Buckhannon, WV -- West Virginia Wesleyan Football dropped the 2019 Homecoming Game on Saturday afternoon. Mountain East Conference newcomer Frostburg State took over this battle of Bobcats, defeating Wesleyan 35-13. It was a cool, damp day in Buckhannon, and the weather may have had an early impact on the game. Both teams had turnover troubles early, with four footballs touching the turf in the first half. After holding only a one possession lead at halftime, Frostburg State was able to turn it on in the second half, scoring 21 points and pulling away to claim the victory. 

With Saturday's win, Frostburg State improved to 5-1 on the season. This also bumps their conference record up to 5-1, good for second place in the MEC. On the other side, Saturday's result updated Wesleyan's record to 1-5, and their MEC record to 1-4. 

Saturday brought an exciting addition back to the Wesleyan offense, Junior WR Kenny Lewis Jr was an instant spark in his season debut. Lewis Jr finished the day with 6 receptions, 109 yards, and a touchdown. Redshirt Junior RB Lawrence Brown also tallied season high totals in attempts and rushing yards, carrying the ball 12 times for 61 yards. Late in the first quarter, Coach Testa pulled a trick play out of his playbook. In Super Bowl LII style, the Bobcats introduced the "Buckhannon Special", with WR Derek Drapen tossing a 5 yard TD pass to QB Jarrett Northrop. Northrop completed 20 out of 32 passes for 1 TD and 1 INT when he was in the pocket on Saturday. 

On defense, the Bobcats were stout early, forcing two fumbles and holding a powerful Frostburg offense to just 14 points in the first half. Freshman LB Chris Parker was all over the run game, tallying a game high 9 tackles. Sophomore S John Merica made 6 tackles on Saturday, bringing his season total to 66, which is good for third place in the MEC. DL Amir Franklin-Branch and LB Chase Goldsmith both forced their first fumbles of the season, one of which was recovered by Sophomore DB Ephraim Moore. Redshirt Junior LB Cole Skaggs scooped up his second fumble of the season at the end of the first quarter, which immediately led to the first TD of the game for the Bobcats when they took over on offense following the recovery. Redshirt Sophomore DB Zechariah Johnson got his first INT of the year with 9 seconds left in the first half.

Frostburg State's Graduate QB Will Brunson threw for 244 yards on 13 completions, including 3 TDs and 1 INT. Junior RB Gavin Lavat was a steady force in this one, gaining 73 yards on 22 carries, while junior WR Terrell Brown took advantage of an outside running lane to scamper 27 yards for a TD in his only rushing opportunity in the game. Sophomore WR Isaac Brown also made the most out of his opportunities on Saturday, turning one of his 2 catches into a TD.

Wesleyan's most exciting opportunity to take control of this game came late in the first quarter, when Cole Skaggs recovered the fumble that quickly led to the TD caught by Jarrett Northrop. However, they were not able to carry momentum into the second quarter and throughout the second half. Frostburg State never looked back after Isaac Smith caught a 39 yard TD pass from Will Brunson.

Next up for the Frostburg State Bobcats is an exciting Thursday Night matchup against Charleston at home under the 7pm lights. Frostburg State will look to hold off Charleston from regaining a share of 2nd place in the MEC, as this one will be a matchup of two of the conference's top teams.

Wesleyan will look to change the course of their season with a big game at Glenville State next Saturday, taking on the Pioneers in a matchup for bragging rights in central West Virginia. A win over Glenville State could energize the Bobcats to make a strong push in the second half of the season.