The Matchup
• Fairmont State (5-1, 3-1 MEC) hits the road to North Carolina and will battle UNC Pembroke (3-3, 2-3 MEC) on Saturday (Oct. 14) at Grace P. Johnson Stadium. Kickoff is set for noon. 
• The game will be broadcasted live on MEC TV. Fans can tune into SKY 106.5 FM with the voice of the Fighting Falcons Travis Jones on the call with color analyst Duane Cochran. Live stats will be provided on fightingfalcons.com.
• The Falcons won their third-consecutive game last Thursday (Oct. 5) night after handling Concord 42-9 at Duvall-Rosier Field. The defense forced seven turnovers while the offensive rushing attack tallied 231 yards on the ground in the win.
• Saturday's game will be the fifth meeting all-time between Fairmont State and UNC Pembroke with both teams splitting the first four matchups. The Braves won consecutive games versus FSU in 2009 and 2010 while the Falcons have won the last two meetings in 2021 and 2022. Each of the previous two games have been decided by three or fewer points.

Fighting Falcons Facts
• As a team, Fairmont State leads the MEC in passes intercepted (12), passing yards per completion (17.56 yds/completion), blocked kicks (5) and average punt return yardage (21.67 yds/return).
• After rushing for a season-high 240 rushing yards versus Post, the Fairmont State rushing attack racked up 231 yards versus Concord. The Falcons have rushed north of 200 yards in four games this season and averages 212.7 yards per game on the ground, which is the second-highest mark in the MEC. Two Fairmont State rushers rank inside the top 10 in the MEC in rushing yards. LeJay Hatcher enters this week fourth in the MEC with 388 rushing yards while Leonard Farrow ranks sixth with 344 rushing yards. Fairmont State has tallied 18 rushing touchdowns this season, with Farrow and Donovan Washington each scoring four apiece.
• Quarterback Michael Floria completed six passes for 89 yards and a passing touchdown versus Concord. He added a rushing touchdown and netted 49 yards on the ground versus the Mountain Lions. The Prince Frederick, Md. native has totaled 790 passing yards and seven touchdowns through the air and three rushing touchdowns on the ground.
• Glenville State transfer quarterback Will Adkins shined in his first collegiate start versus Post. The Huntington, W.Va. native completed nine passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns. Adkins added a rushing touchdown and 13 yards on the ground.
• Kobe Harris is Fairmont State's leading receiver and has racked up 15 receptions for 326 yards (eighth in the MEC) and three touchdowns. In the first half versus Wheeling, Harris returned a punt 74 yards for a punt return touchdown. The receiver from Atlanta, Ga. ranks 18th in the country in averaging 21.73 yards per reception.
• Sophomore wideout Winston Page hauled in five receptions for 74 yards and two scores versus NDC. Page has totaled 229 receiving yards and averages 13.47 yards/reception. 
• Gage Michael scored a receiving touchdown and a rushing touchdown in the game versus Post. The Kent State transfer and Fairmont native has caught 10 receptions for 207 yards in his first five games donning the Maroon & White.
• Isaiah Powell-Major set the Fairmont State school record for longest interception return on a 97-yard pick six in the first quarter versus Concord. The redshirt sophomore from Glen Burnie, Md. added his second interception of the night in the second quarter and finished the game with a pair of pass breakups, a forced fumble, a tackle for a loss and four total tackles. Powell-Major was awarded MEC Defensive Player of the Week for his standout performance.
• Defensive Back Eltayeb Bushra earned MEC Defensive Player of the Week honors in week four after nabbing two interceptions and recovering a blocked kick in the Falcons' win at NDC. Bushra picked off his third interception in two weeks after recording an interception versus Post in week five and forced a fumble to go along with 2.5 tackles for a loss versus Concord in week six. The junior from Herndon, Va. has recorded 28.0 total tackles and has two pass breakups and a fumble recovery this season.
• Jovon Jackson won MEC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 11 after creating two turnovers in the week two win at West Liberty. The junior from Gainesville, Va. has forced two fumbles and has picked off a pass to go along with 44 total tackles and two blocked kicks.
• Brocton Blair intercepted his first pass of the season versus Post in week five. Blair leads the Fairmont State defense with 49.0 total tackles. The Honorable Mention All-American from last season has added four quarterback hurries, four pass break ups and 2.5 tackles for a loss. He and Jackson have both recorded over 40 tackles for the Fairmont State defense this season.
• The Falcons recorded a season-high eight sacks versus Concord, with Nemo Roberts leading the charge with 2.5 sacks. Nine Falcons (Nemo Roberts, Donovan O'Malley, Matt Pack, Randy Robinson, Izuchukwu Igwe, Bryce Mumphrey, Ben Brzezinski, Josh Alt and Kylyn Macklin) have recorded at least 0.5 sacks in the season.
• On special teams, punter Scout Arthur earned MEC Player of the Week honors in week four after averaging 41.4 yards per punt and placing three punts inside the 20-yard line versus NDC. The AB transfer has averaged 39.6 yards per punt and has placed 10 punts inside the 20-yard line. Placekicker Emmanuel Richardson has made five field goals, including a 43-yard try, on the season. Pack and Jackson lead the MEC in blocked kicks and have blocked two kicks each. 
• Fairmont State Head Football Coach Jason Woodman is in his 11th season leading the Falcons. He secured his 57th career win last Thursday night versus Concord and is the second-winningest football coach in school history. 

Scouting UNC Pembroke
• After defeating West Liberty on the road and Wheeling at home, the Braves fell at Frostburg State last Saturday, 31-21. The Braves trailed 24-10 heading into the fourth quarter and trimmed Frostburg State's lead to three points with nine minutes to go in the fourth quarter but could not complete the comeback. 
• Wide receiver Trey Dixon broke the school record for most receiving touchdowns in a single game and most receiving yards in a single game after totaling four touchdowns and 240 receiving yards versus Wheeling in week five. Dixon earned  MEC Offensive Player of the Week and D2Football.com Offensive Player of the Week accolades for his performance. 
• The Braves have two players on their roster ranked in the top 5 for most sacks in the conference. Jamae Blank leads the MEC with 1.08 sacks/game and ranks ninth in the country while Raydarius Freeman is third in the league at 0.75 sacks/game.
• No stranger to Division II football, Mark Hall was named the head coach of UNC Pembroke in December of last year. Hall was previously the head coach of Chowan and was an offensive coordinator at Urbana from 2005-08. He played wide receiver for the Blue Knights during the 2004 season.