BUCKHANNON, W.Va. -- Colin Harvath's 46-yard field goal as time expired lifted Fairmont State to a 44-41 win over West Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon at Cebe Ross Field.
 
Saturday's matchup was a high-scoring affair that featured three ties, and saw both teams lead by double-digits at some point during the afternoon. The teams combined for 1,002 yards of total offense, with 557 of those coming from Fairmont State. The Falcons finished the afternoon with 302 yards through the air and 255 yards on the ground.
 
The 557 yards of total offense is the most for Fairmont State since the 2014 season when the Falcons totaled 551 yards of total offense against Notre Dame College (9/4/2014).

The win, Fairmont's fourth in a row against Wesleyan, helped the Falcons improve to 3-0 on the year (2-0 MEC). West Virginia Wesleyan dropped to 0-3 on the season (0-3 MEC), with all three losses coming by three points, including a pair of field goals at the buzzer. 

The Bobcats raced out to a 17-0 lead and carried it into the second quarter, but the Falcons responded with a quick flurry of scores that knotted the game at 17-17 with still 7:32 left in the half.
 
Fairmont State finally got on the board at the 12:10 mark of the second quarter when Takwan Crews-Naylor hooked up with Alquawn Vickers for a 52-yard TD strike. Less than two minutes later, Crews-Naylor found Shawn Harris for a 22-yard score to cut the Bobcat lead to just three. Harvath booted a 22-yard field goal at the 7:32 mark of the second to knot the score.
 
WVWC's Dante Satcher answered for the Bobcats by scoring from 37 yards out, before Harvath hit from 23 yards away to make the halftime score 24-20 in favor of the Bobcats. 

Fairmont State scored on its first two possessions in the second half to surge ahead 34-24. The first score of the second half was set up when Fairmont State recovered the opening kickoff of the half following a Wesleyan miscommunication. On the next play Crews-Naylor hooked up with Javon Hayes for a 23-yard score, the duos first of two TD connections in the game.
 
Following a defensive stand by Fairmont, Lyrics Klugh gave the Falcons their largest lead of the day after returning a punt for a touchdown for the second-consecutive week, this time from 68 yards.
 
However, West Virginia Wesleyan scored the game's next 10 points on a 35-yard field goal and Kenny Lewis Jr. hauled in a 62-yard touchdown pass from Luke Casey to tie the game for the second time (34-34).

Fairmont State regained the lead (41-34) on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Crews-Naylor to Hayes with 13:03 remaining, and looked to put the game away with just over four minutes to play as Harvath lined up for a short field goal. The Bobcats blocked the attempt, though, and Kobe Vinegar returned it 78 yards for the touchdown to tie the game for a third time.

The two teams traded possessions and Fairmont State got the ball back after a punt at the 50 yard line with just 19 seconds left. After two incomplete passes, Crews-Naylor hit Hayes for 21 yards on third down to set up the game-winning field goal. Hayes stepped out of bounds with 2.5 seconds remaining to give Harvath a chance at the game winner.
 
After a WVWC timeout to let Harvath think about his upcoming attempt, the redshirt-freshman lined up and drilled a kick that would have been good from over 50 yards away.

Crews-Naylor finished 19-of-35 for 302 yards and four touchdowns in the victory. The 300-yard performance is his second of the season. Crews-Naylor hit five different receivers in the victory, led by Hayes with seven catches for 87 yards and two scores. Shawn Harris also chipped in six receptions for 78 yards and a score, and Alquawn Vickers hauled in two catches for 70 yards and a TD.
 
On the ground, Khalik Hamlin had a career- and season-high 153 yards on 28 carries (5.5 yards per attempt).

Jerry Iweh had nine tackles (six solo) and also picked off a pass for the Fairmont State defense. Donnell Bonds had two tackles for a loss and a sack on the defensive line. Cornerback Michael Porter also had a strong outing for the Falcons in the secondary, totaling four total stops and forcing two fumbles.
 
Klugh, the reining MEC Special Teams Player of the Week, continued his strong play in the return game for the Falcons, totaling 96 yards on four kickoff returns to go with his 68-yard punt return TD.

Casey was 21-of-28 for 360 yards and three touchdowns to pace the Bobcat offense. Satcher finished with 60 yards on the ground and one touchdown. Jujuan Linzy had six catches for 51 yards and one score and returned six kickoffs for 109 yards.
 
Anthony Hill led WVWC on defense with a game-high 12 tackles (eight solo).
 
Fairmont State will now prepare for a battle of unbeatens, when the University of Charleston (3-0, 3-0 MEC) visits Duvall-Rosier Field on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the MEC game of the week.