Wheeling, W. Va. - The Wheeling University Football team (4-4, 4-3) hosts Concord for their final regular-season home game in 2021 with kick-off scheduled for 12:10 pm. While the Cardinals will be fighting for the win on the field, they will also be honoring the 31 seniors who helped build the program from the ground up back during the 2018 season on senior day.
Last time Wheeling played at Bishop Schmitt Field, they were involved in a wild Homecoming affair with rival West Liberty. They trailed 20-7 with eight minutes left on the game clock when Josiah Wright intercepted the ball and returned it 76 yards for a touchdown. Wheeling would battle back to score one more touchdown, and a missed West Liberty field goal at the buzzer sent the game into overtime. Richard White III would then intercept the ball on West Liberty's first drive of overtime before Sy Alli IV plunged the ball into the end zone for the game-winning score.
Alli has had a big season for Wheeling this year and is on the verge of becoming the first 1,000-yard rusher in school history. He currently leads the MEC with 756 yards on the ground and needs just 244 yards to reach the 1,000-yard mark. Against West Liberty, Alli had 87 yards and two scores in the game and is averaging 94.5 yards per carry. The ground game has been one of the keys to Wheeling's offensive success this season and will look to factor in once again on Saturday. Alli had 169 yards in Wheeling's first game against Concord in 2019 and looks to be a big factor once again.
On the defensive side of the ball, Josiah Wright is stepping up as a big piece in the Cardinal's secondary and provided the turning point for Wheeling against West Liberty. It was his team-leading third interception of the season and his first pick-six of the year. White added his first interception of the season, as the defense was able to keep their team in the game. Through the month of October, they allowed an average of 24 points per game and are looking to lower that number during the final game of the month.
As the season comes down to its final three weeks, the Mountain East Conference (MEC) is a wide-open field. Wheeling maintained its tie for third place with the win last week, sitting at 4-3 with West Liberty and West Virginia State. They are two games behind division-leading Frostburg State and Notre Dame, who each sit at 6-1, and one game behind second-place University of Charleston and UNC Pembroke, who each sit at 5-2. The Cardinals are looking to take things one game at a time and hope things fall into place at the top of the division.
The Match-Up
Wheeling and Concord have faced off just one time in the past with Wheeling winning the only game 27-20. It was the first win in program history for the football team and produced the team's first-ever 100-yard rusher. This will be the first match-up between the two teams at Bishop Schmitt Field, and the Cardinals are looking to take the first two games of the series match-up.
In the last meeting between the two teams, Sy Alli led the offense with 169 yards total rushing in the game and scored a touchdown in the win. As an offense, the Cardinals totaled 280 yards of total offense and scored the game-winning touchdown with three minutes left on the clock. Wheeling is hoping to have similar offensive success when they take the field on Saturday.
The Details
Kick-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 12:10 PM. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
