Wheeling, W. Va. – Last season, the Wheeling University Football team (4-1, 3-1) provided one of the most exciting moments of the 2021 season when they took down West Liberty in overtime in their Homecoming Game. On Saturday, they look to recreate some of that magic when they host UNC Pembroke for the first time ever on Homecoming & Family Weekend 2022 at noon. The Cardinals are off to their hottest start on program history And they look to keep their current roll going.

Last time out, the defense was the star as they picked up just the second shutout in program history when they beat West Virginia Wesleyan 37-0. Early on, both defenses took the lead as neither offense could get going. The first points of the game came courtesy of kicker Matt Greenwood, who put a 26-yard field goal through the uprights with 1:24 left in the first. As the second quarter clock ticked away, Greenwood would duplicate his first kick and Quarterback Javon Davis connected with Lowell Patron on a 41-yard touchdown pass that sent the teams into the locker room with Wheeling leading 13-0. In the second half, the run game took over with all three second half touchdowns coming on the ground. Add on a 40-yard Greenwood field goal to start the half and Wheeling went on to win 37-0.

That defense took center stage, however, by shutting down the Bobcats offense no matter where they started on the field. Their biggest hold of the game came in the second quarter as the Bobcats drove to the Wheeling 18-yard line. They forced a field goal attempt that sailed wide left and kept it a 0-0 game. Jayvon Johnson led the defensive effort with seven total Tackles, five solo and two assisted, while adding on a half tackle for loss. Brandon Muñoz returned to the defensive line in a big way, finishing right behind Johnson with six tackles, four solo and two assisted. He also added 1.5 tackles for loss and a half sack to his total. He currently leads the team with 4.5 tackles for loss and is second with 2.5 sacks as the anchor of the defensive line.

While the ground game missed the 200-yard net total mark for the first time in 2022, Wheeling's top two running backs continued their strong seasons. Leading the way was redshirt junior Elijah Young, who ran for 115 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown throughout the night. Behind him was Sy Alli, who had the most carries, taking the ball 21 times, and finished with 87 yards and a touchdown in the win. The Cardinals run game has been their life blood this season and they are the only team to have rushed for over 1,000 yards combined. Sy Alli is the Mountain East Conference (MEC) leading rushers with 533 yards and Young is on a career-best tear with 483 yards on the ground. With six games left, they are on track to be the first running back duo to run for 1,000 yards in a single season.

As we head into week 6 of the MEC season, everyone is jumbled up with the conference up for grabs. 10 of the conference's 12 teams are within two games of first place making for an exciting run towards the end of the season. The Cardinals are out to their best start to conference play on program history, sitting at 3-1, and are tied with Concord for second in the standings. Both teams sit a game behind Notre Dame College for the top spot in the conference. Behind them are seven teams all sitting at 2-2 in conference play that are looking to overtake Wheeling. The Cardinals still have some tough matchups ahead, but they look to keep that 1-0 mentality and take it one week at a time.

The Matchup