The Matchup
• The Fairmont State (7-2, 5-2 Mountain East Conference) football team will complete a two-game road trip on Saturday (Nov. 4) at West Virginia Wesleyan (0-8, 0-7). The Falcons and the Bobcats are set to kickoff at 1 p.m. from Cebe Ross Field in Buckhannon, W.Va. 
• 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.
• Michael Floria delivered a touchdown pass to Gage Michael inside the final two minutes to secure a 21-20 win over West Virginia State in week nine. It was FSU's first win over the Yellow Jackets since 2018 and extended the Falcons' winning streak to two games.
• Saturday's game will be the first time Fairmont State and West Virginia Wesleyan have faced each other on the gridiron since 2019. The Falcons lead the all-time series 46-22-1.
• Fairmont State has won the previous five matchups versus the Bobcats, dating back to 2015.

Fighting Falcons Facts
• Fairmont State football was ranked eighth in the second set of NCAA Super Region 1 Rankings that were unveiled on Monday (Oct. 30) night. The top seven teams in the region will qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The MEC landed three teams in the regional rankings with Charleston (#3) and Frostburg State (#5) joining Fairmont State.
• The seven Fairmont State victories are the most in a single season since 2018.
• As a team, Fairmont State ranks fifth the country in passes intercepted (16). The Falcons lead the conference in passing yards per completion (15.25 yds/completion) and turnover margin (1.44).
• Eltayeb Bushra has emerged as one of the premier defenders in the country and enters week ten as the conference's interception leader with six picks. Bushra has the second-highest interceptions per game rate in the country (0.7 INTs/game). The defensive back from Herndon, Va. was named the D2Football.com Defensive Player of the Week and MEC Defensive Player of the Week in week eight after snagging a pair of interceptions versus Charleston. Bushra has been named conference defensive player of the week twice. He has accumulated 50 total tackles with six tackles for loss to go along with a pair of pass breakups and a forced fumble.
• Quarterback Michael Floria has led the Falcons on a pair of game-winning scoring drives in consecutive game. He led the Falcons 50 yards and hit Gage Michael for the game-winning score versus WVSU in week nine to give the Falcons the win. Versus Charleston, Floria guided the offense on a 16-play, 78-yard touchdown drive that ended with Fairmont State scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 10 seconds on the clock in the final quarter. Floria lofted a pass to tight end Carter Giacomo on fourth and goal from the one-yard line for the game-winning score versus the Golden Eagles. Floria has tallied 87 completions for 1,264 yards and nine touchdowns this season.
• LeJay Hatcher is Fairmont State's leading rusher and has chalked up 472 rushing yards on the ground. Hatcher ranks 10th on the conference leaderboard in rushing yards. Donovan Washington has entered the end zone five times on the ground while Leonard Farrow has rumbled for four touchdowns on the ground that has bolstered the Falcons' rushing attack. Deriek Crosby II returned to the running back rotation for the Falcons and scored Fairmont State's first touchdown at WVSU in week nine.  
• Kobe Harris is Fairmont State's leading receiver and has racked up 23 receptions for 456 yards (eighth in the MEC) and three touchdowns. In the first half versus Wheeling, he returned a punt 74 yards for a score. The receiver from Atlanta, Ga. ranks 25th in the country in averaging 19.83 yards per reception.
• Gage Michael hauled in the game-tying score with under two minutes to go in the fourth quarter at WVSU. The Kent State transfer and Fairmont native has caught 21 passes for 356 yards in his first season donning the Maroon & White.
• Sophomore wideout Winston Page hauled in five receptions for 74 yards and two scores versus NDC. Page has totaled 273 receiving yards and averages 12.41 yards/reception. 
• Bushra is one of three Fairmont State defensive backs to record multiple interceptions this season. Isaiah Powell-Major and Sam Fairley have both nabbed three interceptions for the Falcons' defense. All three players have returned an interception for a score this season. The Falcons had two pick-sixes in their win versus Charleston after scores by Bushra and Fairley.
• 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.
• 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 made 72.0 total tackles and has forced two fumbles to go along with an interception and two blocked kicks.
• Brocton Blair is Fairmont State's leading tackler and has tallied 77.0 total tackles. The Honorable Mention All-American from last season has added six quarterback hurries, four pass break ups and 3.0 tackles for a loss. He and Jackson are the only two Falcons that have made over 70 tackles this season.
• The Falcons recorded a season-high eight sacks versus Concord, with Nemo Roberts leading the charge with 2.5 sacks. Roberts leads the defensive line with 4.5 sacks this season. Randy Robinson racked up 2.0 sacks in the Falcons' win versus UC, and sealed the win with a sack on the final play of the game. Nine Falcons (Roberts, Robinson, Donovan O'Malley, Matt Pack, 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 38.1 yards per punt and has placed 13 punts inside the 20-yard line. Placekicker Emmanuel Richardson shined versus UC and was 4-for-4 on field goal attempts and 3-for-3 on extra points. Richardson's season-long field goal is 43 yards. 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 59th career win versus WVSU and is the second-winningest football coach in school history. 

Scouting West Virginia Wesleyan
• The Bobcats have been held to a scoring average of 8.25 points per game and have averaged 191.1 yards/game on offense this season.
• WVWC quarterback Nathan Payne has completed 61 passes for 650 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Freshman Quinton Pulley has provided support in the QB position with 27 completions for 271 yards and a score. Kevin Mitchell has tallied 185 rushing yards to lead the Bobcats while Nathaniel Garnett Jr. has hauled in 31 catches for 511 yards and a touchdown.
• Steven Taylor is West Virginia Wesleyan's leading tackler and has recorded 45.0 total tackles. Taylor has added 6.0 TFLs, one interception and one forced fumble. WVWC's sack leader is freshman linebacker Colyn Webster with 1.5 sacks.
• Former WVWC football player Dwayne Martin is in his third season at the helm of the Wesleyan football program. Martin was previously the defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator before being named the head coach in July of 2021.