Last Second Field Goal Gives Fairmont Season-Ending Victory Over Football

FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Football team concluded their season with a narrow 31-28 loss at home to Fairmont State after a last-second field goal.
 
The Fighting Falcons received the ball to start the game and immediately got into Bobcat territory on their second play, with Leonard Farrow taking the ball 29 yards up the field. Frostburg was able to make a couple stops for a 4^th-and-5, but Fairmont decided to go for it and the decision paid off with a 6-yard pass from Nino Marzullo to Jermaine Bradford. The Bobcats again proved tough defensively, forcing a 4^th-and-10 after senior Colby Street and graduate Rob Jackson combined on a sack, then as the visitors again tried to convert, were stuffed by Street and junior Anthony Smith.
 
Frostburg immediately gave the Falcons the ball back after failing to drive the ball forward on a 4^th-and-1 fake punt, then Farrow ran 21 yards on the first play of the resulting drive. Fairmont slowly worked their way into the red zone, where Marzullo took it himself on a QB sneak from a yard out to go ahead 7-0. The Bobcats hit back right away, as redshirt sophomore Owen Doyle motored his way 10 yards for a first down, then sophomore Trashaun Timmons was found by redshirt sophomore Myles Fulton across the middle for a 45-yard catch-and-run to quickly tie things at 7-7.
 
After a Falcon punt, Frostburg again turned it over on downs, with both offenses slowing to a halt going into the second quarter. Farrow helped pick up a key third dwon for Fairmont on their second drive, then as the Bobcats thought they had gotten a stop on third down, were whistled for a face mask penalty, which gave way to LeJay Hatcher carrying three times for nine yards and a 14-7 lead. The Falcons forced another Frostburg punt, which allowed them to take a long drive downfield, culminating in Farrow surging through from a yard out for a 21-7 score with just 30 seconds until halftime.
 
The Bobcats were given a late lifeline, as a dribbled kick-off was taken at the Frostburg 34 by redshirt sophomore Jordan Marcucci, where he was able to run it all the way back to the Fairmont 27. A pair of incompletions and a false start appeared to take momentum away, but on the last play of the half with five seconds left, Fulton lofted a ball into the endzone, where junior Jeremiah Gibson secured the catch to pull within 21-14.
 
Doyle kicked off the second half with a 15-yard gain up the middle, then on 3^rd-and-9, Fulton found Gibson over the middle, as he planted his foot in the ground and burned up the near side for 45 yards down the Falcon nine. Doyle polished off the drive with a five-yard call to the house to tie the game at 21 all. Frostburg kept up their pressure, as senior Mitch West leapt up to nab an interception on 3^rd-and-10 to immediately get the offense the ball back. Fulton tossed a deep ball to Timmons for 36 yards, followed by a 12-yard strike to Marcucci, which led to Doyle securing another five-yard TD and a 28-21 lead.
 
The defense forced another three-and-out, looking to continue the strong start to the third, but Fairmont was given a lifeline on an interception in Bobcat territory. On third-and-goal from the four, Marzullo was able to find Gage Michael for a toe-tapping score at the back of the endzone to tie things once more 28-28. Doyle had a pair of carries for 29 yards to start the next drive, which then came to a halt at the Falcon 22, where a field goal attempt clanked off the left post.
 
A fourth down tackle from senior Rahsaan Simpson forced another Fairmont turnover, but they got the ball right back on another pick midway through the quarter. Street and junior Marquise Allsup combined on a tackle that kept the Falcons one yard short of a first down to force another punt, but the Bobcats couldn't get past their own 20, giving the ball back. Frostburg nearly got the ball back with a chance to win after Fairmont decided to go for a 4^th-and-1, but Hatcher was allowed to motor 26 yards, giving the Falcons a chance to wind the clock down. With three seconds left at the Bobcat 10, Emmanuel Richardson sealed the victory with a 28-yard field goal for the 31-28 final.
 
Fulton finished 17-of-35 for 250 yards and a pair of scores, with Timmons his favorite target on five catches for 98 yards. Doyle led the rushing attack with 94 yards and two TD's, while Street led the defensive effort with a career-high 18 tackles, including two for loss and a half sack.
 
With the loss, Frostburg ends their season at 6-5, while Fairmont finishes at 7-4.