WHEELING, W. Va. – The Frostburg State Football team defeated Wheeling 31-13 on the road Saturday afternoon.
 
After receiving the opening kick-off, FSU wasted little time finding their spark, as on the first play from scrimmage, redshirt sophomore Jordan Brooks went over top the defense to find senior JeVonn Gilyard streaking down the middle of the field for a 75-yard score. Freshman Tyler Cook knocked the extra point through the uprights to start out with a 7-0 advantage.
 
The Cardinals gained 28 yards on their first two plays looking to answer back on offense, but the next three plays netted just three total yards, helped out by a pass breakup from junior DB Will Burns. From the resulting punt, Brooks was able to convert a pair of third downs with passes to redshirt sophomores Cruiz Paul-Umstead and Amirr Coles that kept the drive moving. From the Wheeling 39, redshirt sophomore KJ Smothers broke through a hole in the left side for 36 yards, then took the ball twice himself to find paydirt and a 14-0 lead.
 
FSU's defense looked like they had gotten a stop after Burns broke up another pass on 2^nd-and-14 to force third down, but a pass interference call gave the hosts a fresh set of downs. The drive didn't last much longer, however, as back-to-back runs gained four total yards and an incompletion forced another punt, from which junior Landon Alexander was able to get the offense great field position on a 27-yard return.
 
Brooks found redshirt junior Austin Paul-Umstead for a 20-yard catch-and-run on the first play, immediately getting into WU territory. Frostburg couldn't manage much on the next three plays, losing three yards on a pair of runs and an incompletion but decided to go for it on 4^th-and-13, as Austin Paul-Umstead was tackled just shy of the marker for a turnover on downs. WU was called for a holding penalty after a seven-yard gain on first down, as Burns picked up his third PBU of the day on 3^rd-and-13 to force another punt that brought an end to the first quarter.
 
Out of the break, Brooks found a wide-open Coles on the left side for a 12-yard gain, then on 3^rd-and-8, Smothers made a great catch and scampered down the sideline to just get the conversion. Back-to-back passes from Brooks to sophomore Ray Adames and Smothers netted another 23 yards, getting into the red zone. Two plays then brought three total yards before Brooks was brought down in the backfield to force fourth and long. Cook lined up a field goal from 36 yards out and missed wide right, however a penalty brought the ball back five yards forward, as his next kick was right down the middle for a 17-0 score.
 
Wheeling was able to start their next drive with great field position, taking the kick-off 34 yards back up to the 45. The Cardinals bulldozed their way down the field, as four carries netted 26 yards to the Bobcat 15. A pair of incompletions and a one-yard run forced them to try and get points on the board with a field goal, but Burns had other ideas, breaking through to block the kick and keep the shutout bid going.
 
Looking to score once more before going into the half, Brooks found Adames, redshirt junior Bradley Boyer, and Smothers for a combined 34 yards, the latter converting a 3^rd-and-7 past midfield and into Cardinal territory. A trio of WU penalties kept the drive churning down to the two-yard line, where Smothers punched in his second score of the day to push the lead to 24-0. Three Wheeling incompletions forced another punt, as Alexander returned this one for 20 yards, but there wasn't enough time left on the clock as the half came to a close.
 
The Cardinals began with the ball to start the third quarter, driving into FSU territory before senior Wylan Harich nearly came up with an interception before a pass breakup by redshirt senior Josh McTier on third down. Rather than going for the field goal, WU wanted to go for it but were driven backwards on a false start, as an incompletion resulted in a turnover on downs.
 
Frostburg came up a yard short on a 3^rd-and-10 that forced a punt, as redshirt sophomore Sam Dominguez ensured Wheeling would have to drive the length of the field, booming his kick down to the one-yard line. The Cardinals were able to make their way to midfield after converting a 3^rd-and-7 and a 3^rd-and-11. After getting a yard into FSU territory, senior Rainer Haveland sent them immediately backwards with a first down sack, then classmate Marquise Allsup broke up a deep pass on third down for another punt.
 
Both teams traded possessions, as the Bobcats had to punt while junior Jalil Singleton forced a fumble on the second play from scrimmage, with redshirt freshman Osman Fanny recovering the ball at the Cardinal 46. A combination of Smothers and redshirt junior Owen Doyle were able to churn out a combined 19 yards down to the 25 as the third ended still at 24-0.
 
Looking to convert a 4^th-and-2, Frostburg got the yardage needed but WU came up with a forced fumble of their own to get possession back. Flipping the script once again, junior Daquan Stevenson knocked the ball loose on the very next play, as redshirt sophomore Kurt Thomas scooped-and-scored for a 31-0 lead.
 
Frostburg looked to have a stop on the next drive as senior CT Taylor batted a 3^rd-and-10 pass down at the line, but quarterback Ade Olanegan was able to scramble for 13 yards on fourth down to keep the drive alive. After a pass interference, Olanegan found Alex Godavitarne from 16 yards out to finally get on the board at 31-7.
 
Wheeling's defense came up with another stop on the next Bobcat drive, as Jefferson Bretanys-Desca had an interception to get the offense the ball back. Their first play gained 27 yards to the FSU 15, but sophomore Malik Johnson raced through on a cornerback blitz for a 9-yard sack. Two rushes gained just six yards, the latter on 4^th-and-18 for another turnover.
 
The Bobcats again weren't able to hold onto the ball for long, as two plays in, Jalen Wheeler came up with another pick for the hosts. Olanegan found Godavitarne for 21 yards before reversing field to Steven Mitchell from 14 yards and a touchdown, with a failed two-point attempt making the score 31-13. Attempting to create a miracle finish, WU put the resulting onside kick out of bounds, giving Frostburg the ball with 7:33 on the clock.
 
It appeared that FSU might immediately hand the ball back to Wheeling, but Smothers was able to muscle his way to covert a 4^th-and-1 just past midfield. Just after the two-minute warning, freshman Tanner Pfeuffer was able to put the game on ice, rolling to his left on a bootleg and trucking a defender to pick up all 12 yards needed on third down, eventually kneeling the ball down to run out the remainder of time.
 
Brooks ended the day 13-of-19 passing for 216 yards and a touchdown, as Gilyard led the receiving corps with four catches for 97 yards and the score. Smothers mashed his way on the ground for 97 yards on 27 carries and a pair of TD's.
 
Haveland led the defense with six tackles including his sack, while Burns was all over the field with five tackles, four pass break-ups, and the blocked kick.
 
With the win, Frostburg improves to 7-1 on the year, while Wheeling drops to 4-4. FSU remains on the road as they travel to California (Pa.) for a non-conference tilt on Saturday, November 1 at 1 p.m. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.