The Urbana University football team, searching for its first 2-0 start since 2012, will travel to Fairmont State University for Saturday’s 1 p.m. conference showdown at Duvall-Rosier Field. The road opener for the Blue Knights can be followed online at UUBlueKnights.com.
Both teams are coming off season-opening victories.
UU (1-0, 1-0 MEC) held on to defeat West Liberty 21-19 at UU Stadium on Aug. 30 with an explosive first half. Junior wideout Kahliq Muhammad ignited the Blue and Grey with an 85-yard touchdown reception and 83-yard punt return for a score to stand out among many new faces.
In addition, junior quarterback Eddie Stockett made his first collegiate start, throwing for over 200 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Stockett made an appearance last year against Fairmont State where he threw his first touchdown pass as a Blue Knight.
On defense, the new-look Knights under first-year coordinator Joe Nemith made an early impact with three consecutive takeaways.
Juniors Chris Richardson and Sherman Watson each picked off a pass, and a forced fumble by redshirt-freshman safety Tobias Hailey Jr. led to a big return by junior linebacker Bozton Sanders. UU limited the Hilltoppers to 209 passing yards.
Last week, FSU (1-0, 0-0 MEC) traveled to Stonehill College (Mass.) and came away with a 34-19 triumph to start the season. The Fighting Falcons were led by redshirt junior quarterback Takwan Crews-Naylor, who enjoyed his best outing in a Falcon uniform completing 23-of-29 passes for a career-high 313 yards and two touchdowns.
The Falcons, who are under the direction of sixth-year head coach Jason Woodman, were voted to finish second in the Mountain East Conference preseason poll with three first-place votes.
FSU has claimed the previous four meetings with UU, including a 27-24 win at UU Stadium in last year’s matchup. The Falcons scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter as a last-second field goal capped the come-from-behind win.
UU’s only win in the series came in the first-ever meeting, a 41-5 home victory on Oct. 26, 2013. The series has historically been a close matchup as three of the five meetings have been decided by less than a touchdown.
