CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Fairmont State (2-6, 2-3) lost to Charleston (WV) (4-4, 4-1) 52-49 on Saturday at University of Charleston Stadium. The Falcons converted all three fourth-down attempts, turned five of eight red-zone trips into touchdowns and finished with 374 kickoff-return yards.
Joshua Jones returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown at 14:46. After
Karron Watties recovered a Matt Frye fumble at the Golden Eagles' 19, Jones scored on a 1-yard run for a 14-0 lead. Frye's 32-yard touchdown pass to Devin Hobbs capped an 11-play, 73-yard answer at 7:48.
Jaylen Butera then blocked an
Ethan Vargo-Thomas punt, and Jamari Welch recovered it at the Falcons' 1 and returned it for a touchdown to tie the game at 14-14.
Nino Marzullo threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to
Eli Sibley with 22 seconds left, finishing a 12-play, 75-yard drive that gave the Falcons a 21-14 lead after the first quarter.
Gavin Smith blocked a 46-yard field-goal attempt early in the second quarter, and
Demarcus Daniels recovered at the Golden Eagles' 38. After Marzullo hit
Ralo Wesley for 25 yards, Marzullo scored on a 13-yard run to make it 28-14 after
Emmanuel Richardson's kick. Frye's 11-yard touchdown pass to Hobbs capped a 10-play answer, and after the Falcons punted, Frye hit Zion Gray for a 75-yard touchdown to tie it at 28-28.
Jones' 56-yard kickoff return gave the Falcons a start at the Golden Eagles' 40, but a fumble at the 17 gave the ball back, and Frye's 82-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Thompson put the Golden Eagles in front at 2:11. Marzullo converted fourth-and-2 with a 20-yard pass to Jones, and
Rickey Hunt Jr. scored on a 3-yard run with 33 seconds left before Richardson's kick tied it at 35-35.
Frye opened the third-quarter scoring with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Justice Williams, and Zachary Alvarez's kick made it 42-35. Jones' 47-yard kickoff return and Marzullo's fourth-and-7 completion to
Gage Michael helped the Falcons reach the Golden Eagles' 14, but Jones fumbled to end the drive.
After the Falcons forced a punt, their next possession ended on Brian Jones' interception. The Golden Eagles extended a 12-play drive with a roughing-the-passer penalty on a no-play interception, and Butera's 6-yard touchdown run made it 49-35 at :39.
Joshua Jones returned the ensuing kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown, and Richardson's extra point cut the score to 49-42 at the end of the quarter.
After the teams traded punts to start the fourth quarter, Alvarez made a 31-yard field goal to cap a 10-play, 48-yard drive and make it 52-42 at 4:48.
Jasha Brown returned the ensuing kickoff 38 yards to the Golden Eagles' 37, and Marzullo threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Sibley at 2:59 before Richardson's extra point made it 52-49.
The Falcons forced a punt on the next Golden Eagles possession and took over at their own 23 with 2:32 left. Marzullo kept the final drive alive with a third-down completion to Michael and a fourth-and-8 throw to Wesley at the Golden Eagles' 38, then added completions of 19 and 14 yards to Sibley to reach the 5. After an illegal shift penalty moved the ball back, Richardson's 26-yard field-goal attempt was no good at :00 as the Falcons fell 52-49.
Marzullo completed 21 of 30 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns and added a rushing touchdown.
Joshua Jones scored three touchdowns, rushing for 56 yards and one score on 11 carries, adding two catches for 21 yards and returning two kickoffs for touchdowns. Sibley caught six passes for 59 yards and two touchdowns.
Montel Sims recorded a team-high 15 tackles.
Fairmont State is set to host West Liberty University on Saturday, October 31. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m.
