again to Timmons, graduate Luke Bless, and Adames in that order. This time it would be FSU penalties that held the offense up, forcing Dominguez to punt and bounce the ball in for a touchback. The Mountain Lions put together one of their better-looking drives, helped out by a 29-yard run on first down, followed by a two-yard 4^th-and-1 rush to keep them going at the end of the third quarter.
 
Concord was able to get down to the Bobcat 30, but Taylor came through alongside junior Daquan Stevenson on a two-yard TFL before a delay of game effectively ended the drive at 3^rd-and-17, as a seven-yard pass was followed by an incomplete one for another turnover on downs. Doyle and Smothers rampaged their way downfield, combining for eight carries and 70 yards, punctuated as the former sprinted around the right side for 15 and a score, though a blocked extra point kept things at 33-7.
 
CU put another strong drive together in getting the ball back, as Mizzell sprinted 15 yards on a 4^th-and-9 before Maurice Jones went for 23 on 4^th-and-3 to get into the redzone. After getting seven yards on three plays, the Mountain Lions went for it on another 4^th-and-3, as any plans they had for another score were ended by Mazalewski, dropping Jones for a three-yard loss. Getting the ball back inside three minutes to go, Doyle converted a 3^rd-and-2 that allowed Frostburg to run the clock down on a kneel and take the 26-point win.
 
Smothers and Doyle combined for 175 yards on 38 carries and a combined three touchdowns, while Brooks finished 14-for-23 for 187 yards and the TD pass to Paul-Umstead. Mazalewski drove the defensive effort with a team-high 10 tackles, including 2.5 for loss, a sack, and a pair of QB hurries on the day. Combined, the Bobcat defense held Mizzell to just 10-of-33 passing for a season-low 86 yards and no touchdowns.
 
With the win, Frostburg improves to 5-0 on the year, while Concord drops to 2-3. FSU remains at home as they next face Glenville State in Bobcat Stadium on Saturday, October 11 at 1 p.m. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.