FROSTBURG, Md. – Inside an electric atmosphere at Bobcat Stadium, the Frostburg State Football team secured a 41-27 season opening victory over Shepherd on Saturday night.
 
After winning the coin toss, FSU deferred to the visitors, who elected to open the game receiving the opening kick. A big return from Carrington Nickens-Yzer that would have gone out to the 39-yard line was brought back by a Rams holding penalty, beginning the drive at their own 25. SU marched down the field with a couple of chunk plays getting them down to the Bobcat 32. A six-yard run would be as far as they got, however, with junior Will Burns and senior Kamari Ramsey breaking up back-to-back plays on third and fourth down, respectively, giving Frostburg their first look at offense.
 
Two runs and an incomplete pass only provided five total yards to force a punt by redshirt sophomore Sam Dominguez, however it hit the back of Nickens-Yzer for a live ball, with redshirt sophomore Amirr Coles falling on it to set FSU up at Shepherd's 40-yard line. On the very next play, redshirt junior Myles Fulton floated the ball to a breakaway senior JeVonn Gilyard down the right sideline, bounding into the end zone for the game's opening score. Redshirt sophomore Harrison Fritz knocked in the extra point to make it a 7-0 lead.
 
Nickens-Yzer tried to make up for the muffed punt by taking another long run back on the kickoff up to the Rams' 42. Once again, SU was able to put together a long drive into Bobcat territory, getting up to 1^st-and-10 from the Frostburg 24. A false start quickly moved them back, then redshirt sophomore Carter Mazalewski broke through the backfield for an 8-yard sack followed by breaking up a pass to make it 3^rd-and-23. Quarterback Michael Hardyway was able to find Kordell Batten to get back within field goal range, which Max Barba was able to knock through from 42 yards out for a 7-3 score.
 
Similar to their first drive of the game, Frostburg wasn't able to get very far on the resulting possession, as redshirt sophomore KJ Smothers was able to convert a 3^rd-and-1 but the hosts weren't able to move past the 39. Dominguez punted away for a fair catch at the Rams' 30 to end the first quarter.
 
Graduate Lance Blankenship and redshirt junior Dom Tiaga shut down SU's initial play after a first down, then Mazalewski chased down a scrambling Hardyway to make it 3^rd-and-10, with an incompletion getting the ball back to FSU. Daishaun Alexander did well in his punt away, dropping the ball down to the Bobcat 7 to pin the hosts deep in their own territory. Frostburg was up to the task of a sustained drive, chipping their way down the field, with Fulton lunging for a clutch 3^rd-and-4 conversion to keep the chains moving. After moving into Shepherd's side of the field, FSU faced a 3^rd-and-7 when sophomore Ray Adames found himself open down the left side, with Fulton darting him the ball for a 45-yard touchdown, as Fritz converted once more for a 14-3 advantage.
 
An awkward bounce off the boot from graduate Brandon Keen's kick-off allowed junior Jalil Singleton to race down the field and make a tackle on Nickens-Yzer at the Rams' 10-yard line to set up their own long drive. Hardyway led his team downfield with completions of 19, 12, and 10 yards getting the visitors down to the Frostburg 41. On 3^rd-and-7, Shepherd took a timeout to try and set up a play, but it was blown apart by Mazalewski, who intercepted Hardyway's pass and followed a wall of blockers all the way to the end zone for a 65-yard pick six. This time the point-after was missed, leaving the score at 20-3 with three minutes to go in the half.
 
Now moving with a pace of desperation, SU running back Grant Swinehart bull-rushed his way for 28 yards to get into field goal range. On 3^rd-and-8 from the 26, it looked as though Kordell Batten would keep the drive moving with a catch across the middle, however he got rocked on a hit from senior Wylan Harich to break the play up and limit the damage to another Barba field goal at 20-6.
 
Working through their two-minute offense, junior Landon Alexander stepped into the backfield for the first time and provided an immediate spark. Two runs that combined for 27 yards put FSU to Shepherd's 46, followed by an 11-yard throw-and-catch from Fulton to Gilyard followed by a Bobcat timeout. After Fulton had to scramble out of bounds, the Rams were whistled for a personal foul, allowing Frostburg to get into the red zone with time enough to attempt a last-second field goal. Seemingly going into the break with a two-possession lead, SU flipped the script, as Vince Flook blocked the kick and Geo-Di Tolbert scooped-and-scored 75 yards the other way to cut the halftime deficit down to 20-13.
 
Wiping away any negative vibes from how the first half ended, redshirt junior Austin Paul-Umstead electrified the crowd with a 36-yard kick-off return to set up the FSU offense. Shepherd's defense looked to get their team back into the game by breaking up Frostburg's first play, while a false start made it a 2^nd-and-19 early on. Fulton responded by finding Adames on the far side for a nine-yard catch, then passed to Alexander on a swing route, scampering 14 yards into Rams territory for a first down. Facing 3^rd-and-4 from the SU 39, redshirt sophomore Tra-Shaun Timmons snagged a Fulton pass and muscled his way for a first down to keep the drive moving. On 3^rd-and-8 from inside the 10, Fulton rolled to his right and fired to redshirt sophomore Cruiz Paul-Umstead to get back to a 14-point, 27-13 lead.
 
After giving Shepherd a quick first down off a pass interference, Frostburg's defense swiftly shut off any chance of a score, as senior Jaylen Boyd punched the ball out of Jaden Ashby's hand, with redshirt sophomore Kurt Thomas recovering for FSU. The offense wasn't able to capitalize on the turnover, though Dominguez was able to help pin the Rams back on a 47-yard punt that was fair caught at the 13. SU wasn't fazed by the long field, as Swinehart began the drive with an 11-yard run before exploding through the middle 71 yards to the house, getting his team right back in the game at 27-20.
 
Frostburg was able to chew down the rest of the clock in the quarter, helped out by another clutch Alexander catch-and-run off a 3^rd-and-7 that got to midfield, while Smothers provided his own nab out of the backfield on a 3^rd-and-6. Pounding out another couple runs and Fulton zipping a 10-yard, third down pass to Gilyard, FSU tacked on another score after a fantastic 18-yard diving catch in the end zone by Timmons for a 34-20 lead.
 
With just 12 minutes to go in the game, Shepherd needed to score quickly in hopes of giving themselves a chance to get stops defensively and get back into the game. Mazalewski had other ideas, picking up his second sack of the day in helping to force a 3^rd-and-13, but Hardyway was able to find Malakai Brown for 18 yards to move the chains. Swinehart later bullied his way for a third down conversion into the red zone, which was followed by Jordan Barnett punching his way in from four yards out to get back within a touchdown 34-27.
 
Not helping their own cause, the Rams put the resulting kick-off out of bounds, giving FSU the ball at their own 35. Smothers was entrusted with toting the rock on five straight carries, powering his way 29 yards into Shepherd's side of the field. After a second-down Timmons catch in the middle of the field, he was tackled just shy of the marker to force a 3^rd-and-1 from the Rams' 31. Fulton tried to sneak his way for the conversion, but was tripped up before reaching the half-yard needed. Wanting to put the game away, head coach Eric Wagoner elected to go for it on fourth down and was rewarded on a hard-count by Fulton drawing SU offside and getting a fresh set of downs. Redshirt junior Owen Doyle was given the ball on the next three carries, which he took for a combined 26 yards and culminating in a 15-yard surge down the left side for a touchdown with 1:38 left to play and a 41-27 advantage.
 
Looking to shut down any hope of a Rams comeback, the Bobcat defense came up with a pair of big plays on what turned out to be the visitors' final possession. Senior Rainer Halveland got into the backfield for a sack on 3^rd-and-2, then in desperation Hardyway floated a pass down the right side that was corralled by redshirt senior Josh McTier, sealing the game with 49 seconds to play. Fulton kneeled twice to see the clock tick down and give FSU their season-opening 14-point win.
 
The Bobcats outgained SU in total yards 384-341, getting 24 first downs to the visitors' 16, while winning the time of possession battle 35:48-24:12. Frostburg's defense and special teams combined to force five Ram turnovers to go with three sacks.
 
 Fulton finished the day 16-of-22 for 209 yards and four touchdowns, with Gilyard proving his favorite target on four catches and 75 yards. Smothers was FSU's leading rusher with 70 total yards on 18 carries, while Doyle and Alexander combined for 15 carries and 89 yards between the pair. Mazalewski was all over the field defensively, making a team-high eight tackles, providing two sacks and securing the 65-yard pick six. Boyd also impressed with five tackles, one for loss, and a forced fumble.
 
With the win, Frostburg begins the year 1-0, while Shepherd drops to 0-1. The Bobcats next have a shortened week as they hit the road to face Millersville on Thursday, September 4 at 7 p.m. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.