CHARLESTON, W. Va. – The Frostburg State football team won a triple overtime thriller at Charleston (WV) 32-30 to hand the hosts their first MEC loss since 2023.
 
FSU was coming off its first loss of the season in a matchup of the top two overall records in the MEC at 5-1 and 4-2, respectively. 

Frostburg would start with the ball, as after a nine-play drive gained 23 yards, redshirt sophomore Sam Dominguez was forced to punt to UC. The Golden Eagles would take their first drive 72-yards, which included a pair of third down conversion and a successful 4th-and-1 attempt, with Justin McDuffie going for an eight-yard run for the first score of the day.

Down 7-0 the Bobcats would respond on the next drive, as on 3rd-and-5, redshirt sophomore Jordan Brooks would hit senior Jevonn Gilyard for 39 yards down to the Charleston 31. Brooks continued to keep the drive moving by getting a five-yard pass on 3rd-and-5 to redshirt sophomore Max Heineman. Facing 3rd-and-11 from the UC 21, Brooks moved out of the pocket and fired a dart down the middle to Gilyard for a touchdown. After a made point after from freshman Tyler Cook, the game stood at 7-7 as the quarter ended.

The FSU defense would come out strong and force a punt to start the second quarter, with senior Rainer Halveland coming up with an important sack that forced a long third down. The UC defense would make a stop of their own, picking off Brooks on a deep third down pass. The Golden Eagles would capitalize on the turnover, driving all the way to the Frostburg 13, but senior Marquise Allsup made a big stop on 3rd-and-2, forcing a made 22-yard field goal instead of a touchdown for a 10-7 score. The Bobcats would drive down the field throughout the final four minutes, with redshirt sophomore Tra'Shaun Timmons making a pair of catches for a combined 22 yards. A personal foul penalty then got the Bobcats to the two but couldn't punch the ball in, as a fumble forced by UC end the half holding a three-point advantage.

Charleston would start the second half with the ball and drove into Frostburg territory, but the defense and a pair of penalties helped force a punt that junior Landon Alexander brought back 15 yards to the Bobcat 30. On the first play of the drive, Brooks scrambled to his right and hit a wide-open Timmons off of a double move for a 70-yard TD to go up 14-10 after the made extra point.

In the next UC drive, it appeared that the Bobcats got the stop they wanted on sophomore Amari Johnson's third down pass breakup, but a roughing the kicker call on the resulting punt kept the offense on the field. After another seemingly third down stop, an unnecessary roughness penalty allowed Ean Hamric to run in from five out on first down to regain the lead 17-14.

After three plays gained just eight yards on FSU's look at offense, some special teams trickery resulted in a big gain, as redshirt sophomore KJ Smothers took a direct snap out of the punt formation for 41 yards to the Charleston 26. The Bobcats were aided on a third down Golden Eagle penalty, but couldn't get farther than the four-yard line, as Cook would line up a 21-yard chip shot and strike it through the uprights to start the fourth quarter and tie the game at 17-17.

Charleston start with great field position on the kick-off, running it back 36 yards and a facemask penalty tacking on 15 more. After a five-yard pass to begin the drive, eight consecutive runs churned out 47 yards as Jaylen Butera made a 10-yard TD run to go up 24-17. The FSU offense wasn't able to make much progress, but they were picked up by the defense, who would force a three-and-out with 6:28 remaining to give the Bobcats a chance to tie things up.

Facing the possibility of another punt and needing to convert a 3rd-and-8, Brooks avoided pressure and found Timmons on a comeback route, as he scampered 25 yards down the sideline for to get into Charleston territory. On 3rd-and-3 from the 31, Brooks just got the ball off before being hit by a blitz, finding sophomore Ray Adames over the middle as he sprinted past the Golden Eagle defense to even the score at 24-24 on Cook's point-after.

With just over three minutes remaining, UC converted a pair of clutch third-and-longs, getting down to the Bobcat 33 before graduate Lance Blankenship came up with a huge third-down tackle for loss. As the hosts lined up for a 51-yard field goal, Allsup lept high in the air to block the kick and get Frostburg the ball back with a minute to go. Brooks would then hit Adames and Gilyard for plays of 11 and 26 yards, respectively, to move downfield quickly. A facemask helped gain another 15, as FSU managed the clock down to four seconds to attempt a game-winning 26-yard field goal. The snap went high and caused a miss, with the clock hitting zeros and taking things into overtime. 
 
The FSU defense would stand up the Golden Eagle offense with junior Will Burns breaking up a third down pass and that led to a missed 36-yard attempt. Brooks then found Gilyard for 12 yards on 3rd-and-7, but Frostburg couldn't get into the endzone to end the game. Cook would then have another shot at hitting the game-winner, but the play was mistimed, resulting in a second OT.

Now starting out on offense, Brooks would hit Timmons down the right side in the back corner of the endzone on the first play. Needing to go for two points, a failed conversion kept the FSU lead 30-24. UC then converted a 3rd-and-6 to keep their hopes alive before another Halveland sack immediately induced a 3rd-and-13. Hamric stood up to the task, throwing a touchdown to Devin Hobbs in the back of the endzone to even the score with a chance to win. Senior Wylan Harich stepped up and met Hamric in the backfield, getting the stop to keep the game going.

In the third overtime, both teams would now go back-and-forth on two-point attempts to find a winner. With Charleston getting the first look, some great pressure on the back side forced Hamric to throw the ball away and get the Bobcats another chance at victory. Out of a single-back formation, redshirt junior Owen Doyle made a chip block on a pass rusher then rolled out and caught Brooks' pass wide open for the game-winning catch and the 32-30 final.
 
Brooks enjoyed a career day on 24-of-35 passing for 389 yards, over 150 past his previous high, and four touchdowns, tying his personal best in a single game. Timmons and Gilyard both wreaked havoc on the Golden Eagle defense, combining for 15 catches, 273 yards and three touchdowns. Haveland drove the defensive effort with two sacks and nine total tackles.
 
With the win, Frostburg is now 6-1 on the year and Charleston drops to 4-3. The Bobcats now travel to Wheeling next Saturday, October 25 for a 1 PM game. For more information please visit frostburgsports.com.