Division III’s #8 Frostburg State And #19 Johns Hopkins Post Season-Opening Victories
BALTIMORE, Md. – Three Division III Maryland colleges saw their 2018 seasons get underway Thursday night mere miles from each other.
At Mustang Stadium, #8 Frostburg State Bobcats (1-0) began it’s season with a 34-7 trouncing over in-state rival Stevenson Mustangs (0-1) in front of a crowd of 2,650.
Three running backs scored four rushing touchdowns for the Bobcats (two from Senior RB Jamaal Morant and one each from Senior RB Grayson Boyce & Sophomore RB Malcolm Facey) and the defense would force the Mustangs into nine punts.
Senior QB Dan Williams was 17 of 30 for 148 yards and had Stevenson’s only touchdown of the game on a three-yard run near the end of the second quarter. The Mustangs held both a 33:40-26:20 edge over Frostburg State in time of possession and they would run nine more plays than the Bobcats, 69-60.
But Frostburg State out-gained Stevenson 430 to 268 in total yards. Senior QB Connor Cox only threw 15 passes but completed eight of them for 254 yards in the victory.
The Bobcats are looking to continue the success it had last year when the team made it to the third round of the NCAA Division III Men’s Football Playoffs. They come into this season with the school’s highest-ever ranking in the Division III Men’s Football Standings.
Up next for Frostburg State will be their first New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) game on Saturday, September 8th in Ewing, New Jersey against TCNJ (1 PM).
Stevenson also doesn’t play again until September 8th when they travel to play Bridgewater (Virginia). Kick-0ff for that game is slated for 7 PM.
Just a few miles away from Mustang Stadium at Homewood Field in northern Baltimore City, #19 Johns Hopkins Blue Jays (1-0) opened their Division III football schedule in front of a crowd of 1,850 with a 63-31 victory over Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets (0-1). But don’t let the final score think it was a cake-walk for the Blue Jays.
Coming into the fourth quarter, Johns Hopkins only led by four points, 35-31. But they would score 28 unanswered points to pull away.
Johns Hopkins would get six touchdown passes and 410 yards from three individuals (four from Junior QB David Tammaro and one each from Sophomore QB Nick Leongas and Senior TE Chuck Norgle).
Senior WR Eric Hoy rushed for three touchdowns in the Yellow Jackets loss.
Randolph-Macon ran a total of 85 offensive plays to only 68 for Johns Hopkins but the Blue Jays had a 606-360 advantage with total yards.
Johns Hopkins was dominant on both sides of the football in the fourth quarter. Where the offense scored on all three of it’s possessions (19 plays for 176 yards), it was their defense that was stellar, holding the Yellow Jackets to 62 yards on 20 plays (Johns Hopkins had a 34-yard touchdown via an interception as well in the fourth).
The Blue Jays open up defense of their 2017 Centennial Conference championship with their next game, on Saturday, September 8th at Susquehanna (1 PM).