BUCKHANNON, W.Va. – The Fairmont State (8-2, 6-2 Mountain East Conference) football team won its third-straight game after a dominant 55-20 win at West Virginia Wesleyan (0-9, 0-8) on Saturday (Nov. 4) at Cebe Ross Field in Buckhannon, W.Va.
 
The Falcons established the run and netted 279 yards on the ground versus the Bobcats while holding WVWC to just four rushing yards. FSU averaged 8.2 yards per rush and scored six rushing touchdowns in the game. Five different Falcons scored rushing touchdowns, with Leonard Farrow totaling two rushing touchdowns. Deriek Crosby II led Fairmont State with 92 yards and Elijah Tidwell added 82 yards. Crosby II, Tidwell, Donovan Washington and Randy Robinson all had one rushing touchdown. Michael Floria completed 10 passes for 150 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Winston Page hauled in a 25-yard touchdown catch and Noah Waynick caught his first career touchdown pass on a 20-yard reception.
 
Defensively, Brocton Blair had a huge day and made 13 tackles to go along with 2.5 tackles for loss and half a sack. Quinton Young intercepted his first pass of the season and added a pass breakup and a sack. Kaire Umoja made two pass breakups in the secondary. The Falcons made four sacks with Blair, Young, Matt Pack, Cade Campolito, Ryan Creehan and Josh Alt all recording at least half a sack.
 
Fairmont State scored on the first drive of the game on a seven-play, 58-yard drive that ended with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Floria to Page. Fairmont State went ahead by two scores on the next drive when Floria completed a touchdown pass to Waynick for a 20-yard pitch-and-catch. The Falcons extended their lead to 21-0 after a nine-play, 80-yard drive that concluded with a 13-yard rushing touchdown by Washington. West Virginia Wesleyan kicker Liam Depp converted a pair of field goals in the second quarter that trimmed the FSU lead to 21-6 at the end of the first half.
 
Farrow opened the scoring in the second half with a 37-yard rushing touchdown that put the Falcons ahead 28-6. Young jumped a WVWC pass and collected his first interception of the season that gave Fairmont State favorable field position. The Falcons capitalized on the turnover with Farrow again rumbling for a 29-yard touchdown on the ground. On the first play of the next Fairmont State drive, Crosby II scampered 50 yards for the Falcons' third rushing score of the third quarter. Kobe Harris returned a WVWC punt 42 yards to the WVWC 27-yard line and Robinson plunged into the end zone for a two-yard rush and the Falcons' lead grew to 49-6 after three quarters of play.
 
A WVWC roughing the passer penalty extended the first Fairmont State drive of the fourth quarter and gave the offense a fresh set of downs. On the next play, Tidwell sprinted 36 yards and crossed the goal line for the Falcons' sixth rushing touchdown of the afternoon and Fairmont State controlled a 55-6 advantage. The Bobcats managed to score a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Fairmont State won the first matchup between Fairmont State and West Virginia Wesleyan since 2019 by a score of 55-20.
 
The Fairmont State football team will conclude the regular season at home next Saturday (Nov. 11) versus Frostburg State at noon from Duvall-Rosier Field.