| THE BASICS |
SCORE: Frostburg State 51, UNC Pembroke 21
RECORDS: UNC Pembroke 2-3, 2-2 MEC; Frostburg State 5-0, 4-0 MEC)
LOCATION: Frostburg, Md. (Bobcat Field) |
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| HOW IT HAPPENED |
| 1ST QUARTER |
Frostburg State marched 90 yards on 10 plays on the opening possession of the afternoon, converting a key 3rd-and-3 situation from their own 39-yard line to set up a 57-yard touchdown pass from Graham Walker to Malik Morris. Walker completed all four of his pass attempts for 77 yards on the possession. FSU 7, UNCP 0
The Braves answered on the ensuing possession as Joseph Early capped an 11-play, 77-yard scoring drive with a 10-yard touchdown run up the middle. Quarterback Josh Jones carried the ball twice for 55 yards on the possession, including a career-long 39-yard gallop on 3rd-and-15 from the UNCP 18-yard line. FSU 7, UNCP 7
Running back Gavin Lavat and quarterback Graham Walker carried most of the load on Frostburg State's second possession of the contest. Walked completed consecutive passes for 21 yards, while Lavat carried the ball five times for 13 yards, including a one-yard dive across the goal line to cap the 11-play, 64-yard possession. FSU 14, UNCP 7 |
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| 2ND QUARTER |
The Braves knotted the score back up early in the second period when Josh Jones put the toppings on a 5-play, 98-yard drive that was keyed with a record-breaking pass. Jones connected with Faheem Diaab on a 90-yard pass – the longest reception in program history – to set the Black & Gold up at the Frostburg State 6-yard line, and then found Rodney Smith on a 7-yard touchdown pass two plays later. UNCP 14, FSU 14
The Bobcats evened things back up with just less than three minutes left in the opening half, driving 85 yards on seven plays, including Gavin Lavat's 31-yard touchdown pass to Zae Giles. The Bobcats completed all three of their pass attempts for 70 yards on the possession. FSU 21, UNCP 14
After the ensuing drive by the Braves fizzled near midfield, Frostburg State got the chance to deliver one last dagger before the half, and it did just that. Graham Walker threw for 62 yards on a perfect 3-for-3 passing, including an 11-yard scoring toss with 21 seconds left before the intermission. FSU 28, UNCP 14
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| 3RD QUARTER |
The Braves went backwards on the opening possession of the second half. Josh Jones was sacked for an eight-yard loss on first down, UNCP was called for a false start on second down, and Frostburg State padded their lead moments later when Leonard Scott and Luke Freeman sacked Jones in the end zone for a safety. FSU 30, UNCP 14
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| 4TH QUARTER |
The Bobcats milked just 92 seconds off of the game clock and converted their opening possession of the fourth quarter into more points. Kisaye Barnes scampered for 32 yards on the opening play of the drive, and Graham Walker finished it off with a 52-yard touchdown pass to Zae Giles. FSU 37, UNCP 14
Frostburg State got good field position midway through the final period after stuffing a 4th-down conversion attempt by the Braves from their own 32-yard line. Graham Walker found Zae Giles on a 32-yard touchdown strike on the very next play from scrimmage to swell the lead out to 30 points. FSU 44, UNCP 14
The Bobcats got on the back of running back Josh Maxwell on the way to scoring their final points of the afternoon late in the fourth quarter. Maxwell carried the ball seven times for all 50 yards of the scoring possession, including a 5-yard touchdown run with 3:38 left to play. FSU 51, UNCP 21
Backup quarterback Colin Johnson made sure the Braves delivered the last points of the day and looked veteran-like in engineering a 6-play, 70-yard scoring drive late in the game. Johnson threw for 35 yards on 3-of-4 passing, and capped the possession with a 35-yard touchdown run. FSU 51, UNCP 21
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| INSIDE THE BOX SCORE |
+ Junior Josh Jones threw for 206 yards and one touchdown despite being on the run for much of the day. Jones ran for 67 yards on the afternoon, but was sacked seven times and netted just five rushing yards.
+ Freshman Colin Johnson threw for 62 yards on 7-of-10 passing his collegiate debut, while also accounting for 36 yards on three carries. He was also sacked once.
+ Redshirt junior tight end Faheem Diaab hauled in a 90-yard reception from Josh Jones to set up a UNCP touchdown in the second quarter. It is the longest pass reception in the history of the program, surpassing former quarterback Patrick O'Brien's 88-yard touchdown pass to B.J. Bunn during the 2016 season.
+ Redshirt sophomore quarterback-turned-wide receiver Rodney Smith established career highs for both receptions (9) and receiving yards (50). He also tallied a seven-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter.
+ Freshmen defensive backs Virgil Lemons and Dante Bowlding led Code Black with seven tackles, including six solo stops. Lemons also registered a tackle for loss (-4 yards). |
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| NOTABLES |
+ Frostburg State scored touchdowns on seven of its 12 possessions of the day, and finished 3-for-3 on red zone opportunities. The Bobcats logged 15 plays of 10 or more yards on the day, including nine that went for 20-plus yards.
+ UNCP finished the day 2-for-2 in red zone situations, and completed the afternoon 6-of-14 on 3rd Down Conversions. The Braves did not convert on any of their three fourth down tries.
+ Saturday's outing marked the first time this season that UNCP has not forced an opponent turnover. The Black & Gold came into the game ranked fourth, nationally, in turnover margin (2.67). |
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| UP NEXT |
| UNCP will return home on October 9 when they culminate Parents & Families Weekend on campus with a noon contest against Mountain East Conference rival Wheeling (3-2, 3-1 MEC). |
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| STAY CONNECTED |
| Follow UNCP Football on Twitter and Instagram and "Like" UNCP Football on Facebook. |
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| BACK THE BRAVES |
| Fans can help support the UNC Pembroke Football program by joining the Braves Club. To find out more information about the Braves Club, visit UNCPBraves.com/BravesClub or email braves.club@uncp.edu. |
