WHEELING, W.Va. (Sept. 6) – The Wheeling University football team will open its inaugural varsity season at home against Ohio County-foe West Liberty on Saturday, September 7 with a 1 p.m. kickoff from Bishop Schmitt Field.

PARKING & TICKET INFORMATION
• Parking lots will open on campus at 10 a.m.
• Parking for all vehicles will be $10 at the gate
• Admission is included in your parking fee

LIVE INTERNET COVERAGE
• Live Stats
• Live Streaming Video |  Provided by the Mountain East Network.
• Twitter  |  All scoring information and in-game updates.

GAME NOTES (pdf.)

OHIO COUNTY BRAGGING RIGHTS: After two years of recruiting and preparing, the Wheeling Cardinals will play for the first-time ever in the history of the institution. West Liberty is entering its 96th season of football this year.

WHEELING HEAD COACH: Head Coach Zac Bruney will be making his NCAA head coaching debut against West Liberty. Bruney is in his third season with the university after serving as the offensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Ohio Dominican from 2013-16. Bruney's ODU teams went a combined 36-10 overall. 

WHEELING 2018 REVIEW: The Cardinals won all eight of their exhibition games and out-scored opponents 315 to 68 in the school's first taste of college football last fall. Wheeling's offense under Bruney averaged 39.3 points per game during those games. 

WEST LIBERTY HEAD COACH: Head Coach Roger Waialae leads all MEC head coaches with 77 career victories entering his 15th season. He ranks second all-time at West Liberty, trailing only Joe Bartell's 118 wins. Waialae is one of only three NCAA head football coaches from the state of Hawaii and the only one in Division II.

WEST LIBERTY 2018 REVIEW: The Hilltoppers are coming off of their fourth-straight sub-.500 season after going 3-8 a year ago. All three of West Liberty's wins came on their home turf, including a 36-24 win over West Virginia State. 

SY OF RELIEF: Sophomore running back Sy Alli IV was one of the team's biggest playmakers during the 2018 exhibition schedule and figures to play a prominent role in the offense. Alli was an All-Pittsburgh City League selection in 2017 at Obama Academy.

QB1: Sophomore Tucker Strachan took the majority of the snaps under center last season and enters week one as the starting quarterback. In the team's toughest test, Strachan was 24 of 31 for 288 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the 23-20 win against Mount Union's JV team last year.

DB DEPTH: Bruney feels that the secondary is one of the deepest and most talented positions on the roster. Defensive Coordinator Mott Gaymon and Safeties Coach Justin Kropka will utilize a group that includes returning starters Rich White and Aaron Finch on the outside, with transfers Jermichael Isom and Jonny Hayden pushing for playing time.

LEARNING ON THE JOB: Wheeling features 13 true-freshmen on its two-deep for this week's matchup against the Hilltoppers, including offensive lineman Eric Lyle and Casey Bekemeier, who are both projected starters. West Liberty has eight true-freshmen projected on its two deep, which inlcudes back-ups at both kicker and punter.

NEXT WEEK: The Cardinals will have a quick turnaround when they hit the road to face No. 25 Fairmont State on Thursday, September 12 for a 7 p.m. kickoff.