FROSTBURG, Md. – What a difference a year makes. On Sept. 8, 2012, the Waynesburg University football team used a power running game and a stingy defense to control Frostburg State in a 21-7 victory at John F. Wiley Stadium. Flash ahead to Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, and it would be hard to notice any similarities between this year’s matchup and the 2012 version.
The Yellow Jackets mustered just 73 yards rushing, gave up a whopping 609 yards of total offense and didn’t have control of the game until late in the fourth quarter. However, there was one thing that didn’t change in a year’s time between games … a double-digit Waynesburg win. Junior quarterback Carter Hill broke the school record for passing yards in a game and senior kicker Alex Henry made three big field goals to power the visiting team to a 59-49 win in Maryland.
The Bobcats (0-2) simply had no answer for Hill, who completed 38-of-53 pass attempts, both career highs, for 483 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. It was his second-straight week throwing for three touchdowns and no interceptions in a Waynesburg (2-0) victory.
Hill went to work right away on his record-setting day by completing all four of his pass attempts on the opening drive of the game for 39 yards. His aerial efforts helped put junior running Jake Forsythe in position to pound in his first touchdown in a Waynesburg uniform, which he did from four yards out with 11:09remaining in the first quarter. The first of many successful kicks from senior Alex Henry put Waynesburg ahead 7-0.
Unfortunately, the normally solid Jacket defense struggled with the speed of the Frostburg offense, which tied the game up at 7-7 on the ensuing possession. The high-scoring pace of the game was further established in Waynesburg’s second drive of the game, which lasted just six plays and resulted in Hill drilling in an eight-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Mike Ferraro with 8:10 showing on the game clock. Henry’s second successful PAT try of the day put Waynesburg back ahead by seven (14-7).
After Frostburg tied the game back up with another scoring drive, Henry split the pipes on his first of three successful field goal tries, all of which came from at least 40 yards away. A 41-yarder from the former Jacket soccer player gave his team the lead back at 17-14. However, Waynesburg’s defensive struggles continued, and the home team was able to score on back-to-back possessions that were sandwiched around a Jacket punt. With just under a minute to play in the first half, the Bobcats led 28-17 and were in possession to gain a measure of revenge for last year’s defeat.
With just seconds remaining until halftime, Hill showed his poise under center and drove his team 37 yards downfield by completing four-of-four pass attempts in the one-minute offense for 35 yards and rushing for six yards on a carry. His efforts set Henry up for a successful 41-yard field goal that trimmed his team’s deficit down to 28-20 as the first-half clock expired.
Just as the Jackets were able to pull to within a single score of their speedy opponents, Frostburg took its biggest lead of the afternoon after a third quarter-opening drive resulted in seven more Bobcat points and a 35-20 home team lead. However, veteran head coach Rick Shepas wasn’t about to let his team give up the fight just yet, as the Yellow Jackets geared up for its comeback attempt.
Following FSU’s fifth touchdown of the day, Waynesburg took possession of the pig skin at its own 21-yard line. From there, Hill pieced together a 15-play, 79-yard marathon march to pay dirt that concluded with junior wide out Andrew English pulling in an eight-yard touchdown catch. Another point for Henry cut the Bobcats’ lead in half (35-27) with 7:45 to go in the third quarter.
Perhaps feeding off the effort of its offensive counterparts, the Waynesburg defense came up with its first big play of the day to finally slow down the Bobcat attack. Senior safety Logan McAnany turned a Frostburg completion into a turnover by stripping the ball away from an opposing receiver, and junior defensive lineman J.T. Thompson pounced on it to give possession back to Hill and the offense at the FSU 46-yard line.
Hill rewarded his defense’s opportunistic play by engineering an 11-play, 46-yard possession that was capped by Forsythe’s second touchdown run of the game. After the bruising junior crossed the goal line from four yards out, Hill and the offense stayed on the field to attempt a game-tying two-point conversion. The junior signal caller made the decision pay off by hooking up with junior wide receiver Bernie Thompson and tying the game at 35-35 with 3:48 left to play in the third quarter.
Waynesburg’s defense did its job for a second-straight possession and forced Frostburg into a three-and-out situation that resulted in a punt. The Jackets took over at their own 24-yard line on the final play of the third quarter. Waynesburg carried its momentum into the fourth-and-final period of the afternoon, and Hill fired in touchdown pass number three, this one going to tight end Zac Capan from just two yards out. Henry gave the visitors a seven-point lead at 42-35 early in the fourth.
Much like its opposition, Frostburg State showed an unwillingness to accept defeat, and tied the game at 42-42 on its next possession. Waynesburg found the sledding difficult after getting the ball back on the ensuing kickoff, but the offense found enough room to travel 33 yards in 15 plays and set Henry up for a go-ahead 40-yard field goal that staked the Orange and Black to a 45-42 advantage with just under eight minutes left to play.
After laboring for three points on offense, Waynesburg’s defense was able to add seven quick points on its biggest play of the young season. The Cats completed a second-down pass to their own 45 yard-line on the ensuing possession, but junior Jacket linebacker John Sikora jarred the football free for fellow junior linebacker Kyle Richey to scoop up and carry 45 yards for the team’s first defensive touchdown of the season. Henry’s successful PAT try stretched the Yellow Jacket lead to 52-42 with under seven minutes showing on the game block, but the visitors were about to learn that a late 10-point lead was far from a precursor to a sure-fire victory.
A 52-yard pass play produced the vast majority of the yardage Frostburg needed for its final touchdown of the game that made the score 52-49 Jackets. The Bobcat defense gave the home team a shot at regaining the lead by forcing its opposition to punt. However, Waynesburg got a possible game-deciding break when the kick bounced and hit an unaware FSU player, causing a live ball that was fallen upon by Waynesburg junior Willie Leavell at the Frostburg 14-yard line. Four Jacket running plays, the last of which came from Forsythe at the one-yard line, provided the final points of the ball game with2:35 of action left to be played. After Henry drilled his final kick of the day, Waynesburg regained its 10-point lead at 59-49.
The Cats had a chance to cut into the deficit on its final offensive possession, but a drop on fourth-and-13 gave the ball back to Waynesburg, and the Yellow Jackets were more than happy to just run out the last 1:51of action.
The final numbers of Saturday’s offensive showcase were staggering. The two teams combined for 1,165 yards of offense, including 867 yards through the air. Ironically, it was Waynesburg’s defense and special teams that ultimately spelled victory for the visitors. The Jackets won the turnover battle (three lost fumbles to one) and Henry was a perfect three-for-three in field goal tries, while Frostburg missed on its only attempt.
Obviously, Hill needed some pretty productive receivers to put together his historic passing numbers. English recorded his second-straight 100-plus-yard receiving day by pulling in a game-high 13 catches for 157 yards and a touchdown. Junior Bernie Thompson paced all receivers with 173 yards on 10 catches. Forsythe paced the Jacket ground game with 53 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries.
Senior safety Bryan Gary put together his second-straight double-digit tackle effort after piling up a game-high 15 stops, eight of which were solo stops. Senior defensive end Brandon Fedorka picked up 2.5 tackles for loss and his third sack of the season.
After surviving one of the wildest games in recent memory, Waynesburg will return home to John F. Wiley Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 21, to open up Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) play against Saint Vincent College. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
