WAYNE, N.J. – Eighteenth-ranked Frostburg scored the game's first 45 points en route to a lopsided 59-7 victory over William Paterson on the Pioneers' Homecoming, Saturday.
After losing in overtime last Saturday, the Bobcats (5-1, 4-1) left little doubt as to who was the better team this afternoon as they racked up 559 yards in total offense and scored the most points in a game since 1997.
The game is also the most lopsided affair for a Frostburg football game since that same 1997 team defeated Greensboro 60-3. The 59 points are the fourth highest in a single game in program history.
The Bobcats jumped on the scoreboard early and often as they scored points on their first seven possessions of the game. Frostburg, which never punted on the afternoon, added touchdowns late in the third and early in the fourth.
As the offense was racking up points, the FSU defense was again stingy by allowing William Paterson just 162 yards in total offense. The Bobcats held the Pioneers to 26 yards of offense on 22 plays in the first half as FSU built a 38-0 halftime cushion.
The Pioneers found the endzone midway through the third on a 52-yard scoring pass and on their next possession, they maneuvered to the Bobcat 26 before turning the ball over on downs.
Those two drives netted William Paterson 97 of its 162 yards in total offense. In total, the Frostburg defense forced eight punts, made 12 tackles for loss, held the hosts to negative yardage on three of their 12 drives and allowed just seven first downs. The only first down for William Paterson in the opening half came via a Frostburg five-yard penalty.
Junior quarterback Connor Cox completed over 89 percent of his passes, throwing for 294 yards and a career-high four touchdowns on 17-of-19 completions. Three of his scoring passes came in the first half and he opened the third quarter with a 52-yard scoring toss to junior Sergio Andino for a 45-0 cushion.
Andino hauled in six passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns, all career-highs. Junior Noah Teeter caught a touchdown from Cox and finished with four receptions for 36 yards. In all, 12 different Bobcats caught a pass on the afternoon.
First-year running back Malcolm Facey led the ground game with nine carries for 72 yards and a score, while junior running back Jamal Morant ran for 43 yards on 11 attempts and a score.
Morant opened the scoring for Frostburg with a six-yard touchdown run on the game's first drive. Cox found Teeter for an eight-yard touchdown midway through the first and senior tailback Jordan Brown scored from a yard out to close the quarter.
Senior kicker Hassan Mostafa booted a 22-yard field goal to start the second quarter before Cox found Andino for the first of his two scores with 3:13 to play. The first half was capped when Cox found senior Maurice Fisher for a 17-yard score with just seven seconds left.
Following Andino's 52-yard touchdown reception, the Bobcats tacked on two more scores.
First-year backup quarterback T.J. Peer found sophomore wideout Jordan Carter with a 15-yard scoring pass late in the third and Facey scored from two yards out early in the fourth.
James Waldron led the Pioneers with 87 yards of total offense, while Tyler Vivian caught four passes for 87 yards and the host's lone touchdown.
First-year Jake Broschart led Frostburg with eight tackles and two pass breakups, while first-year Zach Strand finished with two sacks and a forced fumble.
Frostburg returns to action next Saturday when it hosts Montclair State on Homecoming at 1:00 pm.