FAIRMONT, W.Va. -- The Fairmont State University football team faced West Virginia State University as it was Homecoming for the Maroon and White. The Falcons led 31-10  going to the fourth quarter but were outscored 35-3 as the Yellow Jackets claimed the win, 45-34.

Coming out of the halftime locker room, Fairmont State led 17-10 as West Virginia State (4-1, 3-0) received the second half kick. The visitors moved the ball into Fairmont State territory after just four plays and following a defensive pass interference, the Yellow Jackets were set up at the 26. The Falcons defense stopped the opposing team on three-straight plays as WVSU attempted a 41-yard field goal but the kick missed to the right.

Dereik Crosby II jump started the offense with a 15-yard run before Nino Marzullo found Kobe Harris for an 11-yard pitch-and-catch. Crosby II picked up seven yards on the ground on first down as the second down play was an incomplete pass. Facing 3rd-and-3, Marzullo connected with Crosby II out of the backfield. The junior running back broke through a couple of tackles and raced his way into the endzone for the 44-yard score. Emmanuel Richardson's point-after was good as Fairmont State led 24-10 with 9:28 left in the third.

The Yellow Jackets started their next drive on their own 35 as they picked up 12 yards on two plays. On first down, WVSU completed a pass over the middle but Eltayeb Bushra punched the ball loose as Nick Longo fell on it for the Falcons to set up the offense at the FSU 40. Unfortunately, the offense was unable to get anything going as it turned the ball over on downs. West Virginia State University struggled on its next drive as penalties forced a punt that was downed at the Fairmont State nine-yard line.

FSU was able to move the ball a couple of yards on the ground as it faced a 3rd-and-7 from the 12. Marzullo dropped back and once again found Crosby II out of the backfield. With a wall of receivers blocking down field, Crosby II took the ball to the house for an 88-yard touchdown. Another successful point-after gave the Falcons a 31-10 lead with just 3:55 left in the third.

West Virginia State's next drive carried over the final three-plus minutes of the third and into the fourth. On the first play of the final quarter of regulation, the Yellow Jackets ran a wildcat formation as the running back directly took the snap and ran in from nine yards to make it a 31-17 game. The drive took nine plays over nearly four minutes to cover 87 yards.

The visitors attempted an onside kick but it did not go the required distance of 10 yards as the Falcons took over at the WVSU 37. Once again, the offense struggled to move the ball as Ethan Vargo-Thomas was able to pin West Virginia State at the four-yard line with a 34-yard punt.

Following no gain on the first two plays from scrimmage, the Yellow Jackets completed a 21-yard pass down the near side of the field to extend the drive. After an incompletion, the guests struck with another big pass play as this one went for 70 yards and placed the ball on the Fairmont State two-yard line. On the next play, West Virginia State made it a seven-point game (31-24) with 12:13 to go.

Starting at their own 22, the Falcons looked to extend the lead as Marzullo found Gage Michael for a 34-yard gain to the WVSU 40. Marzullo refound his rhythm as he completed his next four passes to set up a 3rd-and-2 from the Yellow Jackets 11. However, an incomplete pass on third down brought out Richardson as he attempted and successfully made a 28-yard field goal to make it a 34-24 game with 7:57 left in regulation.

West Virginia State methodically moved the ball down the field on the next drive as it moved to Fairmont State's side of the field. The Falcon defense stopped the opposing squad on third down as WVSU decide to go for it on 4th-and-3. The Yellow Jackets completed a pass play for 11 yards to keep the drive moving and after a defensive pass interference, the ball was placed on the FSU 10. Just two plays later, the Yellow Jackets were in the endzone as it was just a three-point contest (34-31) with 3:38 on the clock.

The Falcons rushed for five yards on the first two plays and on third down, Marzullo completed a pass to Harris but he was stopped just short of the line to gain. The ensuing punt only traveled 27 yards as it setup West Virginia State at its own 47.

Fairmont State's defense seemed to have the Yellow Jackets right where it wanted with a 4th-and-5 upcoming. Unfortunately, WVSU completed a short pass that turned into a 48-yard touchdown, handing the lead to the visitors for the first time, 38-34.

With just 39 seconds on the clock, FSU faced 75 yards to go down and score. On first down, Marzullo dropped back and as he attempted a pass to the near side, it was intercepted and returned 38 yards for the final score of the game. With just 29 seconds left, WVSU led 45-34.

The Falcons struggles continued on their last drive as they turned it over on downs. West Virginia State kneeled on the final play as Fairmont State fell by the 11-point margin.

Marzullo went 25-39 for 409 yards, four touchdowns and the lone interception. Crosby II caught five passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing the ball 17 times for 62 yards. Howard Williams led the defense with 11 total tackles (7 solo, 4 assisted) and an interception.

Fairmont State is now 2-3 with a conference record of 1-2 as it travels to West Virginia Wesleyan College on Saturday, October 12. Kickoff from Buckhannon, West Virginia is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.