Frostburg State University Athletics

FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Football team fell 22-21 after a late Delta State comeback at home on Saturday afternoon.
 
FSU won the opening coin toss and elected to receive, where junior Peyton Murphy found senior Austin Paul-Umstead for a first down, then classmate JeVonn Gilyard went for another seven yards. Sophomore Brett Patterson then took an 11-yard carry before junior Tra'Shaun Timmons caught a touch pass and scampered 28 yards down the left sideline to get into DSU territory. After an unsportsmanlike conduct got the Bobcats into 1^st-and-goal, Patterson toted the ball twice for six yards and found pay dirt, with sophomore Tyler Cook knocking through the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
 
On their first possession, the Statesmen got a first down via a pass interference before converting a 3^rd-and-9 to get into Frostburg territory. On a slant route, BJ Johnson then had a catch-and-run go for 34 yards down to the Bobcat 22. Graduate Kamari Ramsey came up with a big tackle for loss on first down, then classmate Rainer Halveland brought quarterback Emile Picarella down on third down, forcing a field goal off the boot of Price Nixon from 34 yards out.
 
Both teams had three-and-outs on their next possessions, with FSU being pinned down on their own 5-yard line from a Delta State punt. A personal foul helped give them some breathing space, then Patterson had carries of 9 and 17 yards as the first quarter came to a close driving into Statesmen territory. After a third down pass was broken up to make a 4^th-and-10, the Bobcats lined up to punt but a penalty put them five yards forward, then on a trick play, sophomore Rodrigo Delgado broke out of the formation for 24 yards to keep the drive moving. After Patterson took three carries for 10 yards, Murphy found sophomore Caleb Barnes wide open in the back right corner of the end zone to go up 14-3.
 
Looking to respond, DSU converted a 3^rd-and-3 with a 10-yard run, then Picarella found Troy Griffin over the middle for another 18 yards into Frostburg territory. The Statesmen thought they had a momentum-shifting play with a 38-yard strike down the left side, however a holding call brought the would-be touchdown back. Not to be discouraged, Picarella connected with Johnson one play later for 25 yards, getting down to the Bobcat 23. Following a six-yard carry, an incompletion was followed by junior Kurt Thomas breaking up a pass to force another field goal, as this time Nixon pushed it wide.
 
FSU couldn't get anything going on offense in their next drive, as Picarella began to move Delta State down the field on theirs. He first found Lawrence Armstrong for 14 yards to convert a 3^rd-and-10, later also finding him for 11 yards before taking the ball himself for 12. Qualon Farrar threatened to break through on a 23-yard carry but was brought down by sophomore Keegan Thorne, as the Statesmen advanced just two more yards, thanks to a third down PBU from sophomore Jason Adams. Lining up from 29 yards, Nixon knocked through his second FG of the day to get within 14-6. Hoping to get another score in before the half, Murphy found Timmons twice for 30 combined yards, driving into Delta State's side of the field. The last-minute drive came to a sudden halt with Jordan Bradley coming up with an interception for the visitors, as a late hail mary was knocked down by sophomore Mason Sessoms to keep the lead at eight going to the break.
 
The Statesmen received the ball to begin the third quarter, where they converted an early third down and nearly had a chunk play of 47 yards but a holding call brought it back. After gaining nine yards on a pair of rushes, a bad snap put Picarella in a bad place, where junior Carter Mazalewski brought him down in the backfield to force a punt. Senior Daysen Shell went back to return and caught the ball at the 43, dashing to his left and getting the edge to eventually take it all the way to the house and put Frostburg up 21-6.
 
In just three minutes, Picarella got DSU down the field with their next possession, going to Griffin for 12 yards and Omareon Finch for 8 before eventually finding Armstrong down the left side from 34 yards out and pull back within 21-13. FSU couldn't get much going in their next drive outside of a Patterson third down conversion, punting the ball back to Delta State. With momentum on their side, Nick Clark took the ball twice for 23 yards, while Picarella connected with Griffin for 28 on 3^rd-and-12. The Bobcats thought they halted things with Picarella forced to throw the ball away on 3^rd-and-8, but a defensive holding penalty gave the visitors a fresh set of downs going into the fourth.
 
After a three-yard run and an incompletion brought up third down, Picarella stayed focused once again, finding Griffin from 16 yards out, with DSU going for a two-point conversion in hopes of tying things up. Frostburg's defense was able to hold down, making a tackle in the backfield to keep a 21-19 advantage. Patterson was a workhorse on FSU's next possession, carrying six times for 31 yards in getting deeper into Statesmen territory. Things quickly turned, however, as Murphy was picked off again by Bradley in the end zone, giving the ball back to the visitors.
 
A roughing the passer call helped Delta State move further up-field, however on 3^rd-and-6, Adams had another big pass break-up to force a punt and keep them off the board. The Bobcats weren't able to run much time off the clock with a three-and-out, as their punt went out of bounds at the 43, giving DSU three minutes to work with. On 3^rd-and-11, Picarella had just enough time to find Finch for 35 yards and get all the way down to the Frostburg 9-yard line. A pair of runs forced FSU to use their last two timeouts, as sophomore Gavin Kendrick then made a tackle to prevent a touchdown, bringing Nixon out to hit from 23 and give the Statesmen their first lead at 22-21. With just 55 seconds to work with and no timeouts, the Bobcats couldn't move the ball with the speed they needed, as on a last-second play, a lateral was fumbled and recovered by the visitors to seal their one-point comeback win.
 
Patterson led the offense with 23 carries for a career-high 115 yards, as Halveland drove the defensive effort with seven tackles and half a sack.
 
With the loss, Frostburg drops to 4-5 on the year, while Delta State improves to 5-3. FSU will next hit the road to face West Virginia State on Saturday, November 7 at 12 p.m. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.