Frostburg Stuns Alfred in Overtime Thriller on Homecoming
Bobcat Stadium was shaking with a nervous excitement as the Empire 8 showdown between Frostburg State and Alfred went back-and-forth throughout both regulation and two overtimes.
In the end, that nervous excitement was turned to sheer jubilation as sophomore kicker Jonathan Adams drilled home an extra point attempt as Frostburg State celebrated a 54-53 double overtime victory over Alfred in Empire 8 action Saturday on Homecoming and Leadership weekend.
After a scoreless first quarter, the two teams erupted for 107 points, including 40 in just the second quarter alone. It is the most combined points scored in a game which Frostburg has participated in and is the first overtime contest at Bobcat Stadium since 2005.
The two teams combined for 14 touchdowns, four field goals, 58 first downs and 1,002 yards of offense while keeping the fans on the edge of their seats the entire time.
The Bobcats (3-4, 2-2) and Saxons (4-3, 2-2) scored on the game's final six possessions. Alfred appeared to have control of the game late in the fourth quarter as it intercepted a Josh Volpe pass and maneuvered down to the FSU 25. Eric Rockwood knocked home a booming 42-yard field goal with just 30 seconds left to give the visitors a 40-37 lead.
That was the perfect amount of time for senior quarterback Josh Volpe and the Bobcats to answer. He completed two passes, including a 30-yarder to junior wideout Anthony Young as FSU moved to the Alfred 25-yard line. This time, it was Adams' turn to play the role of the hero. He calmly kicked a 42-yard field goal of his own as time expired to knot the game at 40-40.
The duo of Volpe and Young, which gave Alfred trouble the entire game, connected for a 35-yard touchdown on third and 20 in the first overtime for a 47-40 edge. Alfred answered with a game-tying touchdown on its first play of the first overtime. T.J. Kilcarr found Justin Oliver with a 25-yard scoring toss to even the score at 47-47.
Alfred received the ball first in the second overtime and scored another touchdown. Austin Dwyer carried the ball twice, including a 15-yard scoring run into the corner of the end zone for a 53-47 lead. However, Rockwood missed the extra point attempt and Alfred clung to just a six-point lead.
Frostburg took advantage of the miscue as it moved inside Alfred's five-yard line for a first-and-goal situation. After sputtering on the first three plays, Volpe found a wide open Adam Tuzikow on the Bobcats' last chance of the afternoon. The two connected for a four-yard score to tie the ballgame at 53 apiece.
The weight of the game then fell back on Adams' shoulders. After an Alfred timeout, he booted the extra point through the uprights as Bobcat Stadium erupted in celebration.
Frostburg turned out 556 yards of total offense, the most since a 634-yard effort in a 42-6 win over Apprentice in 2002. The tandem of Volpe and Young turned in record-setting performances. Volpe completed 33-of-59 attempts and finished with 441 yards passing, a career-high and second-best individual effort in school history. He accounted for seven touchdowns, including a school record six through the air. He ran for an 11-yard score in the fourth quarter that gave FSU a 37-30 lead. He tossed at least one touchdown to five different receivers.
Young turned in his second-consecutive record-setting performance on Homecoming. He tied a school record with 16 receptions for 214 yards and two touchdowns. A year ago, Young set a school record with 248 yards receiving against Apprentice while making 15 receptions.
Junior tight end Cory Shank hauled in six receptions for 102 yards and a score while classmate Lucas Adolph caught four passes for 41 yards and a score.
On the ground, freshman tailback JD Hook ran for 83 yards on 20 carries and caught two passes for 39 yards.
Despite the flurry of action late in the game, the second quarter provided an early glimpse of what was to come.
Alfred opened early 13-0 and 20-7 leads, but the Bobcats stormed back to tie the contest at 20 at intermission. Volpe tossed first-half touchdowns to Adolph, Shank and freshman wideout Antonio Wood.
The teams exchanged field goals and Josh Philips caught a 17-yard scoring toss from Kilcarr for the lead with just two minutes left in the third to put the Saxons ahead 30-23.
Frostburg tied the contest again early in the fourth quarter. Volpe and Young connected on a 14-yard touchdown with 12:08 to play that capped an 11-play 78-yard yard drive, the longest by either team on the afternoon.
After the Bobcat defense forced a fumble on the third play of Alfred's next drive, FSU grabbed its first lead of the game. On third and five, Hook darted for 11 yards to the Alfred 11-yard line and Volpe weaved his way through traffic on the next play for an 11–yard score a 37-30 lead.
Alfred evened the score at 37-37 with 4:35 to play in the fourth quarter. After the FSU defense forced the Saxons to a 4-and-10 situation, the ensuing Alfred punt was deflected, then hit an FSU player down field and the Saxons pounced on the loose ball. Five plays later, Kilcarr hit Adam Shutz for a game-tying 20-yard touchdown.
The Saxons finished with 446 yards of offense behind 212 on the ground. Dwyer ran for 114 yards and two touchdowns, including the game's first score with 13:32 showing in the second quarter. Kilcarr tossed four scores and threw for 243 yards. His favorite target was Shutz who finished with five catches for 66 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Senior linebacker Drew Rudisill paced the FSU defense with 11 total tackles, including 0.5 TFL. Junior Brendon Blanchette made nine stops, with one pass breakup, a forced and recovered fumble.
Notes:
Young's 214 yards are the second-best mark in school history … Young's 16 receptions moved him into eighth place on the all-time record … Volpe's 33 completions and 59 attempts are both good for third in a single game … Volpe also moved into fourth all-time in career completions (336) and needs just three more for third all-time … Prior to kickoff, the football program celebrated its 50th anniversary of football as members of FSU's first team in 1961 served as the honorary captains while former head coach Ron Van Ryswyk flipped the coin … The Alfred contest marked the seventh overtime contest in the history of Frostburg State football and the Bobcats are now 3-4 in extra frame games.