FAIRMONT, W.Va. -- Fairmont State wrapped up the 2017 season by edging West Liberty, 13-7, on Thursday evening at Duvall-Rosier Field during the Week 11 Mountain East Conference Game of the Week.
 
The win helped Fairmont State record back-to-back eight win seasons for the first time since 1964 and 1965. The Falcons finished the year with an 8-3 overall record, including and 8-2 mark in MEC play. West Liberty ended the year with a record of 3-8 (3-7 in league play). 

Fairmont State forced four turnovers in the game and held a 302-271 advantage in total offense to come away with the win. An interception by Stephen Turner on West Liberty's final possession sealed the victory. The interception was Turner's fourth of the season.
 
Safety Naiquan Thomas also got had a big day in the FSU secondary with a pair of picks, which also pushes his season total to four which ties Turner for the team lead.

WLU got on the board first on a Jeremiah Ortiz two-yard touchdown run. Ortiz would finish the game with 79 yards rushing to go over 1,000 on the season.

The Falcons evened the score midway through the second quarter as Takwan Crews-Naylor found Alquawn Vickers from six yards out to make it 7-7. FSU had a chance to score just before halftime taking the ball down inside the five-yard line, but the drive stalled and the Falcons then missed the field goal attempt.

WLU turned the ball over on both of its possessions in the third quarter, but the Hilltopper defense managed to force the Falcons to punts after those to limit the damage. Fairmont State got the key breakthrough in the game as Crews-Naylor and Shawn Harris hooked up for a 44-yard touchdown strike. The point-after attempt failed, though, so the lead was 13-7.

The Hilltoppers got the ball just inside FSU territory on its next possession, but was stuffed on 4th-and-2 to turn the ball over. After a three-and-out from Fairmont State, West Liberty got the ball back and picked up two first downs but had to once again punt the ball back to FSU with 5:07 left in the game. The Falcons were able to get one first down to help melt the clock, but still had to punt it back to WLU.

Taking over with 2:13 on the clock and 80 yards to go, WLU was forced into a pair of incomplete passes before Lukas O'Connor's pass over the middle missed high and went into the arms of Turner to secure the win for Fairmont State.

Crews-Naylor led the way for FSU with a career-high 212 yards passing and a pair of touchdowns. Harris went over the 100-yard mark receiving and also recorded a career-high with 112 yards on seven catches. Terrell Charles had 72 yards on 24 carries, and finished his career in 10^th place in FSU history with 2,136 yards during his four-year career.

Porter led the Falcons on defense with eight tackles, including one for a loss. Porter wraps up his FSU career in sixth place in school history with 336 total tackles. Turner also chipped in seven spots (six solo) to go with his game-clinching INT.

O'Connor finished the night 13-of-29 for 165 yards and three a trio of interceptions in the WLU loss. Logan Deri had eight tackles (five solo) and one TFL, and Cordell Felder had a pair of sacks for the Hilltoppers.