FROSTBURG, MD – Frostburg State University erased a fourth-quarter deficit en route to a 24-14 triumph over the Rowan University football team in a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) game on Saturday.
The Profs are 5-3 overall and 4-3 in the conference. The Bobcats improve to 7-1 and remain in a tie for first place with a 6-1 NJAC mark.
Quarterback Connor Cox (so. Davidson, MD/South River) led Frostburg State with 124 yards and one touchdown through the air while adding 61 yards and a score on the ground. Running back Jamaal Morant (so. Baltimore, MD/Milford Mill) rushed 33 times for 145 yards. Wide receiver Russell Neverdon (jr. Baltimore, MD/Calvert Hall) caught four passes for 111 yards and one touchdown.
Linebacker Dre'Quan Reed (jr. Columbia, MD/Hammond) sparked the Bobcat defense with nine tackles and two interceptions. Defensive back Matt Capozza (sr. Spotsylvania, VA/Riverbend) added eight tackles. Linebacker Lyle Fugate (sr. Marriottsville, MD/Marriotts Ridge) and defensive lineman Niles Scott (jr. Elkton, MD/Elkton) tallied seven stops apiece.
Rowan running back Anthony Diorio (so. Medford, NJ/Shawnee) had 11 carries for 52 yards and a touchdown. Running back Gawain Bragg (jr. Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Twp.) added 43 yards on 12 attempts. Quarterback Dante Pinckney (jr. Lawnside, NJ/Haddon Heights) was 10-of-23 passing for 110 yards and ran in for a score. Wide receiver Zac Frantz (sr. Moorestown, NJ/Moorestown) made three receptions for 42 yards while wideout Dashown Waller (jr. Somers Point, NJ/Mainland Reg.) caught four passes for 36 yards.
Linebacker Jeff Rodriguez (sr. Woodbridge, NJ/Woodbridge) was the leading tackler with 10, 4.5 for a loss. Linebacker Ryan Brenner (sr. Northfield, NJ/Mainland Reg.) and defensive back Travelle Curry (so. Paterson, NJ/Passaic Valley Tech) notched nine stops apiece. Curry also had three pass breakups. Defensive lineman Chris Henchy (jr. Egg Harbor City, NJ/Absegami) made seven tackles and totaled one sack while defensive back Bobby Barbieri (sr. Hammonton, NJ/Hammonton) contributed with one interception.
The Profs led 14-12 entering the final period. Frostburg State took over at its own 39. On the first play, Cox found Neverdon for a 57-yard gain down to the Rowan four-yard line. The Prof defense kept the Bobcats out of the end zone but kicker/punter Isaac Robinson (sr. Elkton, MD/Elkton) drilled a 22-yard field goal for a 15-14 advantage with 12:55 remaining.
Rowan followed by reaching the Frostburg State 34 but was forced to punt. Starting at the Bobcat 20, Morant sprinted for 27 and 18 yards on back-to-back attempts and Frostburg State had the ball at the Prof 35. Two plays later, Cox hit Neverdon for a 33-yard scoring strike. The PAT failed and the Bobcats led 21-14 with 8:24 on the clock.
On the next Rowan drive, Pinckney was intercepted by Reed and Robinson tacked on a 30-yard field goal for the final points with 4:05 left. Reed ended the Profs' next drive with another pick and Frostburg State was able to run out the clock.
Cox opened the scoring at 11:09 of the first quarter when he broke off a 60-yard touchdown run. On the ensuing possession, the Profs moved down to the Bobcat six-yard line. The Frostburg State defense kept Rowan out of the end zone and kicker Tyler Knighton's (jr. Gibbstown, NJ/Paulsboro) 40-yard field goal attempt was blocked by linebacker Graylin Walker (fr. Waldorf, MD/North Point).
The Profs hit pay dirt on their next drive, going 60 yards on just six plays to tie the score at seven. Diorio had a 16-yard run and followed it with a one-yard scoring plunge with 2:25 to go in the first.
Robinson nailed a 43-yard field goal for a 10-7 lead with 4:12 left in the second. The drive was set up by Neverdon's 48-yard punt return. On Rowan's possession, Bragg tried to make forward progress but Scott cut through the backfield and brought him down in the end zone for a safety and a 12-7 advantage (3:20).
The Profs took their only lead of the contest with 3:55 remaining in the third quarter. Rowan went 69 yards on seven plays and Pinckney ran in for a one-yard score. Bragg set up the Profs in the red zone with a 29-yard run.
Rowan hosts Kean University for a NJAC game on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 1 p.m.