FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State football team picked up a Homecoming win over Charleston by a 32-22 final on Saturday afternoon.
UC won the toss and deferred to the second half, where FSU started with the ball but went three-and-out after a pair of incompletions. The Bobcats got the ball right back, however, as a play later, the Golden Eagles fumbled the ball and junior Kurt Thomas recovered at the 34-yard line. On the first play off the turnover, junior quarterback Peyton Murphy hit graduate JeVonn Gilyard for a 34-yard touchdown down the left side for a 7-0 lead. Charleston responded with a six-minute drive using the ground game on their way down the field before Matt Frye found Devin Hobbs on a slant route from four yards out for a score. The Frostburg defense stepped up, however, with UC going for two but failing to get into the end zone for a 7-6 score.
Both sides had three-and-outs on their next possessions, then with the Bobcats looking to extend the lead, a fumble gave possession to the Golden Eagles on their offensive side of the field. After a quick 12-yard catch, the drive stalled, as senior Daquan Stevenson ran down Frye for an 8-yard sack. Stuck in no-mans land, UC decided to go for it on 4th-and-15, with the pass attempt falling incomplete to end the first quarter with Frostburg in possession.
After another punt from senior Sam Dominguez, the Golden Eagles again ran the ball downfield, though FSU's defense locked down inside the red zone. Sophomore Jason Adams broke up a 3rd-and-5 pass destined for a touchdown, forcing Charleston to settle for a 27-yard field goal for their first lead of the game, going up 9-7. On the resulting drive, Murphy found sophomore Caleb Barnes for 10 yards and junior KJ Smothers on a screen for another 17. On a 3rd-and-4 just outside the red zone, Murphy was hit late off an incompletion, with a roughing the passer call keeping the drive going. Two plays later, Murphy capped the 10-play drive with his second touchdown pass, this time to Barnes on a crossing route from 15 yards out, with a two-point attempt failing for a 13-9 score.
The Golden Eagles couldn't get anything going on their possession, as senior Zion Bryson came screaming through the middle of the line to sack Frye on second down, eventually leading to a punt. FSU's drive didn't last too long, as on the first play a fumble was recovered by Charleston in great field position on the Bobcat 20. With two minutes to work with, UC was able to convert a 3rd-and-5 and get down to the 4-yard line looking for some momentum, however sophomore Gavin Kendrick and junior Amari Johnson made a combined tackle for loss on the next play. Seeking to get into the end zone, Frye followed a blocker to the two-yard line before getting hit by graduate Kamari Ramsey, as Stevenson fell on it and ended the threat, as FSU went into the half still leading 13-9.
Charleston was set to receive the third quarter kick-off, however after a high kick from sophomore Tyler Cook, no visiting player went to catch the ball, as it was recovered by the Bobcats. The drive wouldn't last too long, however, as Frostburg turned the ball over on downs after a failed fake field goal. With some energy on the defensive stop, UC took four minutes off the clock in running their way into FSU territory, with Jamal Wallace barreling through a couple defenders on a 30-yard score to go ahead 16-13.
It appeared that the Bobcats would continue to get in their own way, with a holding call on first down putting them back to their own 15-yard line. After a 5-yard Smothers run, Murphy found a wide open Barnes 40 yards down the field, as he took the ball a further 38 yards and was just tripped up two yards from the goal line. With some complicated efforts, including a Golden Eagle penalty that kept possession with Frostburg after a failed third down, Murphy finally found junior Tra'Shaun Timmons in the back right corner from four yards away, with a missed extra point taking things to 19-16. Ramsey helped end Charleston's next drive with a pass breakup on third down, as Murphy had a couple of clutch third down throws on the next possession, finding Barnes on both occasions for 24 and 15 yards as the quarter came to a close.Â
Unable to convert a 3rd-and-11, the fourth quarter began with a punt from Dominguez, with a muff nearly giving Frostburg possession and pinning the Golden Eagles at their own two-yard line. The Golden Eagles couldn't generate much outside of a 10-yard pass, as Kendrick nearly got an interception and Bryson hurried Frye into a bad throw to force a punt. Senior Daysen Shell then gave Frostburg a 40-yard return to set up excellent field position at the UC 14. The Bobcats stayed on the ground on the short drive, as Murphy had a clutch scramble on 4th-and-11, running over a pair of defenders to get down to the 3-yard line. Smothers took the ball on two occasions, punching in from a yard out before Cook's extra point made it 26-16.
Searching for a quick response and a chance to cut to a single-digit deficit, Charleston was given a pass interference call to help move down the field, however on the next play, Adams deflected a pass that senior Tristin Forby reacted to quickly enough for a diving interception. A pair of penalties kept FSU from getting a shot to extend the lead, as Dominguez pinned UC back to their 12-yard line. After a pair of incompletions, junior Carter Mazalewski ran Frye down out of bounds to keep them from advancing much.
Smothers took the first carry 13 yards into the Golden Eagle red zone, however the drive stalled from there, as Murphy thought he had Gilyard for another touchdown on fourth down but it was ruled incomplete. Frostburg's defense continued to stymie the Charleston offense, as an incompletion on third down was followed by Kendrick getting to Frye on a scramble for a sack and turnover on downs. With two runs and a UC penalty, Smothers put the game out of reach with another touchdown from eight yards out to make it 32-16 with just over two minutes to play.
Needing a quick score, two-point conversion, and onside kick, Frye led his team down the field with some chunk throws, as he found Kaden Hornesby down to the 1-yard line, with Jaylen Butera getting in with 57 seconds left. On the two-point attempt, senior Rainer Halveland blew up the designed play with a sack, keeping the lead at 10 points. As the Golden Eagles tried to get a kind bounce on the onside kick, Timmons made sure he had safe hands to secure a fair catch and effectively close things out. Smothers ensured the victory with a couple runs generating a first down, as the clock hit zeroes on the 32-22 final.Â
Murphy finished 14-of-28 for 216 yards and three touchdowns, as Barnes accounted for 118 of those yards on four catches and a score. Smothers drove the ground game with 69 yards and a pair of scores, while Mazalewski led the defensive effort with 10 tackles and a sack. Dominguez helped FSU flip the field all day, as he had five punts averaging 45 yards per kick, pinning three of them inside the 20-yard line.Â
With the win, the Bobcats improve to 4-3 overall, while Charleston drops to 3-4. Frostburg will be back at home next Saturday, October 24 to face Wheeling at a 3 p.m. start. For more information, visit frostburgsports.com.
