Box Score FAIRMONT, W.Va. – No. 25 Notre Dame saw a four-game winning streak come to an end on Thursday night, as they fell to No. 20 Fairmont State, 23-19 at Duvall-Rosier Field.  

Notre Dame (7-2, 6-2 MEC) saw a six-game road winning streak come to an end with the loss, which was their first on the road since falling to West Virginia State, 32-29, on Oct. 10, 2015. No. 20 Fairmont State (9-0, 8-0 MEC) won for the 10th straight time dating back to last season, and for the third time in four games all-time against Notre Dame. 

Points and yards were tough to come by, especially in the second half. Neither team was able to tally more than 358 yards of total offense, in a game that was very well defended on both sides.  

The two teams exchanged punts on the first five possessions of the game, until Fairmont State fired the first shot, as Cooper Hibbs threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Laurence King to give FSU a 7-0 lead with 2:04 left in the first quarter. 

Notre Dame was able to answer a few moments later, as they put a 13-play, 63-yard drive together, ending with a 1-yard touchdown rush for DJ Greene to tie the game at 7-7 with 8:46 left in the second quarter. The Falcons converted on fourth and six on that drive with Kendall Jackson at quarterback. 

On the ensuing kickoff, King, the reigning MEC Special Teams player of week, took it 99 yards to the house to put Fairmont State back in the driver's seat, 14-7 with 8:33 left in the first half. 

Fairmont State forced a 3-and-out on Notre Dame's next offensive possession, and then took a 20-7 lead, after putting an 8-play, 78-yard drive together, which James Oliver finished with a 1-yard touchdown rush with 4:12 to play in the second quarter. 

Notre Dame responded with a 10-play, 68-yard drive, as Grove tossed a 2-yard touchdown pass to Darius Johnson on third and goal to bring NDC back within seven (20-13) with 39 seconds left in the half. 

NDC had more than twice as many first downs as FSU (13-6) in the first half, and held a 17:46-12:14 advantage in time of possession. 

Fairmont State went 3-and-out on their opening possession of the second half, but they fell on a muffed punt at the NDC 45 yard line. However, the Falcon defense was able to diffuse that bomb, as the drive came to an end on a missed 41-yard field goal attempt. 

The Falcons scored one final time, as they went 74 yards on six plays, and Greene found the end zone for the second time on the night, with a 2-yard touchdown rush. The extra point was blocked, and Notre Dame was down, 20-19 with 14:56 to go. 

FSU then put a 15-play, 64-yard drive together that chewed up nearly seven minutes, and they capped it with a 31-yard field goal from Sam Kiel. 

Notre Dame had two chances to score inside the final five minutes. They took their second to last drive down to the FSU 31 yard line, but they ended up turning the ball over on downs, before forcing Fairmont State to punt with just over a minute to play. 

However, Fairmont State sacked Grove near midfield, forcing him to fumble the ball, and FSU recovered the loose ball to ice the game. 

Green ran for 84 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead an NDC ground game that picked up 128 yards throughout the night. 

Grove completed 15-of-31 passes for 230 yards and a touchdown. Mitchell Shegos was his top target, hauling in six passes for 87 yards, while C.J. Germany caught four passes for 77 yards and Emmanuel Smith caught three for 45 yards. 

Grove has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 11 straight games, while Shegos has caught at least one pass in 31 straight games. 

Notre Dame held Fairmont State to just 12 first downs, and only 46 yards on the ground, marking the third straight week that they've held an opposing team to less than 100 yards rushing. They've allowed just six points in the fourth quarter over their last five games. 

Onslow Williams led the NDC defense with seven tackles, including 2.5 for a loss, while Andon Ware, Jalon Avent, Jake Chestnut, and Claudy Mathieu all recorded six tackles each. 

No. 25 Notre Dame will return to action next Saturday, Nov. 5, when they host the Urbana Blue Knights on Senior Day at Mueller Field. Kickoff is scheduled for Noon.