FAIRMONT, W.Va. -- Fairmont State erased a 17-point halftime deficit to rally past West Virginia State, 34-27, on Saturday evening at Duvall-Rosier Field. Fairmont's rally was sparked by a 24-point third quarter that gave Fairmont State the lead for good.
 
With the victory, FSU improves to 6-3 overall (6-2 in the MEC). WV State slips to 5-4 overall (4-4 in the MEC).
 
With FSU trailing 24-7 entering the second half of play, the Falcons scored just 1:14 into the third quarter on a drive that consisted of four-consecutive runs by the FSU offense. The drive was keyed by a 30-yard run by Rakeem Darden and a 20-yard run by Terrell Charles. Darden finished the drive by plowing into the endzone from three yards out for his first score of the day.
 
On the ensuing West Virginia State possession, Fairmont State's Antonio Harris scored on an 11-yard fumble return after a WVSU punt attempt was muffed due to a bad snap. The score allowed Fairmont State to close the halftime deficit to three points just three minutes into the third quarter.
 
Following a stop by the FSU defense on the next State possession, Fairmont State tied the game on a 10-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by a 34-yard field goal by Sam Keil - the reining D2Football.com Special Teams Player of the Week. The scoring drive was sparked by a 51-yard passing strike from Takwan Crews-Naylor to Brandon Boyd on the first play of the possession, putting Fairmont State in WVSU territory.
 
Keil's 34-yard field goal at the 4:50 mark of the third allowed the senior to become the single-season leader for field goals with 16 (note: Keil added a second field goal in the fourth quarter and now has 17 on the season).
 
On Fairmont's next possession following a 3-and-out by the West Virginia State offense, the Falcons went on another scoring march – this time from 88 yards away in just five plays. The drive was keyed by a 52-yard pass down the middle of the field to Alquawn Vickers and was eventually capped by Darden on a 26-yard run through the WVSU defense; giving the Falcons their first lead of the game at 31-24.
 
Neither team managed to cross the goal line in the fourth quarter as the teams traded field goals at the midway point of the fourth to make the final score 34-27.
 
Charles finished the evening with 19 carries for 104 yards and a first half touchdown. The 100-yard rushing performance was the first of the season for a Fairmont State running back. Darden also had a big day on the ground with 98 yards on just 12 carries and a pair of scores.
 
Fairmont State's offense rushed for a season-high 204 yards in the victory.
 
Although Crews-Naylor completed just five passes in the victory, three of the five were for 33 yards or more – including a 52 yard pass to Vickers, a 51-yard throw to Boyd and a 33-yard strike to Shawn Harris. Crews-Naylor finished the evening going 5-of-12 for 155 yards and an interception.
 
West Virginia State quarterback Matt Kinnick had a solid outing, completing 20-of-29 passes for 203 yards and a pair of first half touchdowns. Quinton Gray was on the receiving end of 13 passes for 150 yards and crossed the goal line once.
 
Juawan Etheredge led the WV State ground attack with 23 carries for 81 yards and a score.
 
Fairmont State's defensive unit, which was on the field for nearly 36 minutes in the game, was led by Marcus Porter with 10 total tackles and a sack. Antonio Harris also chipped in six stops and scored on a 21-yard fumble recovery. Kyle Alexander led the West Virginia State defense with six solo tackles.
 
FSU will now prepare for a noon kickoff next Saturday with a trip to Athens to take on the Mountain Lions of Concord. Concord fell to 2-7 on the season following a 44-14 loss at West Liberty on Saturday afternoon.