Wheeling, W. Va. – After taking a tough-luck loss in week one, the Wheeling University Football team (0-1) returns home on Thursday when they take on Notre Dame College (1-0) at 7 PM. It is the official start of Mountain East Conference (MEC) play, and Wheeling kicks it off against the defending MEC Champions as they try to show they can compete with the big dogs.
Wheeling opened their season against Seton Hill last Thursday in a game where the defense got to flex their muscles. As a unit, they forced seven turnovers, five fumbles, and two interceptions, and scored one of the team's two touchdowns. Leading the way was cornerback Jermichael Isom (Gadsden, AL./Gadsden City HS), who led the team with 11 total tackles and recovered a fumble for one of the Cardinal's two touchdowns. JR Atkinson (Stow, OH./Stow-Munroe) and Aaron Finch (Atlanta, GA./Langston Hughes) each added an interception that left the door open for Wheeling at the end of the game.
The offense moved the ball well throughout the night led by Quarterback Trent Jackson (Stevensville, MD./Kent Island HS) who went 15-28 with 128 yards and a touchdown in the loss. His top target was receiver Jaquan Davidson (Duquesne, PA./Elizabeth Forward HS) who made five catches for 61 yards and the other Cardinals touchdown. On the ground, Sy Alli IV (Pittsburgh, Pa./Obama Academy) led the way with 21 carries for 98 yards, averaging 3.7 yards per carry.
It was a back and forth game throughout the night, as both defenses played strong. Neither team got on the board in the first half, and the first touchdown wasn't scored until the 11-minute mark in the second quarter when Jackson connected with Davidson for a 22 yd touchdown pass. Seton Hill added a few field goals, and Wheeling had the lead heading into halftime. However, despite forcing four fourth-quarter turnovers, Wheeling's offense could not overcome a 10-point third quarter by Seton Hill and dropped the contest 16-14.
They now get set to open their MEC schedule by welcoming in the defending MEC Champions Notre Dame College tomorrow. It begins a stretch of back-to-back home games as Wheeling embarks on their 10-game conference schedule in hopes of beating the seventh-place ranking that they earned in the annual MEC Preseason poll. They have the experience and the talent to beat that ranking and will look to show how much they have grown this off-season.
The Match-up
The Cardinals and Falcons have matched up twice since the 2019 season, and Notre Dame College has had the upper hand both times. Thursday will mark the second straight game that has been played at Bishop Schmitt Field after the two teams ended the season on this same field in the spring of 2021. Wheeling has averaged 10 points in the two contests and is looking for the school's first-ever win against Notre Dame College.
The last time these two teams met was on April 10th, 2021, in a game that Notre Dame went on to win 55-7. The lone Cardinal touchdown came with 14:54 left in the game when quarterback Brennon Norris (Wintersville, OH./Indian Creek) connected with tight end Tristan Ballard (Boardman, OH./Sharon HS)on a 13-yard touchdown pass that brought the score to 45-7. It was the Cardinals' longest drive of the day, going eight plays for 74 yards and a touchdown.
The Details
Kick-off for Thursday night's game at Bishop Schmitt Field is scheduled for 7 PM. You can watch all the action live by clicking HERE or follow along with live stats by clicking HERE.
