The Matchup

- Fairmont State will be looking for its sixth-consecutive win over Glenville State on Thursday evening during the annual "Battle for the Bit." The 2019 installment of the rivalry will take place at Morris Field on Glenville State University. Kickoff is set for 7:10 p.m.

- Falcon Fans can follow the action live on SKY 106.5 FM, the official radio home of Fighting Falcon Athletics. Travis Jones and Duane Cochran will bring you the call live from Morris Stadium.

- The Mountain East Conference will also be producing an HD live stream on MountainEast.tv. Live stats will also be available at FightingFalcons.com and GSCpioneers.com.

- Fairmont State, who was voted to finish second in the 2019 MEC Preseason Poll, has started the season with just a 1-3 record – including an 0-2 mark on the road.

- Coming into the 2019 season, the Falcons had won eight-straight road games dating back to Oct. 21, 2017.

- Although the Falcons have won five-straight games in the series, four of those games were decided by seven points or less. The only lopsided game in the past five seasons was Fairmont's 52-9 blowout win last season on Homecoming Saturday at Duvall-Rosier Field.

- Jason Woodman has a 5-1 record against Glenville State, with the only loss coming back in 2013 – a 31-14 loss at Morris Stadium.

- During the last at Morris Stadium back in 2017, the Falcons came away with an 18-15 overtime victory. The Falcons picked up the victory following six field goals by Sam Keil.

- Takwan Crews-Naylor made the start at quarterback back in 2017 against GSC, completing 19-of-33 passes for 178 yards on the afternoon. 

- Last Thursday's overtime game against Frostburg State was just the third overtime appearance for the Falcons under Jason Woodman – the Falcons are 1-2 in those games (L 37-40 in 2013 vs. WV Wesleyan, W 18-15 in 2017 at Glenville State, L 34-41 vs. Frostburg State last week).

- Glenville State comes into Thursday's game with a 2-2 overall record, including a 1-2 mark in MEC play. The Pioneers own victories over Alderson Broaddus and Concord this season.

- The Pioneers fell to West Liberty 43-20 last Thursday.

- The Pioneers are under first-year head coach Mike Kellar. Kellar has a 53-37 record as a DII head coach at California (PA), Concord and Lenoir-Rhyne. Former WVU and Florida State assistant coach Rick Trickett serves as assistant head coach and run game coordinator for the Pioneers.

- Jason Woodman served on Mike Kellar's staff at Concord during the 2009 and 2010 season as Wide Receivers Coach and Special Teams Coordinator.

- The Falcons have started a season with a 1-3 record for the first time since 2012. FSU finished that season with a 4-6 record.

- In 2012 the Falcons dropped their week five matchup at UC to start the season with a 1-4 mark as well.
 

Offensive Outlook

- Fairmont State's offense has been very productive through the first four games. The Falcons are fifth in the nation in NCAA Division II in total offense with an average of 518.3 yards per game and 11th in the country in scoring with an average of 43.8 points per outing.

- As a team the Falcons are averaging 294.3 yards per game through the air which is 14th in the nation and 224.0 yards per contest on the ground which ranks 26th in the country.

- Fairmont State ranks 15th in the country and first in the MEC in third-down percentage (.509).

- Senior quarterback Takwan Crews-Naylor is 11th in the nation in passing yards. Crews-Naylor has completed 67-of-104 passes this fall for 1,149 yards and 10 touchdowns. He's been intercepted three times.

- Crews-Naylor also ranks seventh in the country in passing efficiency (182.2) and 15th in the country in completion percentage (.644).

- Crews-Naylor is currently fifth in Fairmont State history in career passing yards (4,359) and fourth in school history in career touchdown passes (38).

- Crews-Naylor needs just 379 passing yards to move past Luc Tousignant for fourth in school history.

- Fairmont State junior running back Khalik Hamlin is 16th in the country in rushing yards. Hamlin has 430 yards and four touchdowns on 77 carries this season. Hamlin has rushed for over 100 yards in a game nine times during his career.

- Hamlin needs just 457 rushing yards to move into the top 10 in school history.

- Fairmont State had a running back rush for over 100 yards in each of the first three games this season; Hamlin rushed for over 100 yards in week one against Charleston and in week three at NDC. Tyree Randolph and Timothy Smith each rushed for over 100 yards in Fairmont's week two win over Wheeling.

- Hamlin (98) and Randolph (89) were closing in on 100-yard rushing performances last Thursday against Frostburg State.

- Hamlin and Randolph each have four rushing touchdowns for the Falcons this season. The duo rank 39th in the country in the category.

- Fairmont's top receiver this fall is junior Andre Hall who has 15 catches for 323 yards and three touchdowns. He currently ranks 44th in the nation in receiving yards. Javon Hayes has a team-high 18 catches as well for 310 yards and two TDs. Hayes ranks 55th in the country in receiving yards.

- Senior receiver Aaron Lewis is currently third on the team with 10 receptions for 189 yards and three scores. Lewis, who started his career at New Hampshire before transferring to Fairmont a few years ago, caught a career-high six passes for a career-high 141 yards and two touchdowns.

- Fairmont State has two players that currently rank in the top 10 in the conference in all-purpose yards per game. Randolph ranks third in the conference with 151.0 yards per game. Hamlin ranks eighth in the conference at 126.75 yards per game.
 

Defensive Outlook

- The Fairmont State defense is off to a slow start in 2019. The Falcons are allowing 38.5 points per game and 381.5 yards of total offense per contest, including 129.8 yards per outing on the ground and 251.8 yards per game through the air.

- Those numbers are all significantly higher than Fairmont State's defense has allowed the previous three seasons. In 2016 when the Falcons finished 10-2 and made the NCAA Division II playoffs Fairmont gave up just 19.0 points per game and 322.5 yards of total offense. In 2017 the 8-3 Falcons allowed just 15.6 points per outing and 281.2 yards of total offense and last season the team, which finished 9-2, allowed 18.5 points per contest and 324.3 yards of total offense.

- Fairmont was also plus six in turnover margin in 2016, plus seven in 2017 and plus 13 in 2018. This season the Falcons have forced nine turnovers and have turned the ball over eight times for a +1 in turnover differential.

- Senior linebacker Trevon Shorts leads the Falcons in tackles this fall with 36, including eight for losses. He's tied for 58th in the nation in total tackles, tied for 22nd in solo tackles (23) and tied for 11th in the country in tackles for losses.

- Shorts currently ranks fifth in the league in total tackles per game (9.0), and is first in the league in tackles for loss per game (2.0).

- Junior defensive end Chrinovic Mukulu, a transfer from Morehead State, is also off to a solid start for Fairmont State. In four games he has total of 18 tackles, which ranks second on the team.

- Senior safety Siddiq Kanneh has also played well for Fairmont in its first four games. Kanneh, who has battled a number of injuries for much of his Falcon career, is currently third on the team in tackles with 17, including eight solo stops. He has 3.0 tackles for losses and returned a fumble 17 yards for a touchdown against NDC two weeks ago.

- Kanneh's fumble recovery TD against NDC was the first of the season for the Falcon defense.

- Freshman Alex Solano is fourth on the team in tackles with 16 on the year.

- Five players have recorded sacks for the Falcons this season, including Mukulu, John Nesbit, Glenwood Williams, Randy Robinson and Obadiah Asare.

- The Falcons have also picked off six passes this season. Six different players have an interception this season, including Shorts, Chris White, Michael Porter, Desoto McKenzie, Ronnell Dennis and Brandon Ruffin.
 

Last Season vs Glenville

- Fairmont State scored on its first six possessions of the game and racked up 570 yards of total offense in a dominating 52-9 Homecoming victory over Glenville State back in 2018.

- Takwan Crews-Naylor paced the Fairmont State offense in the victory by completing 17-of-21 pass attempts for 301 yards and four touchdowns, each of which came in the opening half of the game.

- Three of Crews-Naylor's touchdown passes were from 30-or-more yards out, including a 77-yard strike to Shawn Harris, a 53-yarder to Javon Hayes, and a 31-yard connection with Alquawn Vickers.

- Each of those receivers recorded at least 70 yards through the air in the victory, led by Harris with three catches for 125 yards and a score. Hayes added five receptions for 72 yards, and Vickers chipped in four receptions for 78 yards.