CALIFORNIA, Pa. – The Frostburg State Football team fell 31-26 on the road to CalU Saturday afternoon.
 
FSU received the ball to start the game but only managed to gain six yards and were forced to punt. The Vulcans notched a 24-yard pass on their first play to get into Bobcat territory, however the drive stalled out thanks in part to a sack on 2^nd-and-10 between senior Jaylen Boyd and junior Daquan Stevenson. Having been driven back to the 25, California went for a 42-yard field goal and missed wide left as the game remained scoreless.
 
Frostburg worked their way up the field through their rushing attack, as freshman Tanner Pfeuffer converted a 3^rd-and-4 before redshirt junior Owen Doyle did the same on a 3^rd-and-1, however on a third down from the Cal 49, a pick-six by Malachi Thomas put the hosts ahead 7-0. On the resulting kick-off, the Bobcats were given an immediate response through redshirt freshman Osman Fanny, who took the ball 92 yards to the house to even things at seven following freshman Tyler Cook's extra point.
 
Senior CT Taylor came up with a sack that eventually led to a Vulcan punt, but an illegal formation penalty wiped it away and gave the offense a new set of downs. With the fresh life, California made their way down to the five-yard line where Kendrick Agenor ran in for a 14-7 score. Pfeuffer dumped the ball off to junior Landon Alexander for FSU's biggest offensive play so far, a 13-yard gain that brought the first quarter to an end.
 
Doyle then one-upped his teammates with an 18-yard burst, while redshirt sophomore KJ Smothers had a 13-yard carry of his own to get into the red zone. CalU's defense locked down from that point, not allowing another positive gain, as Cook came on to punch home a 37-yard field goal that brought things to 14-10. The Vulcans then gave Frostburg some of their own medicine, running the kick back 87 yards to go back up 21-10.
 
From the resulting drive, the Bobcats were able to methodically work their way up the field, with Pfeuffer finding sophomore Ray Adames to convert an early third down, while Smothers, Doyle, and Alexander combined for 45 yards in getting to the California 20. Once again, FSU was unable to advance further, as Cook made it two-for-two on the day with another 37-yarder to get within 21-13.
 
With just two minutes left in the half, a pair of big defensive plays gave Frostburg a spark before the break. On 3^rd-and-6, senior Rainer Haveland got into the backfield for a sack, then on the resulting punt, Fanny jumped up to block the kick, as senior Marquise Allsup scooped up the ball in the endzone for a touchdown. The Bobcats looked to tie the game on a two-point attempt, but the ball was intercepted as the halftime score stood at 21-19 CalU.
 
As California opened the third quarter with the ball, junior Will Burns helped ensure they wouldn't go far, coming up with a pass breakup on 3^rd-and-7 to force a punt. Frostburg's drive wouldn't last very long either, as a fumble on an attempted trick play gave the Vulcans the ball at midfield. The sides then traded punts, giving the ball back to Cal midway through the quarter.
 
A 28-yard gain on the first play from Phaeton Hill to D'Avay Johnson was followed by Hill running for 12 yards to get into the red zone. Frostburg was able to limit the damage from there, as junior Jalil Singleton broke up a pass and Haveland stopped Hill short of the first down, holding them to a 23-yard field goal and a 24-19 advantage.
 
On FSU's next drive, they were helped out by a pair of Vulcan penalties, as a roughing the passer on 3^rd-and-17 and facemask on 4^th-and-1 allowed them to get into the red zone again as the third period came to a close. The Bobcats decided to go for it on 4^th-and-8, with a Cal interception giving the ball back to their offense. Frostburg was able to force a punt but then had to kick the ball away themselves from their own three-yard line.
 
The Vulans needed just three plays to find paydirt, as a 29-yard Hill completion was followed by Agenor running twice for 13 yards for a 31-19 score. Pfeuffer found Doyle for 15 yards to convert a 3^rd-and-6 on the resulting drive, then had Adames for 21 yards on 4^th-and-7 before a holding call wiped it out and forced another punt.
 
California wasn't able to advance the ball after redshirt sophomore Kurt Thomas made a tackle for loss on first down, punting away again. Needing a quick score for any hope of a comeback, Pfeuffer began driving things downfield, finding redshirt sophomore Cruiz Paul-Umstead and Smothers for a combined 38 yards and getting into Cal territory. Pfeuffer then called his own number twice for 14 yards, getting over the line to cut the deficit to 31-26. FSU couldn't recover the onside kick as the game hit the two-minute warning, as the Vulcans ran down the clock to secure the five-point victory.
 
Pfeuffer ended his first career start with 13 completions and 117 passing yards, as Smothers led in both rushing and receiving at 67 and 23 yards, respectively. Thomas and Boyd shared a team-high six tackles apiece, also combining for 2.5 tackles for loss to lead the defensive effort.
 
With the loss, Frostburg drops to 7-2 on the year, while CalU improves to 6-3. FSU will return to Bobcat Stadium for Senior Day on Saturday, November 8 at 1 p.m. against West Virginia State. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.