Box Score Fairmont, W. Va. – The Wheeling University Football team (5-6, 5-5) wrapped up the regular season when they took on Fairmont State on Friday. The Cardinals fell on the field 29-14, but running back Sy Alli IV permanently wrote his way into the history books, becoming the first Wheeling Running Back to eclipse the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season.

Coming into Friday night's game, Alli needed just 64 yards to reach the 1,000-point mark. He would reach that Mark in the second half, and finished the day with 78 yards on 16 carries for an average of 4.6 yards per carry. Unfortunately, he did not get into the endzone but helped Wheeling drive down the field throughout the night. The 1,014 yards beat  Alli's previous career-high by just under 400 yards, and has been the Mountain East Conference's (MEC)'s leading rusher for the majority of the season. He ends the year as the only runner to eclipse 1,000 yards on the season.

Early on, Wheeling's defense was firing on all cylinders, as they held the Falcons to just a field goal throughout the first quarter. Late in that first quarter, defensive back Aaron Finch set his offense up for success, intercepting the ball at the Wheeling 46-yard line. The offense would drive the 54 yards in nine plays,and capped it off with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Chad Palmer to Jake Keenan. It was Palmer's first career touchdown pass,and staked Wheeling to a 7-3 lead after one quarter of play. However that was the only lead that Wheeling would have in the game as the Falcons got going.

Fairmont State scored 15 points in that second quarter, including a touchdown, a field goal, and a safety. That touchdown in the quarter went to wide receiver Joshawn Lewis, and the Falcons went ahead 10-7. A safety brought the score to 12-7, and a field goal brought the score to 15-7. That is where the score sat at halftime, as Wheeling was trying to get going. In that first half, Wheeling scored their lone touchdown on a 54-yard touchdown drive, but weren't able to move the ball well. They were looking for a way to more consistently move the ball in the second half.

After a Fairmont State touchdown moved the lead to 22-7, Wheeling reaped some of the benefits of their halftime adjustments. They were set up at the Fairmont State 43-yard line, and drove down the field in five plays. Palmer connected on his second touchdown pass of the night, this one a 14-yard strike to Jaquan Davidson that made it a one score game at 22-14. Fairmont would add one more touchdown in the quarter, and led 29-14 after three quarters of play. Neither team could get on the board over the final 15-minutes of the game, and the game would conclude with the score standing at 29-14.

Palmer got his second consecutive start for the Cardinals, and put up his best numbers to date. He finished 11-26, throwing for 147 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. Jake Keenan led the receiving corps with five catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. The other touchdown came courtesy of Jaquan Davidson, who finished with one catch for 14 yards and a touchdown. Linebacker Ryan Gorman led the defense with 10 tackles while Josiah Wright and Chase Nolan each finished the day with seven tackles.

The Wheeling University Football team finished the year 5-6 overall and 5-5 in Mountain East Conference play. They set a new program record for wins, and look yo build on the success this off-season.