FAIRMONT, W.Va. -- Notre Dame rallied from a 14-3 halftime deficit to pick up a 24-21 victory over Fairmont State during Thursday's NCAA Division II Showcase Game at Duvall-Rosier Field. The game was delayed by 30 minutes because of lightening, and steady rain throughout most of the game created challenging playing conditions for both teams.
 
Jaleel McLaughlin's 2-yard touchdown with just over a minute to play secured the Notre Dame win. McLaughlin's score was setup by a poorly secured punt that resulted in a 13-yard loss and a turnover on downs.
 
Notre Dame (6-0, 6-0 MEC) overcame a halftime deficit for the third-straight week to remain unbeaten on the season. Fairmont State dropped to 4-2 on the year (3-2 in the MEC).
 
After NDC grabbed an early 3-0 lead on a 42-yard field goal by Tanner Harding late in the first quarter, Fairmont State grabbed its first lead of the game just under a minute into the second when Khalik Hamlin crossed the goal line from 11 yards out to cap a 10-play, 67-yard drive.
 
After getting a stop on Notre Dame's next possession, Dalton Dempsey blocked the punt, which allowed Danny Ainge to scoop up the ball at the NDC 17-yard line and score a special teams touchdown for the Falcons.
 
After Fairmont State went to the locker room with a 14-3 lead, NDC managed to grab the lead at 17-14 early in the fourth quarter following rushing touchdowns from McLaughlin and Vasean Davis. Fairmont State's Takwan Crews-Naylor responded with a 40-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Lewis to put the Fairmont State back in front with 9:03 to go.
 
Notre Dame drove the ball deep into Fairmont State territory and had to go for it fourth down, but Chris Brimm's pass was intercepted at the one allowing Fairmont to take over. NDC, however, was able to get a stop on defense with time winding down to force a Fairmont State punt. The snap was bobbled on the punt, which allowed Notre Dame to take over at Fairmont State's 5-yard line.
 
Fairmont kept Notre Dame out of the end zone on its first three tries, but a pass interference penalty on fourth down gave NDC new life. McLaughlin then took the ball in on his 41st carry of the night for the go-ahead score with 1:33 left in the game. The score provided the games fourth lead change.
 
Fairmont State was unable to pick up a first down on its final possession and NDC took over, sealing the victory.
 
Hamlin led the Fairmont State ground attack with 85 yards on 18 carries and a TD. Takwan Crews-Naylor completed just 6-of-21 passes in the game for 171 yards and a touchdown. Each of Crews-Naylor's passes was for more than 10 yards, and four were completions of 47-, 40-, 40-, and 21-yards. Aaron Lewis hauled in his first touchdown of the season and finished the evening with two receptions for 50 yards. Shawn Harris also caught two passes for 53 yards in the setback.
 
Antonio Harris led Fairmont State's defense, which was on the field for nearly 35 minutes on the night, with a game-high 12 stops. Josh Ballard also chipped in 11 tackles. Michael Porter had a strong night in the Fairmont secondary with two tackles, two interceptions and two pass break-ups.
 
McLaughlin, the NCAA leader in rushing, added 194 more yards on the ground and two touchdowns. Chris Brimm was limited to just 13-of-30 passing for 142 yards and was intercepted twice. Marvelle Ross caught a game-high four passes for 76 yards.
 
Notre Dame ran 86 plays and had 377 yards of total offense with 25 first downs on the night. Fairmont State had 58 plays and 288 yards of total offense.
 
The Falcons will now prepare for a 12 noon matchup against Shepherd University next Saturday in Shepherdstown.