FINDLAY, Ohio — The Fairmont State football team fell to the 10th/12th ranked University of Findlay Oilers, 37-17 on Saturday at Donnell Stadium. The Falcons converted 8 of 21 third downs and both fourth-down attempts, and their scoring included two touchdown passes and a 34-yard field goal.
The Falcons spent much of the first quarter working against turnovers and field position, and the Oilers converted two late possessions into touchdowns to leave FSU down 14-0. At the start of the quarter,
Deven Sisler completed two passes to
Ralo Wesley on the opening drive, including a 4-yard third-down conversion, before Riley Caldwell intercepted Sisler at the Oilers 44.
The Falcons' defense answered with several stops, including
Demarcus Daniels' tackle for loss after the interception,
Jeffery Polk's tackle for loss and
AJ Hertel's sack on the next Oilers series, and Daniels' interception at the FSU 22 after a muffed punt gave the Oilers the ball in Falcons territory.
The Oilers broke through after a short Falcons punt, with Christian Davis scoring from 24 yards at 3:57, then added a 38-yard touchdown pass from Chase Harrison to Delon Hurt with 1:12 left. The Falcons ended the quarter moving the ball, as
James Borbor ran for 25 yards and then 5 more to reach the Oilers 42 before the quarter closed.
The Falcons turned their opening possession of the second quarter into points, converting fourth-and-3 at the Oilers 40 on Sisler's 11-yard pass to
Joshua Jones before
Emmanuel Richardson made a 34-yard field goal at 12:06 to make it 14-3. The defense followed with a punt-forcing series that included pressure from Polk, a tackle for loss by
Nick Longo and a stop by
Kalon Curry.
The Falcons moved the chains again on their next drive with
Gage Michael's 10-yard catch and Borbor's 12-yard run, but a holding penalty and sack stalled the possession before
Ethan Vargo-Thomas punted 56 yards. Polk later dropped the Oilers for a loss to help produce another stop, but the Oilers used a 73-yard run and an 8-yard touchdown pass from Chase Harrison to Delon Hurt with 29 seconds left, and the Falcons closed the quarter with
Elijah Tidwell's 14-yard first-down run before the quarter ended with the Oilers ahead 21-3.
DJ Dailey's blocked punt gave the Falcons a short field midway through the third quarter, and Sisler immediately turned it into points with a 26-yard completion to Michael and a 7-yard touchdown pass to
Cole Vonkaenel at 5:32, cutting the Oilers' lead to 21-9 after the missed kick. Early in the third, the Falcons stopped the Oilers' opening drive on downs when Polk tackled Christian Davis after a 6-yard fourth-down completion at the FSU 28, then moved 49 yards on their first possession behind Sisler's 12-yard third-down completion to
Chico Thomas Jr. and Tidwell's 17-yard run before a missed 41-yard field goal.
The defense answered that missed chance by forcing the Oilers into a three-and-out from their 13, with
Jasha Brown making a tackle for loss before Dailey blocked the punt. After the Falcons later punted, the defense closed the quarter with another fourth-down stop, as
Jordan Green dropped Dominic Bennett for a 1-yard loss at the FSU 43 on the final play, leaving the Oilers ahead 21-9 entering the fourth quarter.
The Falcons opened the fourth quarter with a 10-play, 57-yard drive that converted three third downs, capped by Sisler's 19-yard touchdown pass to Vonkaenel at 10:58 and Tidwell's successful rush on the two-point conversion to make it 17-21. Polk helped the Falcons answer defensively with a tackle for loss and a third-down stop on the Oilers' next series, forcing a punt back to the FSU 20.
The quarter turned against the Falcons after a backed-up possession ended with a 49-yard punt that Cameron Wright returned 58 yards for a touchdown, and the next FSU drive produced a safety that moved the score to 17-30 with 6:10 left. The Falcons still got defensive stops from
Montel Sims, Daniels and Polk during the closing stretch, but Sisler was intercepted on two of the final three FSU possessions, and the Oilers added a late rushing touchdown before finishing off a 37-17 result.
Vonkaenel caught two passes for 26 yards and two touchdowns. Sisler completed 16 of 29 passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Borbor rushed 14 times for a team-high 76 yards and added a 2-yard reception. Polk led the Falcons with 10 tackles, and Daniels added six tackles with an 11-yard interception return.
Fairmont State (0-3) opens Mountain East Conference play on Saturday, September 19 at Wheeling University. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
