FAIRMONT, W.Va. -- Fairmont State rallied from a 21-point halftime deficit to edge Urbana, 35-31, on Saturday afternoon during the 2014 Homecoming Game. Fabian Guerra scored the go-ahead touchdown at the 6:56 mark of the fourth quarter on a 32-yard pass from Cooper Hibbs.
With the victory, the Falcons improve their record to 3-4 overall. Urbana falls to 1-7 on the season.
The teams combined for 410 penalty yards on 41 accepted penalties in the game. The national record for combined penalties in a game is 42. Despite all the penalties, Urbana racked up 449 yards of total offense while Fairmont State totaled 392 yards.
Cooper Hibbs completed 23-of-37 pass attempts for 332 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the come-from-behind victory. Devon Garnett hauled in eight passes for 78 yards and Guerra caught five passes for 77 yards and a score. Daniel Marc-Sears also had a big day in the passing game with four catches for 121 yards and a touchdown. Austin White led the FSU rushing attack with 16 carries for 46 yards and a score.
Cale Burdyshaw went 25-of-46 for 338 yards and three touchdowns on the afternoon. All of Burdyshaw's touchdowns were in the opening half of the game. Karim Jones Jr. had six receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown in the loss. Trevon Saunders just missed the 100-yard mark with six catches for 97 yards. Cedric Presley carried the ball 13 times for 74 yards on the ground to lead the Blue Knights.
Marcus Porter racked up 10 total tackles, including seven solo and two for a loss before leaving the game with an injury. Emanuel Ivey had seven tackles out of his safety spot and broke up five passes, including two on the final Urbana drive of the game.
Urbana had seven players with six total tackles in the game.
Three touchdown passes by Burdyshaw and 17 penalties for 160 yards by the Falcons helped Urbana build a 28-7 halftime lead on Saturday afternoon at Duvall-Rosier Feld. Chazzy Thomas put the Falcons on the board in the second quarter with a two-yard run at the 2:03 mark. However, Presley answered less than 50-seconds later with a 19-yard touchdown to make the halftime margin 21 points.
In the second half, FSU tied the game at the 3:26 mark of the third quarter with 21-unanswered points. The Falcons scored less than three minutes into the half when Marc-Sears caught a 55-yard pass from Hibbs less than three minutes into the half.
After pinning Urbana deep and forcing a punt, FSU took over at the Urbana 38 later in the third quarter. Daniel Monoe found the end zone five plays later from four-yards out to cut the UU lead to just seven points.
On the next Urbana possession, Burdyshaw was picked-off by Jacob Jean-Charles and was tackles just shy of the goal line to set the Falcons up with first-and-goal from the one-yard line. White tied the game with a one-yard run for the Falcons to tie the game.
Urbana regained the lead on the first play of the fourth quarter after a 24-yard field goal by Ross Snodgrass. However, Hibbs found Guerra at the 6:56 mark to give FSU the lead for the first time in the game.
The Blue Knights were threatening inside the FSU 10 on their final drive of the game, but a pass break-up by Ivey on fourth down turned the ball over to the Falcons and allowed the offense to run out the clock.
FSU will travel to Buckhannon to take on West Virginia Wesleyan next Saturday at noon from Cebe Ross Field.
