Wheeling, W. Va. - The Wheeling University Football team (1-2, 1-1) picked up their first win of 2021 when they defeated Alderson Broaddus last weekend 28-6. They used a balanced passing attack to move the ball downfield, and they look to continue this success when they head on the road to face Glenville State Saturday at noon.
It was a combined effort as quarterbacks Trent Jackson (Stevensville, MD./Kent Island HS) and Brennon Norris (Wintersville, OH./Indian Creek) combined to lead the offense. The pair combined to throw for 295 yards on the day and three touchdowns with one interception in the win. Jackson was 13-22 throwing for 155 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, while Norris went 12-17 with 144 yards and two touchdowns. No matter which of the two quarterbacks was in the game, they seemed to have the same two targets in mind.
Those two players were wide receivers Lowell Patron (Newport News, Va.) and Ryan LaFollette (Woodsfield, OH./Munroe Central). Patron had the biggest day of any Cardinal receiver, making 10 catches for 177 yards and two touchdowns. His longest was a 52-yard hookup with Norris that got the Cardinals ahead 28-0 halfway through the third quarter. LaFollette caught the other Cardinal touchdown, a nine-yard pass from Norris, and finished the day with eight catches for 59 yards and a touchdown. The pair combined to catch 18 of the 25 completions for the Cardinals and paced the offensive attack.
On defense, Wheeling continued to be a dominant force holding Alderson Broaddus to just one touchdown on the day. As a unit, they have only allowed five touchdowns in three games, with three of those coming against undefeated Notre Dame. Against Alderson Broaddus, the success started upfront with Defensive Lineman Brandon Muñoz (Halethorpe, MD./Mount Saint Joseph). Muñoz led the defense with six tackles on the day, including three tackles for a loss and two sacks in the win. As a total, the defensive line got pressure on the quarterback all afternoon and picked up four sacks on the day, with Chase Nolan (Bellaire, Oh./Bellaire) and Adrian Lewis (Greenbelt, MD./Eleanor Roosevelt) picking up the other two sacks.
It was a big confidence boost for this Cardinals team after the loss against Notre Dame College and got them back on track. They now sit 1-1 in Mountain East Conference (MEC) play and sit in a six-way tie for fourth place in the conference. One of those teams they are tied with is their opponent this Saturday in Glenville State. The Cardinals and Pioneers will break that tie this weekend, as Wheeling looks to climb the standings in the early part of the season.
The Match-up
The Pioneers and Cardinals have only matched up one time in team history, and it was Glenville State who won that game 24-14. This will be the second straight game played in Glenville, West Virginia, where the Cardinals produced 266 yards of total offense in the loss. Wheeling scored the first two touchdowns of that game and went into halftime ahead 14-0. However, Glenville scored 24 unanswered points in the second half on their way to the 24-14 win over Wheeling.
Former Cardinal quarterback Tucker Strachan went 19-35, throwing for 156 yards and three interceptions in the loss. Running back Sy Alli IV (Pittsburgh, PA./Obama Academy) led the ground game rushing for 73 of the team's 110 yards on the ground in the loss.
The Details
Kick-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for noon in Glenville, West Virginia. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
