FAIRMONT, W.Va. –
Terrell Charles scored four touchdowns and
Emanuel Ivey picked-off three passes to lead Fairmont State to a 37-30 victory over Glenville State in the 2016 edition of the "Battle for the Bit." The Falcons withstood a second-half Pioneer rally after FSU build a 35-10 lead at the 10:50 mark of the third quarter.
The Falcons (10-1, 9-1 MEC) took a significant step towards their first NCAA Playoff berth with the win over the PIoneers (5-6, 5-5 MEC). Fairmont State entered the week fourth in the Super Region 1 rankings and needs to finish in the top seven for a berth. The Falcons would host an opening round playoff game if they remain in the top four of the Super Region 1 when the final playoff selections are announced on Sunday at 5 p.m. on NCAA.com.
The 10-win regular season for the Falcons is also the first in program history.
Fairmont State led 35-10 early in the third quarter before Glenville State rallied. Charles was responsible for four of Fairmont's first five scores on the evening, reaching the end zone on runs of one, 40 and 11 yards and also hauling in a 13-yard TD receptions from
Cooper Hibbs.
Fabian Guerra also scored his sixth touchdown of the season on a 13-yard pass from Hibbs in the second quarter.
Dante Roberts hooked up with Dante Absher for touchdowns of 10, 11 and 15 yards in the second half to help the Pioneers close a 25-point FSU lead down to just seven points late in the fourth.
The Pioneers had the ball with over a minute to play, tailing by seven, but D.J. Williams couldn't handle a pass and it landed in
Emanuel Ivey's arms for the interception. Ivey ended the game with three picks.
In addition to his four-touchdown performance, Charles led the way for FSU with 149 yards rushing.
Senior quarterback
Cooper Hibbs threw for 275 yards and two scores, completing 26-of-41 passes on the evening. Hibbs moved past Bryan Harman in career passing yards (8,664) and tied Harman in career touchdowns (64) during the victory. Hibbs' 2,855 yards this season are currently the third-most in a single season at Fairmont State.
Fabian Guerra had 11 catches for 94 yards and a score to lead all FSU receivers on senior day.
Laurence King also hauled in nine receptions for 82 yards, breaking Mike Roscoe's record of 75 receptions during the 1987 season. With his nine-reception performance against the Pioneers, King has shattered the record with 81 receptions for 869 yards so far during his freshman season.
In addition to Ivey's three picks,
Marcus Porter once again had a team-high in tackles with nine, including a TFL.
Stephen Turner also chipped in six tackles, a fumble recovery and returned a fumbled snap on an extra-point to score two points for FSU. The Falcon defense broke up eight passes and recorded six tackles for loss in the game.
Roberts had 303 yards passing with three touchdowns and three interceptions in the loss. Absher had 116 yards receiving and hauled in each of Roberts' three scores. Marquis Walker was limited to 49 yards rushing and one touchdown. Troy Brown and Andre Dalton led GSC on defense with seven tackles apiece.
Both teams recorded over 400 yards of total offense, with Glenville holding a 413-401 advantage. The Falcons held an advantage in turnovers forced by a 3-2 margin.
