Live Coverage
Radio: SKY 106.5 FM | Listen Online

Live Stats

Live Stream

Complete Game Notes: Fairmont State

The Matchup
- Fairmont State returns to action Saturday, Oct. 27 on the road at 1 p.m. to face West Virginia State at Lakin Field at Dickerson Stadium.
- The Falcons enter the contest 6-2 overall and 5-2 and tied for second in the Mountain East Conference standings. State, on the other hand, is 4-4 overall, 3-4 in the league and tied for fifth place.
- Fairmont State enters this weekend's matchup winners of three of its last four games. The Yellow Jackets have won four of their last five games. WVSU saw its four-game winning streak snapped last week at West Liberty.
- Fairmont State leads the all-time series between the two schools 35-14-1. The Falcons have won seven of the last eight meetings with the Yellow Jackets, including a wild 34-27 come-from-behind victory last season in the rain in Fairmont in which the Falcons erased a 24-7 halftime deficit to get the win.
- State's lone win in the last eight years of the series came in the 2015 season opener at Duvall-Rosier Field when the Yellow Jackets dominated the Falcons and rolled to a 59-34 victory.
- Standout Running back Khalik Hamlin needs just 59 rushing yards to be the first Fairmont State player to rush for 1,000 yards since Doug Brazill in 2007.
- Saturday's matchup features two of the top running backs in the Mountain East Conference. In the last two week's, team with 100-yard rushers are 9-0.
- Fairmont State has made a major improvement over previous seasons in third down efficiency. The Falcons have converted on 50-of-103 third downs this fall or 48.5 percent of its chances. That ranks Fairmont 12th in the nation in that category. The Falcons' defense has allowed opponents to convert on third downs 33.0 percent of the time which ranks 51st in the country.

Offensive Notebook
- Last Saturday, Fairmont State wasted little time taking control of its game with Glenville and putting the contest out of reach. The Falcons scored on their first six offensive possessions of the game and took a 42-0 lead to the halftime locker room.
- The 42 points were the most scored in a single half by a Fairmont State team in the Jason Woodman era at the school which started in the fall of 2013. It was also the most points scored in a half by the Falcons since 2009 when Fairmont State scored 43 first-half points against the Pioneers at Duvall-Rosier Field en route to a 50-37 victory.
- Balance has been one of the keys to Fairmont's success this season. The Falcons average 425.9 yards of total offense per game, including 191.0 on the ground and 234.9 yards through the air.
- Fairmont State junior quarterback Takwan Crews-Naylor earned Mountain East Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance in the Falcons' impressive 52-9 homecoming victory over visiting Glenville State last Saturday at Duvall-Rosier Field.
 - Crews-Naylor turned in arguably his best performance of the season connecting on 17-of-21 passes for 301 yards and four touchdowns. He didn't suffer any interceptions or sacks.
- After eight games Crews-Naylor is ranked 27th or higher in NCAA Division II in seven different passing categories. He is fifth in yards per pass attempt (9.86), sixth in passing efficiency (174.3), 10th in completion percentage (.656), 15th in passing yards per completion (15.03), tied for 21st in touchdown passes (17), 27th in passing yards (1,834) and 27th in passing yards per game (229.3).
- For the season he's completed 122-of-186 passes for 1,834 yards and 17 touchdowns. He's been intercepted just four times, three of which came in the Falcons' 23-17 loss to the University of Charleston back on Sept. 20. He also has only been sacked six times this fall.
- Crews-Naylor's 17 TD passes this season are tied for the 10th most in school history in a single season with Jarrod Furgason (1994) and Bobby Vega (2012). He needs just 306 more passing yards to tie Vega for the 10th most passing yards in a single season in school history (2,140).
- In eight games this fall Fairmont State, as a team, has rushed for 1,528 yards or an average of 191.0 yards per game. The Falcons rank third in the Mountain East Conference behind Notre Dame (300.0) and West Virginia State (223.5) and 39th in the nation in rushing yards per game.
- What's even more impressive about those numbers is that already, in just eight games, Fairmont State has rushed for more yards than in any of its previous six seasons. The 2018 Falcons have 227 more yards than they did last year in 11 games, 62 more yards than the 2016 team had in 12 games, 125 more yards than the 2015 squad had in 10 games, 494 more yards than the 2014 team did in 10 games, 305 more yards they did in 10 games in 2013 and 363 more yards than the 2012 team did in 10 games.
- The last Fairmont State team to rush for more yards was the 2011 squad which finished 7-4 and ran for 1,800 yards in 11 games.
- Fairmont State sophomore running back Khalik Hamlin is currently 11th in NCAA Division II in rushing yards with 941 yards and nine touchdowns on 167 carries. Hamlin ranks 13th in the nation in rushing yards per game (117.6) and his nine rushing TDs are tied for 23rd in the country. He is also 54th in the nation in all-purpose yards with an average of 122.0 per contest.
- Sophomore receiver Javon Hayes is tied for 25th in NCAA Division II in touchdown receptions with seven, while junior receiver Shawn Harris ranks 55th in the nation in receiving yards with 602 on 33 catches.
- Hayes currently leads the team in receptions with 35 for 470 yards. Shawn Harris has a team-high 602 yards on 33 catches this season.
- Alquawn Vickers has hauled in a TD pass in three of the last four games, including one in each of the last two weeks.

Defensive Notebook
- Last Saturday, the Fairmont State defense limited the Pioneers to a season-low 198 yards of total offense, 44 of which came in the fourth quarter long after the game had been decided. The Falcons also came up with three turnovers giving them nine in their last four outings.
- Fairmont State's defense is tied for 13th in NCAA Division II in turnover margin at plus-9. The Falcons are also 17th in the country in points allowed per game (18.3), 38th in total defense (322.8), 38th in passing yards allowed per game (184.5) and 62nd in rushing yards allowed per contest (138.3).
- Fairmont State sophomore safety Malachi McMillian is tied for ninth in the country in fumbles recovered with two.
- The Falcons have performed very well in the defensive redzone, allowing opponents to score on just 69.2 percent of attempts – which ranks 26th in the country.
- The Fairmont State defense has also forced 18 turnovers this season, including 10 interceptions and eight fumble recoveries. The Falcons rank in the top 35 in the country in turnovers gained, fumbles recovered and passes intercepted.
- Six different players have picked off a pass this season, led by Michael Porter with three and Stephen Turner and Malachi McMillan with two apiece. Porter returned an interception for a TD against Shepherd.
- Fairmont State has 18 different players with double-digit tackles this season.
- The Fairmont State defense is being led by Jerry Iweh with 58 tackles, including 5.5 for a loss this season. Antonio Harris is second on the team in tackles this season with 50, followed by Trevon Shorts and Stephen Turner with 44 apiece.
- Josh Ballard is leading the Fairmont State defensive front with 38 tackles and three sacks this season.
- Fairmont State also ranks 57^th in the country in tackles for loss, averaging 6.9 per game.
- However, after ranking in the top 30 in the country in sacks the last two seasons, the Falcons currently rank 119th in sacks this season, averaging 1.50 per game. The Falcons have just 12 quarterback sacks this season, compared to 30 in 2017 (2.72) and 38 in 2016 (3.16).