BUCKHANNON, W.Va. — The Fairmont State University football team traveled south to face the West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats. The Falcons fell to the Bobcats 34-16 on Saturday at Cebe Ross Field.
Liam McGuire's 50-yard touchdown pass to Amari Colon-Brown and Caleb Nelson's PAT gave the Bobcats a 7-0 lead at 13:28 of the first quarter.
Karron Watties intercepted McGuire at 10:35 and returned it 24 yards to the Bobcats' 39, and
Demarcus Daniels added another interception at 9:51. The Falcons drove to the Bobcats' 17 behind
Nino Marzullo's fourth-down keeper and 16-yard completion to
Gage Michael, but
Connor Mollohan missed a 38-yard field goal.
Wilson recovered Hunt's blocked punt for a touchdown at 4:25 after
AJ Hertel and
Kalon Curry combined on an 8-yard sack to force fourth-and-18, and
Emmanuel Richardson's PAT tied the score at 7-7. Kameron Hebrock's fumble recovery for a touchdown put the Bobcats back in front at 2:04, and after the missed PAT, the Falcons reached the Bobcats' 40 on the final play of the quarter with the Bobcats ahead 13-7.
The Falcons moved into the red zone early in the second quarter, but a holding penalty pushed the drive back before Mollohan missed a 40-yard field goal at 12:11. A third-down completion and a pass-interference penalty helped set up Jeremiah King's 26-yard touchdown run, and the extra point made it 20-7 at 8:58.
Richardson's 31-yard field goal cut the score to 20-10 at 4:38 after
Jasha Brown's 28-yard return gave the Falcons midfield starting position and a false start moved the ball back from the Bobcats' 8. McGuire's 23-yard touchdown pass to Ethan French capped a 71-yard drive at 1:12, and the Falcons' final drive reached the Bobcats' 14 before a 32-yard field-goal try missed with 13 seconds left, leaving the Bobcats ahead 27-10 at halftime.
A lost fumble on the opening kickoff gave the Bobcats the ball at the Falcons' 21, but the defense kept the drive off the board when
Spencer Adderley broke up a third-down pass and Nelson missed a 45-yard field goal at 13:08. Eudean Dobson returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown at 11:27, and Nelson's extra point made it 34-10.
After another Falcons interception,
Gavin Smith broke up a pass,
Jason Croston and Curry combined on a tackle for loss, and
Jamar Grimball added a sack to force a punt. Marzullo's 13-yard touchdown pass to Michael at 6:33 finished an 80-yard drive highlighted by Marzullo's 28-yard completion to Michael. After the Bobcats missed a 31-yard field goal late, the third quarter ended with the Bobcats ahead 34-16.
The Falcons opened the fourth quarter by moving across midfield on Marzullo's 7-yard fourth-down run, but two penalties pushed the drive backward before
Ethan Vargo-Thomas punted at 13:06. After the defense forced a Bobcats punt, Marzullo hit
Jules Alvarado for 40 yards and a roughing-the-passer penalty moved the ball to the Bobcats' 23, but the drive ended on a fourth-down incompletion from the 6 at 7:59.
The Falcons forced another punt after
Jeffery Polk and Watties helped stop King on third-and-1, but Dylan Newman intercepted Marzullo at the Bobcats' 35 with 4:57 left. The Bobcats closed out the game on the ground, converting fourth-and-1 on Reimello Hyde's 2-yard run and later third-and-6 on King's 11-yard carry before kneeling out the 34-16 final.
Marzullo completed 21 of 40 passes for 232 yards and one touchdown and added 36 rushing yards. Michael caught six passes for 86 yards and a touchdown. Alvarado finished with five receptions for 89 yards. Polk recorded 16 tackles, while Grimball added 13 tackles and one sack.
Fairmont State (2-5, 2-2) is off next week and returns to the gridiron on Saturday, October 24 at the University of Charleston. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m.
